Hi
Each year as a church we have an annual meeting some time in April to look back and look forward. 2007 was a significant year for us in many ways. Here is a Richard's report that he presented at the meeting.
Review of last year Momentum
At the APCM last year I said that I was hoping that this year would be a year of momentum – not just movement – but movement with weight – building a momentum that will keep things going... (read more about this here) and it is amazing to look back at how far we have come and what God is doing here among us. It is clear that we have gained a certain momentum. As we review each of the four most important things in our lives together there is much to give thanks for:
Forgive the lists... but it's shorthand for all that has happened...
Community
- Breakfasts on Sunday Live! have taken off
- A new house group has been launched out of last year’s newcomers group
- Another newcomers group has been started
- A new day group has been started
- Men’s breakfasts have started up
- New members are joining and belonging to the church – especially men
- The sense that we belong to a community has been tangibly growing
Worship
- There is a steadily increasing enthusiasm for worship
- We now have a need for a new children’s group
- We now have a need for new crèche space
- There are several new members in the worship group
- We have been enjoyed a good rhythm of preaching
- We have improved our sound system
- We have just begun to employ a signer
- We now have the need for more flexible space in our main building so that we can be more creative in our worship together
- There is a strong sense of inclusion and acceptance
Mission
- New People are bringing their friends and exploring the faith
- There has been significant development of Rose Cottage
+ New Outreach Directors
+ Building Refurbishments, computer upgrade
+ Appointment of Kitchen Manager
+ Opening up on Wednesdays
+ Taste group
+ Alpha Group - We have employed a new Youth Director
- We have upgraded and expanded the kitchen at Church Rooms
- We have gained a vision for mission through being
involved in Hope 08
+ Red carpet and Banner’s up high - new vision and increased church unity
+ Practical focus for transforming the area
+ Emphasis on celebration
+ Importance of prayer - We have developed our websites: stmichaelstwerton, Proud of Twerton, Twerton.com
- We have launched some new youth programs - Prezence, Girl
- Kidz Tuesdays continues to attract 60 children each week and we have been involved in Kidz United in the centre of town taking a coach load of children to the Forum.
Discipleship
- We have marked our discipleship with personal covenants
- We have launched Formation Groups and a good number have started up
- We seem to have increased confidence in our message and faith
- Giving to the church (in both time and money) is up
- We have seen a number of wonderful Baptisms – and seen people become Christians
- We have seen a new youth cell develop and one to one discipleship take root
All this leads to thanksgiving… to God
- Thanksgiving for what God has done
- Thanksgiving for who we are becoming
- Thanksgiving for the growth we are seeing in people around us
And it also makes us want to thank each other for all the hard work people have put in:
- Rae – Church Warden
- Worship Team – Music team, Service Leaders, Bible Readers, People Welcomers, Coffee makers, Breakfast makers, Children’s Group Leaders, Flower arrangers, Pew tidierupers, Poolemead helpers, Preachers, Prayers, Bread and Wine bringers, PA fiddlers, carpet cleaners, washerupers…
- Staff Team – Shelley, Gavin, Lucy, Sam… I love working with you…
- PCC – for praying and meeting and worrying and thinking and planning and checking…
- Small group leaders, Youth group leaders, Rose Cottage Helpers, Builders, Garden tidyers
- Treasurer – Peter!
Thank you…!
More than a service
But, as I keep repeating, a church is more than our services or our programs – a church is a community of people living life with each other, caring, encouraging, rebuking, praying with, admonishing, challenging, laughing, weeping, loving, visiting… and so the life of the church is not measured by these external markers – but by the countless little thoughts and behaviours and actions of each of us as we live out our faith every day. And for all these there are a multitude of actions to be thankful for…
Last year was great! And we want to continue to build on it. We are not in a rush. We do not need to achieve everything tomorrow. One day at a time is fine. But there is a need for us to continue in the way we have started growing. And so what should be the vision for the next year?
Let me ask you 2 questions:
- What do you want…? (Personally – what do you want to grow in, or how would you like to develop this year? Is there something you would like to try out or start up or see happen?)
- What do you think God wants for us? (What do you think God might want to see happen this year?)
Answer these questions by writing a response under these four headings:
- Community – What could we do to grow together more as a community and to deepen our relationships?
- Worship – What is God saying to us about our worship, our prayer life, our use of Sabbath?
- Discipleship – What areas of Christian life, or Christian teaching, or Christian behaviour would you like to think about more, receive more teaching about, or grow in understanding about?
- Mission – What ideas do you have about what we could do to connect with more of our friends, neighbours and colleagues so that they might want to ask us how they might enter the kingdom of God?
My hopes and thoughts about 2008/9
Exodus 14:13
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you
will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see
today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you;
you need only to
be still." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell
the Israelites to move forward. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand
over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea
on dry ground.
What I think we need to do next…
We must make our aim to being a visible community that tells the story about the kingdom of God
We are about mission. ‘In here’ is for ‘out there’. The other day I wrote this after a PCC discussion about our hope for mission:
Being a visible community
We believe that our primary calling is to be
something rather than to do something. We want to be a visible community of
people in Twerton that communicates the message of the gospel through every bit
of the way we live as well as the words we use. We want to be like light, salt
or a city on a hill in this part of Bath. This is the focus of our life together
and shapes every part of our worship, our teaching and preaching, our
discipleship programs and our desire to build up a strong community life
together. We want to be the good news to our community. (Matthew 5:13-14, Romans
10.17, 2 Corinthians 2:15). We see ourselves as a ‘missional community’. Our
primary mission objective is to continually grow in our Christlikeness as a
community, “that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of
darkness into his wonderful light… liv[ing] such good lives… that [everyone] may
see our good deeds and glorify God.”
Just as the Word of God became flesh, we believe that we have to embody, or flesh out, the truth and reality of the kingdom of God so that others can receive it too. Our primary focus is on being the church. Mission is not something we ‘put on’ or ‘do’ as an extra, but something that we are all called to in every sphere of live we belong to. We are more concerned about being the church rather than doing church or going to church. We are learning to see mission as something we are constantly involved in, whether we are praying, breaking bread, working, taking the kids to school, or bringing up our children. Similarly worship is not something we do on Sundays but encompasses the whole of our lives. Discipleship is not restricted to teaching on Sundays or attending home groups (although we ought to make the most of these times) but it is something that is happening in every part of our day – at work, at home. And we do not simply see Community as being about tea and coffee after services, but about genuine and deep relationships of honesty, vulnerability and spontaneity where we live in and out of each other’s lives.
Therefore, what practical things do I think we need to focus on this year if we are to continue to grow in Christlikeness and become the kind of community that represents and displays the kingdom of God?
Individually – Three main things:
- Houses of prayer. Truly being a house of prayer… Every person a temple of the Holy Spirit. Every home a house of prayer.
- Personal formation of our
characters Everyone committed to growing as a disciple of Jesus through:
+ Formation groups
+ Sunday’s teaching series
+ New Discipleship Menu - Being actively concerned for five people each I believe that the most significant growth will take place when every single one of us see ourselves as the primary carrier of the message for our friends, neighbours and colleagues. We need to develop constant practical and prayerful concern for 5 people in our neighbourhood that might want to enter the kingdom of God. We need to be intentional about connecting with people who don’t yet know God’s forgiveness and love. We need to continue to encourage each other to pray that 5 of our current friends, neighbours or colleagues might enter the kingdom over the next 10 years. In addition to praying for these people, every church member is committed to loving them and joining with others in creating a natural environment for faith to grow. ‘Mission activities’ are not separate from ‘normal life’ but are woven into every day. Having a meal, going to a gig with a friend, visiting someone, playing music with people, having a coffee (etc, etc) are all seen as the normal ways for the kingdom of God to be expressed
Together – Ten areas of growth!
Expect Growth
We believe that just as a plant thrives given the right
environment, nutrients and care, the church of God will grow naturally given the
right conditions. At the end of 2007 we had grown to a membership of 84 of whom
27 were new in the year. We need to continue to expect growth. The PCC has a
vision that over the next four years we shall have grown to be in regular
contact with at least 400 people, of whom 200 will be committed members of St.
Michael’s and disciples of Jesus. As I look ahead I think we will grow in the
following areas this year.
- Children
We need to put more importance into our relationships with Children, through KidzKlub (5-11’s), Sunday Groups, Activities for Toddlers (ABC and Splat and Splodge). We need to recruit and empower adults who are gifted at children’s work… We need to maximise the link with the schools and to reach out to more parents and children together. - Young people
Under Sam, we are going to see more young people want to participate in the kingdom of God. If this work is going to be long lasting it will need money and people – adults who are willing to give up time to be with young people, young men and young women, in groups, in families and one to one Sam is going setting up a regular youth event for young women in Twerton and beyond, called “Girl”, focusing on issues of faith, identity and meaning. - Rose Cottage
Lucy and Gavin have a big vision for Rose Cottage and this year we are going to see that continue to mature and expand. God has blessed us with resources for their employment for a reason. The location of their home is highly significant for us as a church. We continue to want to see Rose Cottage become a home for transformation, discipleship and mission. - Hope 08
Hope 08 has been a catalyst to some new ideas as we reach out together and minister to the community through acts of service, celebration and prayer. We will continue with these kinds of events during and after 2008. - Creative Arts
I think this year we will continue to grow in our desire to connect with older and young people through art, music and dance. This will happen in the main church building, in Church rooms and in Rose Cottage. We want to develop the use of art in worship. (Which is another reason for our need for more flexible space in our main church building) - Men
We want to continue to connect and reach more men and will hold activities and events that are male focussed. I think we will also be seeing men making an impact in our community through practical projects and getting involved in mission. - Women
As the number of women grow we are aware that women only days and events can be particularly significant. This year we will join with others to create women focussed moments that refresh, empower and support women in their various roles. - Older people
We will build on the growth of the day group. We will encourage cross generational activities and social events. We will continue to pray about and explore the need for an Older Person’s worker. - Buildings
We need to continue to develop and upgrade our buildings. This year we want to:
+ Remove the pews down the sides of the church and replace with comfortable chairs which can be put around tables, or stacked, or put in rows
+ Update some of the electrics in the main church building
+ Continue improving our sound system to help make everything audible for everyone
+ Improve the spaces available for young children during our worship services
+ Repaint Church Rooms (now that we have completed the kitchen) inside and out and improve the lighting.
+ Continue to develop Rose Cottage – opening up the garden as a community space. - Working with other churches
Building on the growing links and relationships with other local churches (Ascension, Grace Community, Bath City Church, Transform, St Luke’s, All Saints Weston, The Zone Churches etc) I am sure that we will continue to develop joint work in reaching others and representing the kingdom of God together.
Through all this, our simple aim is to see more people changed, transformed, forgiven, set free, enlivened, empowered, encouraged, supported, and loved by God. Our aim is to see God’s name glorified in this place and his name restored as the name above all other names - no longer a swear word but a name honoured and respected.
All this is going to need three things: Prayer, Time, Money - Or in one word - us
A church for you
Stories
Want to find out more about us? Here are a few stories written by some of us. Everyone is different and each of us have a unique story to tell of how we came to St Michaels... We each have a different story to tell and we're all on our own 'journey'.
