St Hilda's Mission Action Plan 2015

St Hilda’s Parish Church aims to be a Christ-centred community, following these seven paths:

1. Aiming to do God’s work not our own
2. Making time for listening prayer
3. Reading the Bible, reading other teachings
4. Making time for worship
5. Actions that reflect Christ’s concern for the world and humanity
6. Sharing Christ’s light and love in Ashford and locally
7. Supporting each other

Placing Christ and his mission at the Centre of all we do.

1. Focussing the PCC on our mission
2. Praying for our mission on a Saturday morning
3. Engaging the congregation in our mission
4. Making fuller use of our church building and hall to realise our mission, including physical alterations

Be energised by what God wants us to do

1. Find more time for prayer
2. Start PCC meetings with silent prayer
3. When children come into services, allow time after they have left for silent prayer
4. Silent prayer time in Bible study and similar groups
5. Use a sermon to teach and demonstrate prayer
6. Develop a prayer circle and prayer group
7. Encourage the children to write their own prayers

Develop our faith and deepen our knowledge, to place our mission on a sure rock.

1. Try the resource ‘Walk through Bible’
2. Short run groups such as Questions of Faith on different days and evenings
3. Saturday morning activity: Practice reading the Bible and finding your way around the Bible
4. Develop a 12 month rolling education programme so all courses are time limited and co-ordinated
5. Children’s homily at the beginning of a service
6. Junior Church to use pictures and craft to explore the Bible

Enjoying the presence of God in the midst of our community

1. Find opportunities for the children and families to be in church for the whole service
   1. Use the first Sunday in the month as a community service
   2. Develop a specific liturgy for such services
   3. Involve Junior Church in non-Parade services
   4. Notify uniformed organisations
   5. Invite scouts
   6. Should be led by one of the Licensed Lay Ministers
   7. Choir should not be robed
2. Ensure Junior Church families and Senior Group know dates of monthly Prayer & Praise service
3. Senior Group to help at back of church and encouraged to take a more active role
4. Re-launch St Hilda’s Youth Singers, using modern music
5. Publish bespoke hymn book to include hymns we use regularly that are not in our standard hymnbook
6. Aim for a choral evensong 2-3 times per year
7. Encourage musicians beyond the choir to lead music eg fill the time during communion, could be vocal or instrumental
8. Continue with tradition of ancient choral music alongside more modern songs to evolve musical worship

Showing practical concern

1. Supporting the Upper Room project for the homeless
2. Support Knitting group
3. Further develop St Hilda as a green church
4. Further develop St Hilda as Fair Trade church
5. Consider new projects like the Photovoltaics
6. Take a time and talents survey, to see what people can offer

Creating a caring and compassionate community, and building a community that would be attractive to others.

1. Consider Cell groups
2. Run a Men’s group
3. Flower ladies to run a training course
4. Training for Sidesmen, to ensure visitors feel welcome and included
5. Include Senior Group teenagers in the Sidesmen rota
6. Form an Event’s Committee, to suggest and run new and inclusive events for the local community
7. Tell Ashford what we do
8. Make the Church building more available for community events, both church-led and community led – this could involve building staging in the church.

Creating a caring and compassionate community, and building a community that would be attractive to others.

1. Consider Cell groups
2. Run a Men’s group
3. Flower ladies to run a training course
4. Move after service coffee into the Church building instead of the Hall
5. Work closer with Bible study groups
6. More training on reading the lesson
7. Use the Facebook page to share information with younger members of the congregation
8. Seek support from the Senior Group for the 11.15 Sunday service
9. Explore ‘What did the first Christ Centred community look like?’