St Hilda’s Ashford Mission Action Plan 2023

Vision Statement

St Hilda’s as a Christian community is seeking to be fully inclusive and safe, engaged with local needs, caring for creation, and promoting spiritual growth.

Mission

Engaging with local needs:

• Be a hub for local community life
• Identify local issues and how to engage with them
• Increase the availability and use of the church buildings by the local community

Inclusivity

• Develop and grow an intergenerational community
• Be proactive in resourcing and equipping an intergenerational culture
• Nurture members of all ages
• Welcome the local community, particularly those not represented and present in church
• Actively encourage diverse and inclusive participation in all aspects of Church life
• Promote social justice through action and campaigning

Safeguarding

• Make the church a safe and welcoming place for all
• Meet all statutory and Diocesan safeguarding requirements.

Christian community

• Develop an intergenerational worshipping community
• Grow a Christ-centred worshipping community
• Diversify and grow our musical heritage
• Promote activities that build up the common life and fellowship

• Promoting spiritual growth corporately and individually
• Develop pastoral support

Caring for Creation

• To promote Eco-Church

• Community lunches once a week
• Community breakfasts once a month
• Parents’ events once a month
• Open church during the day
• Develop HMP Bronzefield projects
• Support local foodbank
• Install kitchen in church

Inclusivity

• Develop ways to increase the participation of families through social events and targeted services and groups
• Increase Parish Giving participation
• Enable easier giving e.g. fixed value card reader
• Issue statement on the uses for donated monies
• Promote as a wedding venue
• Gain site alcohol licence
• Maintain contact with baptismal families
• Improve contact with Junior Church families
• Family breakfasts in Junior Church
• Encourage involvement by families
• Increase numbers of GMH/UKME[1] people in church
• Increase representation of GMH/UKME members on PCC
• Continue St Hilda’s House project

Safeguarding

• Build a physically, mentally, and spiritually safer church through reporting, training and a safety monitoring framework
• Ensure safeguarding training is up-to-date
• Align with Church of England and Diocesan best practice and guidance for safeguarding

Christian community

• Conduct review of patterns and number of services other than 10 am Sunday Eucharist
• Find an accompanist
• Increase choir membership
• Permanent streaming arrangement
• Establish a Youth Group
• Introduce regular BCP service
• Occasional Evensong
• Build and develop Junior Church

Spiritual and pastoral growth

• Home groups – 10% of the membership involved
• Ten people on intercessions rota
• Feed My Sheep
• Weekly Bible Study
• Ambling Through Acts course
• Develop a Staying in Touch team
• Establish Women’s group
• Establish Men’s group

Caring for Creation

• Complete Bronze Eco-Church accreditation
• Increase biodiversity of the grounds
• Develop a gardening team drawn from church and external groups
• Consider how church gardens could be better used by local community