When I arrived at college more than twenty years ago I found stuffed into my pigeon-hole (alongside summonses to see my tutor, invitations to join the Communist Party and flyers for the university Morris men) a publication called The Little Blue Book. This was full of biological and anatomical information designed to guide the innocent undergraduate through the perils and snares of the fleshpots of Cambridge in the mid-1980s (rather tame and unlikely fleshpots, it must be said). The Little Blue Book was received with derision. It treated its audience with contempt and told them nothing that they did not already know.
Today we launch our very own Little Blue Book. My hope is that it does not provoke among you the response that its similarly coloured but otherwise unrelated predecessor provoked among my contemporaries, even if the appearance of a new Vicar with a new Plan invites comparisons with (on the one hand) Stalin’s megalomaniac schemes and (on the other) the worst sort of modern management culture, all jargon and targets with nothing of merit or substance.
What our Little Blue Book, our Mission Action Plan, does is identify four priorities for the life of the Parish in the next five years, and make creative suggestions about what we might do to realize them. It is not my personal scheme. It has emerged through the combined efforts of PCC members (thanks to them) working together. It is not utterly comprehensive. There are of course areas of our life upon which it does not touch. It is not yet complete. It will need your input and approval. Finally, it is not a museum piece in waiting, to be agreed with rapture one week and then left to gather dust the next. It will be a living document, to which we return for strategic guidance, and which we will revisit and refresh whenever necessary.
It begins, of course, with worship, which is at the heart of our common life, and it sets us the challenge of offering all who come here the possibility of an encounter with almighty God. Worship can strike a spark in people’s souls; it can bring them to their knees, turn them around and send them out transformed. Different kinds of worship achieve that common end for different kinds of worshippers. We serve a diverse and eclectic community, and what this parish has learned is that one size does not fit all. Some encounter God through the fine music of this Eucharist, and some through the preaching (or they used to, at any rate). Some encounter God through the less-than-sedate welcome of the Family Eucharist and through the space that it makes for every individual, whatever their age. Both acts of worship are valid; neither is a junior partner; each plays its own part in our mission, and we must ensure continually that each is of the highest possible quality. Hence the trial change in timings of which you are already aware.
Our diversity is our strength, but so too is our unity. The Plan recommends that we should occasionally worship together as a parish family, in a new liturgy that attempts to reflect our breadth and strength, and that gives us all the new experience of belonging together. And because we believe that worship can have a profound effect upon the worshipper (and particularly worship offered in surroundings such as these) we want to look for new ways of allowing people to experience it, whether in seasonal Choral Evensong or a candle-lit jamboree for children at the beginning of Advent.
Growth in faith, the nurture of the spark that worship strikes, has a distinguished pedigree in the parish, and the Plan wants to develop it, placing a fresh emphasis on our learning instead of on your instruction. Growth in faith is not the ecclesiastical equivalent of taking up flower-arranging or acquiring a fourth classical language. It is not something done for our personal entertainment; and it is not something optional. It is an integral part of the pilgrim journey of every baptized person; it is part of our formation as the people of God, of our growing together into the full stature that our heavenly Father wishes and wills for us. An opportunity for growth is vital at every stage of faith’s journey, particularly so at its beginning, or before its beginning, in the realm of exploration and questioning. If we don’t provide those opportunities then someone else will and we will be missing a trick. This will sound familiar, but such opportunities must be different for different people: opportunities for reading and study, of course, but also for conversation and shared laughter, through our being together around a glass of wine as well as together receiving from the chalice.
If the spark is lit and if the flame is fed it will shed light all around. It will shed light on the miseries of injustice and exploitation that disfigure God’s world, and so it will pose a challenge. The third priority of the Plan is the role of our Church in the World. When Jesus returns to the synagogue in Nazareth he reads from the prophecy of Isaiah, and declares its promises fulfilled in him: release for captives, sight for the blind and liberty for the oppressed. That is our task too: the Church, I have always believed, exists to change the world, not just the condition of men’s souls. So perhaps we might become a more environmentally conscious Church, taking seriously our stewardship of creation corporately and severally. Perhaps we might better recollect our obligations to the worldwide Church through a genuine partnership with another congregation in a less affluent part of the Communion. Perhaps we might select a local project with the young or with the homeless and use our resources to make a real difference to it. Perhaps, surrounded as we are by embassies from every corner of the globe, we might play our part in the struggle for human rights and human dignity. Perhaps we might build the kingdom of heaven in Victoria and Belgravia; perhaps we might make a start, at the very least.
And undergirding everything is our fourth priority: our resources, our building, our staff and our finances. Without attention to these then all our hopes and dreams will crumble: with appropriate attention then there will be nothing that we cannot achieve in God’s name. We want to budget for year-on-year increases in our income from giving, and for year-on-year increases in our giving away. Thus will we fund the realization of our hopes, demonstrate our commitment to the self-giving way of the cross, play a full part in the life of the Diocese, and secure our future.
So let me offer you a vision of the Church that we might be a few years from now:
- a Church with more than one substantial and growing congregation, out of which vocations to accredited ministry are grown regularly;
- a Church whose liturgy and worship are a beacon for the national Church, to which pilgrims come in search of the transcendent God;
- a Church which is a centre for the spiritual growth of those who are its regular members and those who are not;
- a Church that has profound links into its geographical setting and sponsors a midweek worshipping presence in Victoria Street;
- a Church acknowledged as an agent in its community’s transformation.
Together, through the grace of God, we can make the vision a reality. Amen to that. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Sunday 16 September 2007,
Parish Vision Sunday
Monday, 17 September 2007
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
St Peter's Eaton Square Mission Action Plan 2007-20012 (proposed)
ST PETER’S EATON SQUARE
PROPOSED MISSION ACTION PLAN 2007-2012
OUR PARISH VALUES
St Peter’s Eaton Square strives to be an inclusive parish of the Church of England,
offering inspiring worship to Almighty God, deepening its discipleship
of Jesus Christ, working for his world’s transformation, and extending hospitality to all
THE PARISH MISSION PRIORITIES AGREED BY THE PCC
Ø Worship
Ø Discipleship and Evangelization
Ø Church in the World
Ø Resourcing our Mission
A: WORSHIP
1). The Eucharist on Sunday
We want the offering of worship of God to be at the heart of our common life as a parish, and we want it to offer to all who participate in it the possibility of a transforming encounter with God. We value the integrity of each of our three acts of worship on Sunday morning. We believe that each has the potential to appeal to a part of the diverse and eclectic community that we serve. We therefore propose to maintain the early morning Prayer Book Eucharist; the Family Eucharist; and the Sung Eucharist. We see these as partners, equal but different, in our offering of worship, and therefore in our mission.
Ø a). In response to the exponential growth that is occurring in the Family Eucharist, in order to create a less hurried space between the Family and Sung Eucharists, and in order to allow the clergy to spend valuable time with both congregations we propose that for a trial period the Family Eucharist should begin at 9.45 am and the Sung Eucharist at 11.15 am. The trial will begin on Sunday 28 October 2007, will run for three months and will then be assessed and evaluated, allowing the congregations the opportunity to comment.
Ø b). In response to the range of liturgical material now available we propose to review the liturgy of the Family Eucharist and the Sung Eucharist to determine how each might be enhanced and better serve the needs of its congregations.
Ø c). In response to the age (and quality) of the present Family Eucharist hymn books we will investigate the material that is now available and purchase replacements.
2). Children’s provision
Our children are part of today’s church, and we are determined to give them a good experience of church life, a proper introduction to worship, and to relate to them as full and equal partners in our common life.
Ø a). We propose the refurbishment of the Welcome Room so that it lives up to its name and provides a comfortable environment for parents and their children who need to spend a short time away from either the Family or the Sung Eucharist.
Ø b). We propose that a video link be considered so that those in the Welcome Room can follow the progress of the service in Church.
3). The Parish Eucharist
We believe in the integrity of our three acts of worship: we believe also that the people of God should learn to worship together on occasion.
Ø a). We therefore propose that three times a year the Family Eucharist and the Sung Eucharist be replaced by a Parish Eucharist at 10.30. This will be a new liturgy: with a congregational Mass setting; contributions from both our choirs; two Scripture readings; a mixed serving team, and a short homily.
Ø b). We propose that the Parish Eucharist might be celebrated at Candlemas, Petertide and Harvest Thanksgiving.
4). Additional acts of worship
We wish to provide other opportunities for worship outside the Sunday mornings with which we are familiar, to give our congregations different experiences of the church and to broaden our appeal to those who do not yet worship with us regularly.
Ø a). We are committed to the business carol service and the Good Friday workshop.
Ø b). We propose introducing a Christingle service in Advent; carol-singing in Cardinal Walk; and occasionally choral evensong. We propose introducing at least one ‘outdoor’ act of worship as an act of witness and mission, such as the beating of the parochial bounds at Rogationtide.
Ø c). We will continue to review this commitment and to introduce new opportunities for worship.
5). Miscellaneous
We would also like to propose:
Ø a). A review of the present PA system in the church, to determine whether we might be better served by its replacement;
Ø b). The recruitment of more servers, and the possibility of mixed child/adult serving teams at each of the principal Sunday Eucharists;
Ø c). The recruitment and training of more lay readers, intercessors and Lay Eucharistic Ministers.
6). Implementation
We want to establish a forum for the continuing review of our worship, a forum which will also take responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the PCC’s decisions.
Ø We therefore propose the establishment of a PCC Worship sub-committee, to be convened by one of the parish clergy. Its membership should comprise the Director of Music, the Family Eucharist organist, two lay members of the PCC and two other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
B: DISCIPLESHIP & EVANGELIZATION
1). Learning for our wider community
We want to provide as many opportunities as we can for people to cross our threshold and feel welcome among us. We want them to have a sense of belonging with us. We want to offer every opportunity for them to enquire about the Christian faith and to explore it for themselves.
Ø a). We propose the introduction of two St Peter’s Lectures each year, with speakers and topics likely to attract a wide audience. We propose that such lecture evenings incorporate an act of worship for those who would value it, and that they include a follow-up opportunity for discussion.
Ø b). We propose the introduction at St Peter’s of an introductory course on the Christian faith, such as Emmaus. We recognize that such a course will need to be repeated if it is to gain momentum and attract a following, and acknowledge that maintaining this will be a substantial commitment.
Ø c). We propose to look for other opportunities to increase learning and participation in learning. We will be mindful of our multi-layered community and its different needs, and will attempt to respond to them by, for example, running a ‘Questions children ask us’ course for parents
Ø d). We propose the development of attractive and accessible materials describing our faith and our worship that can be handed out to all who enter our building (such as concert-goers, for example).
2). Learning for our congregation
We are committed to the development of the discipleship of those who already worship with us, at whatever stage of the journey of life and faith they may be.
Ø a). We propose the use of Sunday mornings after the Family Eucharist as a time to offer parallel learning and study for adults and children. This might begin as a trial on a few specified Sundays in the year, and then grow into something more regular. It might be combined with a social occasion: a lunch/barbeque for those attending. Again, we acknowledge that this will be a substantial commitment and require considerable investment of clergy (and volunteers’ time).
Ø b). We believe that experiences of pilgrimage and retreat are valuable and will look for ways to extend these. We will offer to send Year 6 at our school on a day pilgrimage to Canterbury in the summer term, and we will offer to provide chaplaincy on their week away at Sayer’s Croft. We will incorporate an element of pilgrimage into all candidates’ preparation for confirmation. We will offer one Quiet Day out of London in 2008, and will look for an opportunity to create a day’s Family Pilgrimage as well. We will repeat the PCC retreat in 2008.
Ø c). We will not overlook the need to develop the learning of those members of our congregations whose needs will not be met either by Emmaus or by the Sunday morning learning proposal.
Ø d). We will take seriously our congregations’ need for spiritual development, looking for ways to offer teaching on prayer and the different traditions of spirituality in our faith.
3). Communicating our common life and our common faith
While we need to communicate information and make data about our life and worship available to all we need also to communicate our faith in terms that will enable others to explore it more readily.
Ø a). We want to enhance our capacity to communicate electronically. This we believe to be more environmentally friendly and more in tune with the needs and habits of those we serve. We propose the creation of a comprehensive database of e-mail addresses from those on our mailing lists
Ø b). We will seek advice on the best software available to facilitate the re-launch of our website. We will identify a person to act as webmaster; and we will identify a person (or group) who will take responsibility for editing the site’s content.
Ø c). We will seek to identify a proactive Directing Editor for the Parish Magazine, who will take responsibility for the shape and content of each month’s edition.
Ø d). We will refresh Cross Keys and re-launch it as more professional-looking item for general distribution to our community.
4). Working with young people
We believe that through our involvement with St Peter’s CE Primary School we make good provision for the needs of our children. We are conscious that with the exceptions of the Family Eucharist voluntary choir and the serving team we offer little provision for young people, either those at the secondary school transition stage, or those in their mid-teens.
Ø We will consult with the young people in our congregations and ascertain how we might better serve their needs.
5). Proclaiming the Gospel
We need to take responsibility afresh for our geographical parish and for its diverse business community, looking for opportunities to give its members a sense of belonging in their parish church, and to share the Christian faith with them.
Ø a). We will seek to establish better and closer relations with the business community in Belgravia, building on contacts and relationships that already exist and actively seeking to create new ones.
Ø b). We wish to see a visible Anglican presence in the former parish of Christ Church Westminster, and are committed to researching the demography and habits of the area and establishing a fresh expression of church there.
6). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Discipleship & Evangelization recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on the work previously done by the Education Committee and the Information Group.
Ø We propose the creation of a Discipleship & Evangelization Committee, to be convened by one of the parish clergy. Its membership should comprise three lay members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
C: CHURCH IN THE WORLD
1). A socially conscious Church
We are mindful that when Jesus Christ addressed the synagogue in Nazareth he declared the fulfilment of Isaiah’s ancient prophecy: good news for the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind and freedom for the oppressed. We accept his imperatives as our imperatives and are determined to work for his world’s transformation and the building of the Kingdom.
Ø a). we reaffirm our target of spending 10% of total church expenditure on external causes, and will work towards this by setting intermediate targets (eg 5% by 2010, 7% by 2012, 8% by 2014)
Ø b). we will focus our giving more closely, picking one local (eg youth project) and one international cause (eg relationship with overseas community) to support over the long term; we will ensure proper communication with beneficiaries so we can respond to their bigger needs; in other giving, we will choose causes for which our level of finance will have a genuine impact
Ø c). we will attempt to integrate social action into the life of the church, eg adopting an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience or by linking with a St Peter’s in the Holy Land; we will take steps to provide petitions or action cards for people to sign at end of services and church meetings
Ø d). we will explore ways of expanding the immediate social mission of the church in the community, eg expanding our provision of vouchers as alms to the needy, volunteering at the Passage or other local charities, and by increasing support for older members of the community
Ø e). we will ensure the green audit (below) includes reference to social issues as well, eg use of fairly traded as well as green goods. We will consider a possible revival of the harvest festival Traidcraft stall
2). An environmentally responsible Church
We take seriously all threats to the health and well-being of God’s creation and wish to play our part in preserving and enhancing it for this and future generations
Ø a). we will conduct a green self-audit of the church, using one of the free kits available via the Church of England’s ‘Shrinking the Footprint’ campaign.
Ø b). we will designate one Sunday each year as Green Sunday, with appropriate teaching and resources
Ø c). we will include ‘green tips’ as a regular feature in all our communications
Ø d). we will encourage the young people of our congregations to take an active part in this work, eg by creating a 40-year time capsule to be planted in the church grounds, or by setting up a children’s/youth environmental group
Ø e). we will involve ourselves in national action on climate change, e.g. through the Operation Noah campaign or other suitable church-based action
Ø f). we will work towards a St Peter’s entry for the Green Church Awards in 2008
3). A thinking Church
We want to see these Church in the World mission priorities embedded and integral to the life of faith in our parish and not as optional extras to it
Ø a). we will communicate our social action ever more effectively, so as to engage the entire congregation and broader parish with these priorities, underlining the centrality of this action to the Christian message
Ø b). we will explore the possibility of an annual lecture/debate/dinner from (a) high-profile figure(s) on contemporary social issues
Ø c). we will ensure children’s involvement, particularly from older children, via a Junior PCC or via activities such as young persons’ debates on topical issues
Ø d). we will learn from others, actively seeking out examples of good practice in other churches and ask for input from external advisory groups where necessary
4). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Church in the World recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on and expand the work previously done by the Mission Committee.
Ø We propose the creation of a Church in the World Committee, to be convened by a lay member of the PCC. Its membership should comprise three members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
D: RESOURCING OUR MISSION
We recognize that our parish has inherited valuable resources both material and financial. We will act as prudent stewards of these in order that God’s mission in this place may flourish and that we may achieve what we set out to achieve in his name.
1). Objectives for 2007-2012
We identify the following as key objectives for the next five years:
Ø a). we will continue to work for the long-term financial security and self-sufficiency of the Parish
Ø b). we will seek to maximize income from congregational giving; donations; investments, and; rentals
Ø c). we will fund the St Peter’s Mission Action Plan
Ø d). we will enable the Parish to contribute to the Church’s mission within and beyond the Parish and as a full participant in the Diocese of London
2). Policies and Procedures
Ø a). we will prepare, agree and implement comprehensive financial policies and procedures for the prudent management of the Parish’s assets. These policies will have as their aim maximising the Parish’s net income from all available sources; properly controlling and reviewing all costs and expenditure whilst being mindful of the Parish’s commitment to environmentally friendly and ethical policies; maintaining the value of the Parish’s capital and long-term investments and assets.
Ø b). we will prepare, agree and implement comprehensive financial procedures, which will include: regular financial reporting to the PCC; routine preparation of appropriate budgets and cash flows and, when appropriate, zero-base reviews of expenditure; regular review of all management systems and risk assessments; responsibility for staffing matters, including reviewing annual performance reviews and remuneration; following best practice in accounting and financial management
3). Giving
Ø a). we will raise congregational awareness of the Church’s finances through greater transparency and communication
Ø b). we will continue to build and encourage an effective targeted stewardship campaign, aimed at increasing congregational giving and general support for the work of the Parish
Ø c). we will agree annual targets for both congregational giving to the Parish and the Parish’s donations
4). Budgeting
Ø a). we will plan and budget for the ongoing and periodic maintenance of the Church buildings and budget to ensure that the Repair Fund is maintained at a sufficient level
Ø b). we will review rental and other income generating activities to achieve maximum net returns
5). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Resourcing our Mission recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on and expand the work previously done by the Finance Committee. It will not act as the Standing Committee of the PCC
Ø We propose the creation of a Resources Committee, to be convened by a lay member of the PCC. Its membership should comprise three members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
PROPOSED MISSION ACTION PLAN 2007-2012
OUR PARISH VALUES
St Peter’s Eaton Square strives to be an inclusive parish of the Church of England,
offering inspiring worship to Almighty God, deepening its discipleship
of Jesus Christ, working for his world’s transformation, and extending hospitality to all
THE PARISH MISSION PRIORITIES AGREED BY THE PCC
Ø Worship
Ø Discipleship and Evangelization
Ø Church in the World
Ø Resourcing our Mission
A: WORSHIP
1). The Eucharist on Sunday
We want the offering of worship of God to be at the heart of our common life as a parish, and we want it to offer to all who participate in it the possibility of a transforming encounter with God. We value the integrity of each of our three acts of worship on Sunday morning. We believe that each has the potential to appeal to a part of the diverse and eclectic community that we serve. We therefore propose to maintain the early morning Prayer Book Eucharist; the Family Eucharist; and the Sung Eucharist. We see these as partners, equal but different, in our offering of worship, and therefore in our mission.
Ø a). In response to the exponential growth that is occurring in the Family Eucharist, in order to create a less hurried space between the Family and Sung Eucharists, and in order to allow the clergy to spend valuable time with both congregations we propose that for a trial period the Family Eucharist should begin at 9.45 am and the Sung Eucharist at 11.15 am. The trial will begin on Sunday 28 October 2007, will run for three months and will then be assessed and evaluated, allowing the congregations the opportunity to comment.
Ø b). In response to the range of liturgical material now available we propose to review the liturgy of the Family Eucharist and the Sung Eucharist to determine how each might be enhanced and better serve the needs of its congregations.
Ø c). In response to the age (and quality) of the present Family Eucharist hymn books we will investigate the material that is now available and purchase replacements.
2). Children’s provision
Our children are part of today’s church, and we are determined to give them a good experience of church life, a proper introduction to worship, and to relate to them as full and equal partners in our common life.
Ø a). We propose the refurbishment of the Welcome Room so that it lives up to its name and provides a comfortable environment for parents and their children who need to spend a short time away from either the Family or the Sung Eucharist.
Ø b). We propose that a video link be considered so that those in the Welcome Room can follow the progress of the service in Church.
3). The Parish Eucharist
We believe in the integrity of our three acts of worship: we believe also that the people of God should learn to worship together on occasion.
Ø a). We therefore propose that three times a year the Family Eucharist and the Sung Eucharist be replaced by a Parish Eucharist at 10.30. This will be a new liturgy: with a congregational Mass setting; contributions from both our choirs; two Scripture readings; a mixed serving team, and a short homily.
Ø b). We propose that the Parish Eucharist might be celebrated at Candlemas, Petertide and Harvest Thanksgiving.
4). Additional acts of worship
We wish to provide other opportunities for worship outside the Sunday mornings with which we are familiar, to give our congregations different experiences of the church and to broaden our appeal to those who do not yet worship with us regularly.
Ø a). We are committed to the business carol service and the Good Friday workshop.
Ø b). We propose introducing a Christingle service in Advent; carol-singing in Cardinal Walk; and occasionally choral evensong. We propose introducing at least one ‘outdoor’ act of worship as an act of witness and mission, such as the beating of the parochial bounds at Rogationtide.
Ø c). We will continue to review this commitment and to introduce new opportunities for worship.
5). Miscellaneous
We would also like to propose:
Ø a). A review of the present PA system in the church, to determine whether we might be better served by its replacement;
Ø b). The recruitment of more servers, and the possibility of mixed child/adult serving teams at each of the principal Sunday Eucharists;
Ø c). The recruitment and training of more lay readers, intercessors and Lay Eucharistic Ministers.
6). Implementation
We want to establish a forum for the continuing review of our worship, a forum which will also take responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the PCC’s decisions.
Ø We therefore propose the establishment of a PCC Worship sub-committee, to be convened by one of the parish clergy. Its membership should comprise the Director of Music, the Family Eucharist organist, two lay members of the PCC and two other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
B: DISCIPLESHIP & EVANGELIZATION
1). Learning for our wider community
We want to provide as many opportunities as we can for people to cross our threshold and feel welcome among us. We want them to have a sense of belonging with us. We want to offer every opportunity for them to enquire about the Christian faith and to explore it for themselves.
Ø a). We propose the introduction of two St Peter’s Lectures each year, with speakers and topics likely to attract a wide audience. We propose that such lecture evenings incorporate an act of worship for those who would value it, and that they include a follow-up opportunity for discussion.
Ø b). We propose the introduction at St Peter’s of an introductory course on the Christian faith, such as Emmaus. We recognize that such a course will need to be repeated if it is to gain momentum and attract a following, and acknowledge that maintaining this will be a substantial commitment.
Ø c). We propose to look for other opportunities to increase learning and participation in learning. We will be mindful of our multi-layered community and its different needs, and will attempt to respond to them by, for example, running a ‘Questions children ask us’ course for parents
Ø d). We propose the development of attractive and accessible materials describing our faith and our worship that can be handed out to all who enter our building (such as concert-goers, for example).
2). Learning for our congregation
We are committed to the development of the discipleship of those who already worship with us, at whatever stage of the journey of life and faith they may be.
Ø a). We propose the use of Sunday mornings after the Family Eucharist as a time to offer parallel learning and study for adults and children. This might begin as a trial on a few specified Sundays in the year, and then grow into something more regular. It might be combined with a social occasion: a lunch/barbeque for those attending. Again, we acknowledge that this will be a substantial commitment and require considerable investment of clergy (and volunteers’ time).
Ø b). We believe that experiences of pilgrimage and retreat are valuable and will look for ways to extend these. We will offer to send Year 6 at our school on a day pilgrimage to Canterbury in the summer term, and we will offer to provide chaplaincy on their week away at Sayer’s Croft. We will incorporate an element of pilgrimage into all candidates’ preparation for confirmation. We will offer one Quiet Day out of London in 2008, and will look for an opportunity to create a day’s Family Pilgrimage as well. We will repeat the PCC retreat in 2008.
Ø c). We will not overlook the need to develop the learning of those members of our congregations whose needs will not be met either by Emmaus or by the Sunday morning learning proposal.
Ø d). We will take seriously our congregations’ need for spiritual development, looking for ways to offer teaching on prayer and the different traditions of spirituality in our faith.
3). Communicating our common life and our common faith
While we need to communicate information and make data about our life and worship available to all we need also to communicate our faith in terms that will enable others to explore it more readily.
Ø a). We want to enhance our capacity to communicate electronically. This we believe to be more environmentally friendly and more in tune with the needs and habits of those we serve. We propose the creation of a comprehensive database of e-mail addresses from those on our mailing lists
Ø b). We will seek advice on the best software available to facilitate the re-launch of our website. We will identify a person to act as webmaster; and we will identify a person (or group) who will take responsibility for editing the site’s content.
Ø c). We will seek to identify a proactive Directing Editor for the Parish Magazine, who will take responsibility for the shape and content of each month’s edition.
Ø d). We will refresh Cross Keys and re-launch it as more professional-looking item for general distribution to our community.
4). Working with young people
We believe that through our involvement with St Peter’s CE Primary School we make good provision for the needs of our children. We are conscious that with the exceptions of the Family Eucharist voluntary choir and the serving team we offer little provision for young people, either those at the secondary school transition stage, or those in their mid-teens.
Ø We will consult with the young people in our congregations and ascertain how we might better serve their needs.
5). Proclaiming the Gospel
We need to take responsibility afresh for our geographical parish and for its diverse business community, looking for opportunities to give its members a sense of belonging in their parish church, and to share the Christian faith with them.
Ø a). We will seek to establish better and closer relations with the business community in Belgravia, building on contacts and relationships that already exist and actively seeking to create new ones.
Ø b). We wish to see a visible Anglican presence in the former parish of Christ Church Westminster, and are committed to researching the demography and habits of the area and establishing a fresh expression of church there.
6). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Discipleship & Evangelization recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on the work previously done by the Education Committee and the Information Group.
Ø We propose the creation of a Discipleship & Evangelization Committee, to be convened by one of the parish clergy. Its membership should comprise three lay members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
C: CHURCH IN THE WORLD
1). A socially conscious Church
We are mindful that when Jesus Christ addressed the synagogue in Nazareth he declared the fulfilment of Isaiah’s ancient prophecy: good news for the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind and freedom for the oppressed. We accept his imperatives as our imperatives and are determined to work for his world’s transformation and the building of the Kingdom.
Ø a). we reaffirm our target of spending 10% of total church expenditure on external causes, and will work towards this by setting intermediate targets (eg 5% by 2010, 7% by 2012, 8% by 2014)
Ø b). we will focus our giving more closely, picking one local (eg youth project) and one international cause (eg relationship with overseas community) to support over the long term; we will ensure proper communication with beneficiaries so we can respond to their bigger needs; in other giving, we will choose causes for which our level of finance will have a genuine impact
Ø c). we will attempt to integrate social action into the life of the church, eg adopting an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience or by linking with a St Peter’s in the Holy Land; we will take steps to provide petitions or action cards for people to sign at end of services and church meetings
Ø d). we will explore ways of expanding the immediate social mission of the church in the community, eg expanding our provision of vouchers as alms to the needy, volunteering at the Passage or other local charities, and by increasing support for older members of the community
Ø e). we will ensure the green audit (below) includes reference to social issues as well, eg use of fairly traded as well as green goods. We will consider a possible revival of the harvest festival Traidcraft stall
2). An environmentally responsible Church
We take seriously all threats to the health and well-being of God’s creation and wish to play our part in preserving and enhancing it for this and future generations
Ø a). we will conduct a green self-audit of the church, using one of the free kits available via the Church of England’s ‘Shrinking the Footprint’ campaign.
Ø b). we will designate one Sunday each year as Green Sunday, with appropriate teaching and resources
Ø c). we will include ‘green tips’ as a regular feature in all our communications
Ø d). we will encourage the young people of our congregations to take an active part in this work, eg by creating a 40-year time capsule to be planted in the church grounds, or by setting up a children’s/youth environmental group
Ø e). we will involve ourselves in national action on climate change, e.g. through the Operation Noah campaign or other suitable church-based action
Ø f). we will work towards a St Peter’s entry for the Green Church Awards in 2008
3). A thinking Church
We want to see these Church in the World mission priorities embedded and integral to the life of faith in our parish and not as optional extras to it
Ø a). we will communicate our social action ever more effectively, so as to engage the entire congregation and broader parish with these priorities, underlining the centrality of this action to the Christian message
Ø b). we will explore the possibility of an annual lecture/debate/dinner from (a) high-profile figure(s) on contemporary social issues
Ø c). we will ensure children’s involvement, particularly from older children, via a Junior PCC or via activities such as young persons’ debates on topical issues
Ø d). we will learn from others, actively seeking out examples of good practice in other churches and ask for input from external advisory groups where necessary
4). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Church in the World recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on and expand the work previously done by the Mission Committee.
Ø We propose the creation of a Church in the World Committee, to be convened by a lay member of the PCC. Its membership should comprise three members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
D: RESOURCING OUR MISSION
We recognize that our parish has inherited valuable resources both material and financial. We will act as prudent stewards of these in order that God’s mission in this place may flourish and that we may achieve what we set out to achieve in his name.
1). Objectives for 2007-2012
We identify the following as key objectives for the next five years:
Ø a). we will continue to work for the long-term financial security and self-sufficiency of the Parish
Ø b). we will seek to maximize income from congregational giving; donations; investments, and; rentals
Ø c). we will fund the St Peter’s Mission Action Plan
Ø d). we will enable the Parish to contribute to the Church’s mission within and beyond the Parish and as a full participant in the Diocese of London
2). Policies and Procedures
Ø a). we will prepare, agree and implement comprehensive financial policies and procedures for the prudent management of the Parish’s assets. These policies will have as their aim maximising the Parish’s net income from all available sources; properly controlling and reviewing all costs and expenditure whilst being mindful of the Parish’s commitment to environmentally friendly and ethical policies; maintaining the value of the Parish’s capital and long-term investments and assets.
Ø b). we will prepare, agree and implement comprehensive financial procedures, which will include: regular financial reporting to the PCC; routine preparation of appropriate budgets and cash flows and, when appropriate, zero-base reviews of expenditure; regular review of all management systems and risk assessments; responsibility for staffing matters, including reviewing annual performance reviews and remuneration; following best practice in accounting and financial management
3). Giving
Ø a). we will raise congregational awareness of the Church’s finances through greater transparency and communication
Ø b). we will continue to build and encourage an effective targeted stewardship campaign, aimed at increasing congregational giving and general support for the work of the Parish
Ø c). we will agree annual targets for both congregational giving to the Parish and the Parish’s donations
4). Budgeting
Ø a). we will plan and budget for the ongoing and periodic maintenance of the Church buildings and budget to ensure that the Repair Fund is maintained at a sufficient level
Ø b). we will review rental and other income generating activities to achieve maximum net returns
5). Implementation
We want to establish a body that oversees the implementation of the Resourcing our Mission recommendations that ultimately appear in the Mission Action Plan. This body will take on and expand the work previously done by the Finance Committee. It will not act as the Standing Committee of the PCC
Ø We propose the creation of a Resources Committee, to be convened by a lay member of the PCC. Its membership should comprise three members of the PCC and three other lay members. Its membership, remit and terms of reference should be established by the PCC and reviewed by them.
Monday, 10 September 2007
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
‘And Hogwarts…but he knew that his Horcrux there was safe, it would be impossible for Potter to enter Hogsmeade without detection, let alone the school. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to alert Snape to the fact that the boy might try to re-enter the castle…to tell Snape why the boy might return would be foolish, of course; it had been a great mistake to trust Bellatrix and Malfoy: didn’t their stupidity and carelessness prove how unwise it was, ever, to trust?’
Yes, the Vicar’s summer reading was, as this congregation would expect, irretrievably high-brow. I take comfort in the knowledge that I was not the first among you to devour Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I am looking in the direction of two senior members of the PCC. They know who they are). In reading that particular passage to you I give nothing away, so if the book’s six hundred pages are a peak as yet unscaled you have nothing to fear. The seventh novel in the series reads as a three-cornered struggle between the hero, Harry, the arch-villain Lord Voldemort and the saintly but departed Albus Dumbledore. Yet in those few lines JK Rowling bares Voldemort’s very soul, uncovering both the originating root and the inexorable consequence of his malevolence. For Voldemort is utterly alone, consumed with a hideous vanity, and incapable of confidence in or reliance on any other living being.
Saint Paul’s letter to Philemon, one of the shortest books in the New Testament, also reads as a triangular human drama, although at that point the preacher ought to stop looking for similarities between it and the realm of Rubeus Hagrid and Luna Lovegood. The first player is Paul himself: at the time of writing an old man and a prisoner. The second is Philemon, Paul’s friend, to whom the letter is addressed; and the third is the subject of the letter and its probable bearer too, the slave Onesimus, whose Greek name means ‘useful’. Philemon has despatched his slave to care for Paul while he languishes in prison; the letter accompanies Onesimus as he returns to his master, his service of the apostle complete.
A momentous change has occurred during the time that Onesimus has spent with Paul. The slave, writes Paul, has become his child. He has become the slave’s father. Now, as Onesimus returns to Philemon, Paul urges his friend to receive him as a slave no longer, but instead as a beloved brother. Something radical has happened, something that has burst the ties of convention and habit and rendered them redundant. It is something that compels the elderly Paul to accept the pagan slave as his own child, and that compels him to ask his friend to treat Onesimus, hitherto his property, as his equal.
What has happened is spelt out by Paul in clever wordplay that no English translation can ever adequately explain. Before the change, he writes, the supposedly useful Onesimus had in fact been useless. Since the change he has begun to live up to his name by becoming truly useful. The Greek word for ‘useless’ is achristos. What is concealed from our ears is that achristos, useless, is also, a-christos, ‘without Christ’. When he was without Christ Onesimus was useless: now, writes Paul, he is truly useful. Onesimus has been baptized.
It is this that has wrought the transformation in his relations with Paul and with Philemon. His baptism means that he is no longer a heathen or a slave. He is the dear son of one; he is the brother of the other. Baptism has brought solidarity out of hierarchy. It is to this that Jesus is pointing when he addresses the multitudes in the stark terms that open this morning’s Gospel: ‘if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and bothers and sisters…he cannot be my disciple’. In Christ a whole new set of relationships is forged: in him the unthinkable becomes the reality.
No prison walls surround us but we come together as Paul and Onesimus must have done, to baptize with water, and to break bread. And today a transformation will take place just as it did in that far-off cell. It may be difficult to discern. There are miracles, after all, and miracles. The child we baptize this morning will return home the same bundle of mischief her family knows and loves. But although the water will dry and the oil will fade the change will be real. In a few moments she will take her place as a member of the body of Christ, one with every one of us who has been baptized, one with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, one with Philemon and Onesimus, one with Paul himself. And in a few years she will take her place at the altar, where the baptized recall their unity by feeding on the one bread and drinking from the one cup, those living symbols of the presence of Christ, the Christ who is the ground of their unity.
As with all good novelists, JK Rowling’s books tell us truths about ourselves and about the society we inhabit. Voldemort’s arrogant isolation spells disaster for the wizarding world, and our suspiciousness and refusal to trust, which he might applaud, spell disaster for ours, as the headlines from Liverpool and Basra and Praia da Luz attest every day. The choice before us is the choice that Moses puts to the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live…’
In choosing the Christ we choose one another for we choose the unity and interdependence of baptism. In choosing the Christ we choose life. Amen.
Sunday 9 September 2007
Deuteronomy 30: 15-end;
Philemon 1-21;
Luke 14: 25-33
Yes, the Vicar’s summer reading was, as this congregation would expect, irretrievably high-brow. I take comfort in the knowledge that I was not the first among you to devour Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I am looking in the direction of two senior members of the PCC. They know who they are). In reading that particular passage to you I give nothing away, so if the book’s six hundred pages are a peak as yet unscaled you have nothing to fear. The seventh novel in the series reads as a three-cornered struggle between the hero, Harry, the arch-villain Lord Voldemort and the saintly but departed Albus Dumbledore. Yet in those few lines JK Rowling bares Voldemort’s very soul, uncovering both the originating root and the inexorable consequence of his malevolence. For Voldemort is utterly alone, consumed with a hideous vanity, and incapable of confidence in or reliance on any other living being.
Saint Paul’s letter to Philemon, one of the shortest books in the New Testament, also reads as a triangular human drama, although at that point the preacher ought to stop looking for similarities between it and the realm of Rubeus Hagrid and Luna Lovegood. The first player is Paul himself: at the time of writing an old man and a prisoner. The second is Philemon, Paul’s friend, to whom the letter is addressed; and the third is the subject of the letter and its probable bearer too, the slave Onesimus, whose Greek name means ‘useful’. Philemon has despatched his slave to care for Paul while he languishes in prison; the letter accompanies Onesimus as he returns to his master, his service of the apostle complete.
A momentous change has occurred during the time that Onesimus has spent with Paul. The slave, writes Paul, has become his child. He has become the slave’s father. Now, as Onesimus returns to Philemon, Paul urges his friend to receive him as a slave no longer, but instead as a beloved brother. Something radical has happened, something that has burst the ties of convention and habit and rendered them redundant. It is something that compels the elderly Paul to accept the pagan slave as his own child, and that compels him to ask his friend to treat Onesimus, hitherto his property, as his equal.
What has happened is spelt out by Paul in clever wordplay that no English translation can ever adequately explain. Before the change, he writes, the supposedly useful Onesimus had in fact been useless. Since the change he has begun to live up to his name by becoming truly useful. The Greek word for ‘useless’ is achristos. What is concealed from our ears is that achristos, useless, is also, a-christos, ‘without Christ’. When he was without Christ Onesimus was useless: now, writes Paul, he is truly useful. Onesimus has been baptized.
It is this that has wrought the transformation in his relations with Paul and with Philemon. His baptism means that he is no longer a heathen or a slave. He is the dear son of one; he is the brother of the other. Baptism has brought solidarity out of hierarchy. It is to this that Jesus is pointing when he addresses the multitudes in the stark terms that open this morning’s Gospel: ‘if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and bothers and sisters…he cannot be my disciple’. In Christ a whole new set of relationships is forged: in him the unthinkable becomes the reality.
No prison walls surround us but we come together as Paul and Onesimus must have done, to baptize with water, and to break bread. And today a transformation will take place just as it did in that far-off cell. It may be difficult to discern. There are miracles, after all, and miracles. The child we baptize this morning will return home the same bundle of mischief her family knows and loves. But although the water will dry and the oil will fade the change will be real. In a few moments she will take her place as a member of the body of Christ, one with every one of us who has been baptized, one with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, one with Philemon and Onesimus, one with Paul himself. And in a few years she will take her place at the altar, where the baptized recall their unity by feeding on the one bread and drinking from the one cup, those living symbols of the presence of Christ, the Christ who is the ground of their unity.
As with all good novelists, JK Rowling’s books tell us truths about ourselves and about the society we inhabit. Voldemort’s arrogant isolation spells disaster for the wizarding world, and our suspiciousness and refusal to trust, which he might applaud, spell disaster for ours, as the headlines from Liverpool and Basra and Praia da Luz attest every day. The choice before us is the choice that Moses puts to the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live…’
In choosing the Christ we choose one another for we choose the unity and interdependence of baptism. In choosing the Christ we choose life. Amen.
Sunday 9 September 2007
Deuteronomy 30: 15-end;
Philemon 1-21;
Luke 14: 25-33
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