D. MINISTRY AND MISSION
St Andrew's
Context
As a town centre Church, we seek to be part of the local community in Montpellier
and to make a statement about the presence of God in the heart of a business
quarter. St Andrew’s has a largely “gathered” congregation
whose members have very limited social interaction outside Church events.
We have a special relationship with the Cheltenham Ladies’ College and
students come to worship on three Sunday mornings a year. We also have a long
standing relationship with other organisations (e.g. the Volunteer Bureau,
the Institute of Management) and host services and events for them.
We value the ecumenical links within our “cluster” and we are seeking to build on these. We have regularly hosted the breakfast after the Churches Together in Cheltenham witness on Easter Sunday Morning.
Tell and Teach
Worship – St Andrew’s values worship in the Presbyterian and Congregational
traditions. We proclaim God as Creator, as Redeemer in the Person of Jesus
and the Continuing Power in the Spirit. We witness to this each Sunday and
in Special Services
Our Ministers, plus visiting preachers, Tell and Teach the authentic Gospel message. We celebrate the two sacraments of The Lord’s Supper and Baptism, hear the Word read and preached, offer prayers of confession, thanksgiving and intercession, and offer Sacrifice of Praise in hymns and songs from a wide range of sources. We expect good scholarship from our preachers and worship leaders, and aspire to good musical standards.
We reach out to those at the edge of Church through weddings, baptisms and funerals. This is an opportunity to speak to many who rarely encounter the Gospel. We have developed some new approaches to worship – e.g. for the Ladies’ College students, and we always seek to offer our best to God.
Some St Andrew’s members are uncomfortable about moving our worship to another venue, (either within the URCiC or ecumenically) particularly on a Sunday morning.
We support teaching through bible study and other explorations of the faith through the URCiC. These are organised as short programmes and do not run continuously
Tend
Pastoral Care is of great importance to us. We operate Elders’ Areas
with teams of Elders (serving and non-serving) and visitors. We value the
great contribution of the Ministers and we have some members and Elders with
very great skills in this field. Others of us find this a very hard and daunting
role. We seek to give support not only to members but also those “on
the edge of our fellowship” especially in illness and bereavement.
Reaching out to the Community
We seek to make use of buildings for the benefit of the whole community. We
have a well organised hiring regime, but we are happy to discount for special
needs. We have supported “Bumps and Babes” and given them a chance
to build and this has now “grown” a toddlers group.
We know of people who value the fellowship of Thursday & Saturday Coffee and for whom this is the only ministry of the Church. We know that the Saturday Stall is much appreciated.
We promote musical events and welcome a wide range of hirers presenting very varied styles from grand opera to jazz and contemporary music to “barber shop”. We are now a well established centre in Cheltenham and are used as a venue by the International Music Festival.
We need to maintain the quality of the venue by good maintenance and enhancement (especially the lighting). We are close to the capacity of the buildings for hiring of all sorts.
We need to find ways to challenge users of the buildings with its Christian dedication and get them to engage with us. The yoga classes suggest that there is a need for spirituality but we have yet to open up a dialogue.
Transform
We support Charities through communion offerings and we are fully signed up
to Commitment for Life. We have engaged in Third World and Trade Justice Issues
including Make Poverty History.
But we are not yet able to commit formally to being a Fairtrade Church and we need to consider this further.
Treasure
We are committed to prudent management of our buildings and to preserve its
structure following the redevelopment. We have now sufficient balances to
pay off all outstanding loans so the debt on the redevelopment is cleared.
We can now plan for future investment, including a proposed new stained glass
window.
Prestbury
Context
Prestbury has a friendly community spirit. As a village Church many of the
members and adherents are actively involved in local life e.g. PTA events
at the village schools, school governorship, membership of the Mothers’
Union and Women’s Institute, Senior Club, Clubs for adults with learning
difficulties etc.
Tell and Teach
Families and children’s work – Prestbury values the involvement
of children and families in worship. Once a month we hold a Family Service
currently led by the worship group and involving members of the congregation
and the children. Junior Church is available every Sunday with a rotating
team of approximately 10 regular helpers. The children prepare items and take
part in services for special occasions e.g. Harvest, Mothering Sunday, Christmas
etc.
Tell and Teach
As an ex-Congregational Church many adherents and members expect to explore
the scriptures through hymns and worship. The new families and children who
attend once a week are often at the exploration stage of their faith and need
the news of the bible explained in a user- friendly format. After many years
of “trial and error” and guidance from our previous Minister we
have at last achieved a balance which satisfies both the traditionalists and
those at the start of their journey. In 2006 we are piloting moving the time
of our monthly Family Service. Generally the “older” generation
are keen to develop worship to encourage children and families to find their
faith.
We have a Church-run toddler group ‘Urchins’ which when it first started attracted families to come and share worship. The group has now become more ecumenical and there is no transfer from the group to worship. We also find that our junior school age children are not keen to attend Family worship. These are areas we would like to explore and develop in the future.
Tend
Church growth
We have a number of members and adherents with a deep personal faith who support
the Church in the ways which their bodies permit! The families tend to support
the Fund Raising. However we recognise that to continue God’s work in
the village we need to grow and develop individuals to take on new roles and
responsibilities.
Pastoral Care is important to the elderly members. We operate Elders’ lists, but in reality there are a few Elders who do regular visits and a number of members who quietly visit and support some of the housebound and hospitalised.
Reaching out to the Community
Whilst we acknowledge the work of the weekly Toddler group and the holiday
‘Playdays’ which are run two or three times a year, we recognise
that a lot of the time our Church building lies empty.
The Church is built on the main road running through the village and has no parking facilities. Heating is provided by electrical heaters which are instant but do not help to manage the damp. We are currently waiting for estimates for wet rot which could result in major expenditure. We need to explore ways of opening up our building for use in the community.
Transform
We support Charities through special service offerings and some members are
signed up to Commitment for Life. The congregation is particularly generous
with appeals for Third World disasters and is committed to Fairtrade.
Treasure
As a village congregation with a number of pensioners we are sometimes insular
and out of touch with wider issues. The congregation for its size can raise
considerable sums of money to maintain the Church building.
Julie Jefferies December 2005
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‘Urchins’ Parent and Toddler Group
Warden Hill
Context
Warden Hill URC is situated within a large housing development and is used
by a wide range of organisations within the local community e.g. Brownies,
line dancing groups, slimming clubs, WI markets etc.
Tell and Teach
Families and children’s work
Warden Hill is proud of its work with children. We hold monthly Family Services
where, along with our own worship team, we involve families in the preparation
of the services and in the running of them. We also have a cooking club once
a month, enabling parents to stay in Church and take communion without the
young ones distracting them. Two mornings a week we have ‘Urchins’
for toddlers which was originally run by Church members. Along with St. Christopher’s
we go into the local infant and junior schools twice a week to tell the children
bible stories, (Open the Book). During some school holidays, Christian based
‘Playdays’ are organised with St. Christopher’s.
The Cooking Club and Family Service attract a reasonable number of families and children. However the alternate Sunday Services attract a smaller congregation and we would like to explore ways of encouraging a consistent congregation.
We piloted a “worship and wonder” mid week service for the URCiC and this is something we would be keen to reintroduce with a new Ministerial Team.
Tend
Church growth
We are continually striving to increase our membership as we realise that
to continue God’s work in the local area we need to grow and involve
more people in the running of the Church. At fund-raising events we involve
other groups and are well supported by the people in the area. Pastoral Care
is important to the elderly and sick. They are always pleased to receive visits
from the Minister, but we also have several people who do regular visiting.
We keep families up-to-date about Church activities by regular mailings. Through
our regular lettings to non-Church groups we strive to be seen as a caring
Church in the community.
The statistics identify that we have the greatest potential to increase our membership based on the proportion of adherents to members.
Transform
We support Charities through communion offerings and some people are signed
up to the Commitment for Life programme. The congregation support Third World
disaster appeals and is committed to Fairtrade. Warden Hill organises the
ordering and distribution of Traidcraft goods to the other Churches, including
St. Christopher’s.
Treasure
We attempt to manage our buildings to the best of our ability for our own
use and that of the wider community. The URCiC often use our buildings for
group meetings and the URCiC office is based on the Warden Hill premises.
Brian Miles December 2005
Congregation at Warden Hill URC
Warden Hill URC
[ Context ] | [ Pastorate Arrangements ] | [ Priorities for the Pastorate ] | [ Ministry and Mission ]
[ Local Church Life ] | [ Statistics ] | [ Appendices ]