St Nicolas Church is in the process of developing a new vision.

The PCC held full-day sessions in Autumn 2008 and May 2009, with working groups looking at chosen areas in detail. The six areas identified in the autumn on which activities and discussions have focussed are:

• Outreach
• Worship Styles
• Teaching
• Pastoral care, Welcome and Follow-up
• Communication
• Youth Work.

Goals and five-year issues have been identified in each area, as follows:

Goal:
To provide a realistic range of worship opportunities that enable as many as possible to encounter God so that we go out better able to live more Christ-like lives.

5-Year Issues:

• To identify gaps in what we currently provide, to research how we might fill them and propose how we might realistically take this forward.
• To consider the physical environment of the church with a view to exploring what changes would facilitate the goal of worship.

Goal:
To present in actions and words the Christian message to all in our community in ways that engage attention and interest (and encourage decision and action).

5-Year Issues:

• How we use our buildings.
• Initiatives to attract men aged 20-60
• Understanding our ‘market’

Goal:
To provide opportunities for all young people attending St Nicolas and others in the wide community to grow in the faith and engage in a Christian lifestyle.

5-Year Issues:

• Encouraging the congregation to be actively involved in resourcing youth work.
• Allowing children and young people to engage with services more effectively.
• Drawing more children in.

Goal:
All who come within the ambit of St Nicolas should feel welcome and appropriately supported

5-Year Issues:

• In order to continue good pastoral, bereavement and Acorn work, new people must be identified and trained
• Implement a more effective way to welcome newcomers and provide a ‘zippier’ pack. Follow up by personal contact.

Goal:
To persuade all members of St Nicolas of the value of growing in Christian understanding and to provide ready access to suitable learning opportunities to help both members and others grow in faith and service

5-Year Issues:

• To implement a learning programme under which all are encouraged to assess their training needs and are helped to find suitable learning opportunities.
• To identify and equip sufficient teachers/leaders to achieve our learning goal.

Goal:
To hear and be heard in the church family and the wider community in ways relevant to peoples’ lives in order to encourage active participation in church life

5-Year Issues:

• Comprehensive communications review to be carried out by a sub-group.

Progress to date on this exciting project is being reported to the church orally at Sunday services, on the newssheet and in the June Rector’s letter. The leaders of each workgroup are continuing to work on the detail of each issue and on plans to implement the vision.