ST MARY LE STRAND

Mission Action Plan              

Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in 21^st Century London

• Improve communication of events
• Improve the Visitor Experience
• Explore further activities about Faith and Work outside a Eucharistic setting
• Encourage increased use of the building

Equipping the servants of Jesus Christ

• Continue to work creatively with neighbouring Christian Communities
• Envisage SMLS as a place of training in lay leadership
• Envisage SMLS as a place of excellence in worship and teaching

Telling the story of Jesus Christ afresh for this generation and especially the young

• Continue to support the work of the Sunday club
• Consider on-going training for those working with the young
• Continue to consolidate links with the school to see regular participation in worship in the parish church

Serving London and all its people

• Continue to ensure the church is open every day
• Continue to see how the Parochial Charities can adapt to the changing profile and needs of Westminster

Serving God’s love in a world city

• Ensure that we are an open and welcoming community valuing difference
• Explore possible international partnerships such as ALMA and the London Berlin Link
• Explore possible interchange with the Romanians based at St Dunstan’s
• Develop a green and fair-trade strategy, to be reviewed annually

The Commitments 2007-2012

(1)   We are committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in 21st Century London

§         by re-connecting with the people of London and engaging with them fully. This will include ensuring that traditional ways of being church are expressed and developed to a high standard, and that there is a commitment to exploring new ways of being church, including the  pursuit of planting policies

§         by growing disciples: bringing people to faith and deepening the understanding of those who are already followers of Christ

§         by seeking new means of communicating the faith

(2)   We are committed to equipping servants of Jesus Christ

§         by teaching and helping people to pray

§         by enabling people to communicate their faith particularly in the workplace

§         by encouraging more vocations to all kinds of ministry, with a commitment to appropriate training

§         by taking steps to facilitate the full participation of all members of the church, particularly minority ethnic Anglicans and young people, in the life of the church at all levels

(3)   We are committed to telling the story of Jesus Christ "afresh" for this generation and especially for the young

§         by giving priority to recruiting and developing Christian school teachers

§         by building on our existing ways into the Church (e.g. music, youth clubs, schools, weddings, baptisms and funerals) and providing freedom for young people to explore their faith and grow in discipleship

§         by engaging with the student population of London

§         by serving schools and colleges by developing the network of chaplains

§         by serving our communities through the work of church schools

§         by being committed to the development and growth of at least 4 new church school academies

§         by building on the initiative for youth work begun through partnership with The Children’s Society

(4) We are committed to serving London and all its people

§         by staying present in every community, with a priority commitment to serving the poor and disadvantaged

§         by targeting the grants of the Bishop of London’s Mission Fund to equip and support those working in our areas of greatest need

§         by engaging with regeneration projects, including Thames Gateway, King’s Cross and the Olympic site

§         by making ecumenical partnerships especially with the independent black and ethnic minority churches in our city

§         by engaging with developments in local and national government, including speaking out on transport, health and social justice issues

§         by demonstrating the importance of “Faithful Capital” (as defined in the report “Faithful Cities”) – the identifiable presence of Christian Faith and its role in enriching our society.

(5) We are committed to serving God's Love in a world city

§         by striving to engage with people of other faiths within the local context and at wider organisational levels

§         by building on our existing partnerships with the world church in Angola, Mozambique and Berlin-Brandenburg

§         by taking a leadership role on engaging with environmental issues in the public arena

§         by engaging with world development issues and encouraging others to be committed to such issues at local and national level

Herculean Tasks:

·        2012 Ambassadors for Jesus Christ under the age of 35 by 2012

·        2012 additional places for students in Church Secondary Schools through the development of 4 new academies by 2012

·        By 2012 all parishes will be healthy and viable by being either self-supported or diocesan supported

·        £2,012,000 raised to support the extension of the work of the church in Angola/Mozambique by 2012.