Goldington

Our Details

Revd Richard Howlett revrhowlett@gmail.com

Date Adopted by PCC: 27 03 2012
Date presented to APCM: 22 04 2012
Date sent to Bishop: 02 05 2012
Date review date: 24 03 2013

Parish: Goldington
Benefice: Goldington
Deanery: Bedford
Archdeaconry: Bedford

Our Looking

Three things we have seen about our parish and our world

1. Our parish includes areas of significant social deprivation - our church involvement is welcomed.
2. Church involvement in schools again is welcomed particularly at those catering for the Lower School age group.
3. Our parish covers and wide and diverse area, including housing & industrial estates, shops & schools, park & university.

Three things we have seen about our church

1. We are under-represented in terms of children and young people.
2. Our congregation is drawn from right across our large parish - we don't draw people from just one area.
3. We are perceived as a welcoming church, and have attracted some new members of varied ages and ethnicity.

Our Discerning

How we want to be described in five years’ time.

For St Mary's to be a growing church, whose welcome, in Christ's name, extends to all. Furthermore, that St Mary's will express this in buildings that are well-used and open to the fullest extent, offering modern and traditional worship that meets the needs of people now, with an active social life for all age groups, nurturing people who know the power of Christ in their lives, and expressing our faith in God by service to our community and the wider world.

Our three key priorities for the next five years.

1. Make more of our worship attractive & accessible to younger people and families, including those of little church background.
2. 'Open up' church to local community to offer support & pastoral care, so more people come in and we get out into community.
3. Develop what is on offer at St Mary's so that we increase the church family and attract & retain new people.

Our five key SMART goals for the next year or more.

1. Re-organise the style, content & times of services, learning from local churches that are growing.
2. Build up our links with schools, children and young families.
3. Re-evaluate our communication methods so that people within and beyond our church family know what is going on.
4. Build on existing links and develop new ones, with groups in the community, so that we are known and involved beyond our walls.
5. Cut out (at least for a while) some of what we do, so that our clergy and lay ministers have time and energy to focus.