Download Mission Action Plan

ALL SAINTS, BOW BRICKHILL
MISSION ACTION PLAN 2012
PRIORITIES
Encourage more people to engage and become involved with the
church
 Form a small group of people to create a ‘What can I bring’ list,
advertise, distribute to all residents and personally approach at
services and events
 Investigate someone to take on communications role
 Start a Sunday School
 Encourage more youth involvement
Improve communications
 Use the village eGroup more to publicise services and information
about the church
 Use technology to improve communications with church website,
and email group
 Improve benefice website communication
Church services and forward planning
 Plan more special services in advance with accessible service times
and invite people personally. Suggestions:
- Anniversary service for baptism families
- Memorial service to include group of people who are
helping to pay for churchyard maintenance
 Continue to liaise closely with the school and invite the choir to
take part in family services on a regular basis
 Plan thanksgiving services to give thanks for the work of All Saints
Tower Restoration Appeal (ASTRA)
 Focus on Harvest service with ‘What can I bring’ theme
Church building
 Investigate the possibility of installing toilet facilities
 Improve physical accessibility by installing new path – engage
with ASTRA
ALL SAINTS, BOW BRICKHILL
SWOT Analysis from PCC Meeting 15 May and Community meeting 23 June
Strengths
 The Parish has a friendly, rural community spirit
 The church has a strong musical heritage with an established choir serving the
Parish and the Benefice
 The Church Hall is an asset for church and the wider community
 Community outreach projects including a drop-in afternoon at the church hall
and a Sunday lunch club once a month
 A mid-week house communion service
 Social community events organised by the church e.g. Roving Supper and
Annual Bazaar
 Church based parish magazine distributed to all residents
 Church set in scenic, quiet location
 90% of respondents to the 2009 Parish Plan agreed that it was important to
have a living, working church in the village
Weaknesses
 Small village
 Location of the church makes access more difficult, particularly for the elderly
 Lack of facilities within the church e.g. toilets, running water
 The church building is kept locked except for services and maintenance
 Lack of forward planning for special services and major festivals
 Weak communication from the PCC to congregation e.g. Synod discussions
 Lack of work with children
 Older congregation
 Small nucleus of volunteers to take on roles
 Limited engagement with majority of residents within the village and
communication difficulties for those wishing to contact the church
 Benefice website not up-to-date with access difficulties for individual parish
service times
Opportunities
 The creation of All Saints Tower Restoration Appeal (ASTRA) committee in
2010 which has engaged with the community in support of the church
 The location of the church is unusual and distinctive with many passing
cyclists, walkers, golfers etc using the woods
 Continue to enhance the close links with the Church School within the village
 Encourage further links with Brownies, Pre-School Playgroup and Drop in
visitors
 Establish more communication through the village eGroup and Parish
magazine
 Approach people to take on more roles within services and events


Continue further contact with families coming to the church for
Baptism/Weddings
Clarify and communicate message about our mission
Threats
 Financial burden of raising annual parish share and upkeep of maintenance of
building
 Other Sunday activities available e.g. shopping and sport
 Lack of familiarity with church and the style of service can be intimidating for
newcomers
 Ageing regular congregation and a lack of young families attending
 Secularisation of society
 Large church attendance in Milton Keynes
 Families live a very busy lifestyle
 Due to its location the church is under utilised