“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11. 19 - 20
St Michael’s is in the heart of the city of Bath and we aspire to be a heart for the city, that is, sharing God’s abundant life with all who live and work in the city centre. We equally seek the renovation of our own hearts, as a priority and, as Ezekiel says, through the Spirit of God within us. The priorities below come from this vision of the heart, renovated and alive, humble and generous. Out of this growing hunger in the heart for God comes commitment and discipleship.
These bullet points are broadly in two catagories: foundational and missional.
Foundational
•Complete the restoration of tower/spire and explore the possibility of solar power. Raise additional funding through applications to other trusts and donors; ensure well-being of the building for the next twenty-five years, pursue the principle of the building earning a living.
•Develop a reserve fund within St Michael's accounts Establish a sustainable income stream through church member giving and church activities so that the life of the church is developed.
•Evaluate our administrative structures Achieve a good balance between paid and voluntary staff. Follow best practise in matters of personnel, finance and administration.
•Develop good structures of communication Think through use of notice boards, magazine and particularly the website
•Develop partnerships with our neighbouring churches particularly The Abbey. We recognise the gospel imperative of unity so that the world may know Jesus as the Son of God. We seek to work in harmony with the deanery plan for growing disciples.
Missional
•Strengthen our regular rhythm of prayer as the foundation of all we are. We will seek to be committed to our times or prayer, find ways for all church members to engage with this to honour God in the ordinary stuff of life and continue to pray for the people of our parish.
•Place an emphasis on the centrality of worship We hope our worship will grow in awesomeness and intimacy, in authenticity and creativity, and therefore be transformational for regulars and newcomers alike.
•Manage a successful merger with the parish of Holy Trinity Queen Square Develop fresh ways for sharing the love of God in the Kingsmead area of our new parish. Work with others to establish a dynamic and missional project at HTQS; raise awareness of parish changes with parishioners.
•Widen the spread of leadership within the church, and grow new leaders. Develop part-time, paid posts in the areas of worship, youth and children’s' work; expansion of youth and children’s' ministries; encourage vocations to full-time ministry.
•Offer regular courses that nurture discipleship particularly with those exploring faith. Well known courses could be used or a home produced course created; all in the church to be aware that they can invite people to sign up. The emphasis will be on transformative following of Jesus leading to a better awareness of God and a growing sense of self awareness.
•Establish community events through the café Currently Baby Café takes place on Tuesdays, maybe there could be Craft Café on Monday, Story Café on Tuesday etc. We will seek to become more compassionate through these events.
•Continue supporting Christian mission in other countries. Gift giving through the church family and through the Café's
charitable giving as previously outlined by the PCC; aim at a
total giving target of £8k - £10k per year. Continue commitment to
local mission, for example, through Genesis Trust.
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11. 19 - 20
•Strengthen our regular rhythm of prayer as the foundation of all we are.
