Redbourn, St Mary version: 1

Things seen about our local community

• There is a strong relationship between St Mary's and our village with plenty of good will.
• We enjoy excellent relationships with our overseas links that are energy giving & life affirming.
• The demography and affluence of our parish is changing - schools are a key influence in this.

Three things we have seen about our church

• We have welcomed a significant number of new members, especially families.
• Older members of St Mary's are very active, faithful & valued, but succession presents a challenge.
• It is a busy place where there is a strong desire to grow and an openness to change where needed.

Vision (for five years' time)

St Mary's will be a church that is excited by faith and saturated and confident in prayer, where growth is expected and planned for, where individuals are valued and encouraged to share in ministry, where the faith of new and existing members will be informed, confident and relevant, and where all are welcome in a church that is both inwardly transforming and outwardly generous.

Priorities (for the next five years)

• To expand the opportunities where people can grow in faith, understanding and prayer.
• To build, deepen and widen our links with our community and overseas for mutual transformation.
• To be a church where all feel welcomed and valued and can enjoy a breadth of worship and ministry.

Goals (for the next year)

• To aspire towards whole church involvement in small groups for prayer, study and discussion.
• To diversify our worship, re-imagine our All Age services and explore admission to First Communion.
• To build a village hub for better community collaboration, pastoral support and a co-ordinated diary.
• To develop our ancillar buildings to host residential guests, and new groups and activities.
• To encourage vocations to Ordained and Licensed ministries and other forms of ministry.