Sunnyside, St Michael and All Angels version: 2

Things seen about our local community

• The church building and attached hall remains the closest thing we have to any sort of ‘Community Centre’.
• There is a hunger for community due to changes in the way families are made up
• There is a lack of understanding of the Christian faith and a perception that there is no need for God in people’s lives. We believe there may be other hidden pockets of need within our parish.

Three things we have seen about our church

• We believe we are a caring and friendly church but perceived as not relevant to the needs of the vast majority within our community.
• People in our community lead busy lives and so do we.
• We have increased the number of services. There have been benefits including increased attendances but there is a concern that we are doing too much and the church family is segregated.

Vision (for five years' time)

Sunnyside church is alive with people who love the Lord , who are growing in their faith and who love and serve each other and their community in equal measure..

Priorities (for the next five years)

• 1. Love: we will work to develop our relationships within the church family and with our neighbours
• 2. Grow: We aim to grow in our in faith. We aim to grow in numbers
• 3. Serve: We will endeavour to meet people at their point of need and serve in a way that is relevant to people around us.

Goals (for the next year)

• 1. To harness the potential of modern communication by redeveloping the church website and other linked social networking sites; demonstrating Sunnyside as a vital and exciting Christian community for others to join and concurrently to increase involvement within our own church family
• 2. To continue faithfully with the projects that are successful in our church. E.g. Smarties, Messy church, youth groups and lunch clubs. To truly value these initiatives by encouraging support for them widely to allow them to continue to flourish
• 3 To build on the growth in faith found in teaching in the sermon series. Advertise series widely. Offer some new additional house groups alongside the sermon series for that period only
• 4. To continue and further develop the welcome offered to newcomers by introduction of more small groups and social events. Eg table for six. Advertise via website. Establish a 20 – 30yrs group
• 5. To foster a new more relaxed style of service within the church. Whilst respecting that some prefer routine, for others being asked to help spontaneously will increase possibility of participation and belonging