2024 ACJV update # 6

Hi everyone,

I trust you had a wonderful Easter. I enjoyed being part of the Good Friday service at St. Peter’s, Ward and I also enjoyed celebrating the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday.

One of the takeaways from the Six Steps to Loving your Church studies is that church, or ‘gathering’ continues after the formal part of a church service is finished. (Learn more here) So, on Easter Sunday the church continued our celebrations by enjoying our kids scampering around looking for chocolate while a legendary BBQ was being cooked.

Vision and Mission Review – Draft statements below.

Last year we talked a lot about revitalization. We participated in discussions and hosted a consultant from City to City who produced a 68-page report for us, and made a number of recommendations. It’s becoming clear that we need to crystalize our vision and mission statements so that we can be focused and effective.

I’ve been working on draft statements for your consideration. To be effective, the terms used in the statements will need to be defined and the scriptural background explained. We also need to develop a set of practical steps to implement the mission statement.

If you have any thoughts about these statements please email, or call, or talk to one of the Management Team members in person.

So, enough talk, here’s the draft statements.

Our Vision for the Awatere:

Christian communities united in Christ,

·       gathering to worship in spirit and truth,

·       pursuing biblical truth,

·       equipped for every good work,

·       joyfully serving as ambassadors of Christ.

Our Mission for 2024 and 2025 is:

·       to develop pathways to Christian faith,

·       to learn to share the gospel effectively,

·       to become disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus.

God Bless,

John