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452437579057500Introduction My placement was at St Ann with Emmanuel Church, Nottingham (hereafter SAEC). It was opened in 1974 as the replacement for two previous churches - St Ann’s Church, Nottingham demolished in 1971 and Emmanuel Church, Woodborough Road, demolished in 1971). Description and Analysis of Placement Context and Content-1619252838450St Ann's is an area of Nottingham (England), close to the city centre; according to the Census of 2011, the number of people living in St. Ann’s is 19,316. It is indeed a very diverse neighbourhood with 36.7% of the population born outside England (this is above the national average of 16.5%) and 42.2 % are non-white (this is well above the national average of 14.4%).47625607695000St Ann’s, like many other deprived, poor neighbourhoods in Britain has become ‘stigmatised as valueless, broken and ‘wrong’’. My wife and I realised from the outset of the placement that the very mention of the name ‘St Ann’s’ has the capacity to evoke thoughts and feelings from the people of Nottingham; from those who call it home, they believe in the area while those from outside the area generally seemed to believe it is an ‘undesirable’ place, a ‘no-go zone’. St Ann’s is coming out from a very difficult past (among other past was activity of gang culture) and historically, according to McKenzie, it has ‘been regarded as little more than an overflow tank within an urban industrial city, which depended on industrial capitalism’. Despite stories of hardship in the 1960s and later on, the axiom is that St Ann’s is still enjoying the legacies of community spirit. SAEC reflects the diversity of St Ann’s. There are 166 people as part of the worshiping community (103 on the electoral roll with 41% residing in the parish) with significant groups originally from the Afro-Caribbean and various African countries and also a couple of families from Asia. Some Polish families attend Messy Church, there is someone from Germany and a significant number of people who are white English or (Irish long-term immigrants) are all gathered as a worshiping community of the church. SAEC is a part of Partnership for Missional Church (hereafter, PMC). PMC is an approach that invites local churches for a 3 to 4 year journey of communal discernment that engages cultural change and transforms mission. This is to discern what “God is up to” in their midst and in the wilder community and to discern God’s preferred and proposed future’ for them. So SAEC, in recognising what God is doing in the community, has links with the five local schools. SAEC is one of the major significant player in St Ann’s, with a valuable partnership with various groups in the Community. There is some historical ecumenical relationship with a nearby Baptist Church and Methodist Church. There is also recognition of the presence of the Roman Catholic Church and one other free church in the community. SAEC’s strongest church relationships are with the other Anglican Churches in the deanery. There are particular ties with St Christopher’s, Sneinton through the ministry of the Associate Vicar who is also a vicar at St Christopher’s. An Ethiopian Church community uses the SAEC’s building for their own worship and children’s work. There is also Seventh- day Adventist Church in the area. Placement ContentMy personal aim of this placement was to develop my knowledge and understanding of the Church of England and how it carries out its mission and ministry in an authentic, multicultural inner city parish. During this placement I have observed and engaged in the following activities:Leading services and preachingStaff meeting, Parochial Church Council (hereafter, PCC) and PMC steering group meeting Funeral ServiceInvolvement with other groups such as Nottingham Citizens and other community events Children’s work – Messy Church Pastoral work Analysis I will present here a general overview analysis of the church using six models of the Church developed by Avery Dulles in his book “Models of the Church”. Church as Institution – In some sense, SAEC has an institutional side. It is obviously and unmistakably a Church of England parish church, of the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham with a clear recognition of the hierarchical structure of the Church of England. There are recognised ministers – a Vicar, Associate Vicar, a Curate and a Lay Reader and a prescribed liturgical form of public worship. Both the ministering team and the Choir wore robes during most services. left20193000Church as Communion – SAEC is a family - its people love the company of others and care for one another. Eating together is one of the main features of the activities. Each service - even the evening ones - includes a time for refreshments. The fellowship of persons with God and with each other is emphasised. Church as Sacrament – St Ann with Emmanuel Church always clearly demonstrates a model of being a visible way that Christ works in the community. However, the SAEC does not see itself as the sole visible sign of the presence of Christ in the community; through one of the six spiritual practices adopted from PMC, ‘dwelling in the world’, SAEC recognises what God is doing through others in the community. Church as Herald – The Church is on journey of encouraging members to be ‘Announcing the Kingdom’, that is to have the confidence to say out loud where they see God at work in people’s lives, within and outside the Church. Church as Servant – SAEC, in its effort of ‘focus of missional action’ to St Ann’s community has taken a subordinate role of serving the community in providing an active voice through Nottingham Citizens, advocating for the ‘living wage’, the welfare of care workers and those in the care system, and against Hate Crime. SAEC also provides advice services and food through the St Ann Advice and Food Store etc. The church also offers ‘hospitality’in the community. The building is regularly used by at least 4 different non-churched groups that provide services to the community. For a period last year, it was let the television broadcaster ITV while it prepared and filmed an ice dance spectacular with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean for the youngsters in the community (the resulting programme ‘Ice Rink on the Estate’ was broadcast in April 2015). Church as School of Discipleship - SAEC has good structures of Christian education that are intended to inform, form and transform. Sensitivity to the different condition of learners is evident:Andragogy – Most Sunday sermons are structured to the adult learners. The Tuesday afternoon services are purely for older members. I could not see any learning opportunities structured specifically for a few young adults.Pedagogy – Children are taught on most of Sundays and also at the monthly Messy Church (my own children have benefitted greatly from this arrangement). Even though Messy Church is structured with only children in mind, I have observed that it also serves as a means of teaching not-yet Christians the foundations of Christian faith.All these models work together in a complementary manner at SAEC; some, however, are more obviously at work than others. Area for Theological Reflection Following the analysis of the church, I will now focus my theological reflection on the mission and ministry of SAEC, within and without. I will interact with the fact that SAEC is both an institutional church and is on a journey of becoming a missional church through its involvement with PMC.Theological Reflection 1695450409575000SAEC is in its third year of the 3 - 5 year PMC journey of becoming a thoroughly missional church. It is an axiom that the church is on a clear journey of shifting their mind-set that mission is merely either something that happens abroad and to which they contribute money towards or what the Church just does to bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ. Their language and actions demonstrate the belief in the concept of Missio Dei. The caption on the Church signboard - ‘Believing in St Ann’s’ suggests to me a vision that disregards the stigma placed upon the area and affirms that God is, indeed, working in the area ( more about the vision of SAEC can be seen in Appendix 2). In the preaching, prayers and one-to-one discussion, phrases such as ‘joining God in what He is doing’, ‘God is doing His work in such-and-such places’ is often concurrent; all this points to the notion of Missio Dei. Offering prayers for anyone who needs one during Holy Communion with the expectation that God is here and now, and the things that people share during regular ‘open mic’ times in the course of Sunday worship services, and the involvement of non-church groups to deliver services etc. demonstrate clearly that the journey of understanding that ‘it is not the church of God that has a mission in the world but the God of mission who has a church in the world’ is indeed taking root. ‘To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love towards people, since God is a fountain of sending love. PMC does not destroy structures but invites churches to ‘recognise that the Holy Spirit loves structure but cannot be contained by a particular structure and form’. The PMC journey starts from the place, the time and what a church is now rather than ‘remaking your local church into a totally different place and time than where and what you are not’. SAEC, as a PMC Church, has adopted six spiritual practices as the church continues to seek ‘what God is up to’ with the Church. These six practices as understood at SAEC can be seen in Appendix 1: SAEC with all its structure as a Church of England parish church that, for instance, worship with an institutional prescribed liturgical form of public worship recognises that God works both within and without its congregation. God has no limit as to how and where He works. There are endless possibilities of God’s work and the task for SAEC has been to know where God wants them as a local church to join Him in His work. This is done communally through spiritual practice of spiritual discernment (See Appendix 1 for more). What is God doing in the worship of SAEC (within)? -85725-10033000One of the things I appreciate as an Anglican is the Eucharist services but up until now I have not been able to fully experience the communion part of it – that is, eating together as brothers and sisters in Christ. However, at SAEC ‘dwelling in the word’ has helped me not only to hear what God might be telling us each time through His living word, but also to be part of each other’s imagination and so enhance our listening to and understanding of each other. This habit of deep listening to others, with the ability to report to the group what they have said, creates a greater sense of belonging and community for me. On a recent review of the practices in the Church, many people said that ‘dwelling in the word’ helps them to talk to people they don’t know, listen better, become friends and make them think we are God’s children. The communion nature of the Eucharist services is greatly complemented with the ‘dwelling in the word’ which enhances our careful listening habits, thus creating a genuine community and trust among us. At SAEC, the Eucharist is vital and has a central place in the worship life of the church. The unity within a great deal of diversity at SAEC is, I believe, enhanced through the ‘dwelling in the Word’ and expressed through the Eucharist and in many other ways . The Eucharist provides us with nourishment (John 6: 53-58) and support for our spiritual lives and grace to go (John 6:53-58) and serve the Lord as we partake in a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. During the time of sharing the Eucharist meal, it is clearly an ‘action of the whole church’ where the participation of laity in serving the communion and offering prayer ministry happens. I always look forward to that remembrance of the Christ’s sacrifice, enjoy His active in my life and ourselves as a Eucharist community - the communion, and that the thought of the pastoral anticipation of the eschatological summon of God’s people. The two crucial aspects of Dwelling in the Word are listening to one another and listening to what God is saying to us. What is God doing in the community of St Ann’s (without)?So what is God doing in the community of St Ann’s and what He is calling the church to join Him in doing? Dwelling in the World flows naturally from Dwelling in the Word and the deep listening to one another has prepared SAEC in actually listening to the community to find out about what God is doing and then join Him in doing it. This outward-looking perspective is a reflection of Missio Dei which is enabling the church to break down barriers between itself and the world and is helping them in recovering their being and ‘identity’ of apostolicity. The slow but in-depth pace of listening gives SAEC a great space for a robust and a sufficient “double listening” of the St Ann’s context and their institutional side of the Church and the inherited tradition of the gospel and the Church. In Dwelling in the World, SAEC were able to see God working at the centre in the neighbourhood that provides temporary shelter to people in need and thus joined the Triune God in that movement and action. The choir were able to see that they can minister in song not only in the Church but also in other places like the Light Night celebration in Nottingham City Centre. SAEC has also seen God working through other churches and has thus become a strong ecumenical partner in the community and has even given out the building space on Sunday afternoons for use by a particular Ethiopian Church. There is an increasing understanding of being open not only to offer hospitability and generosity but also to receive the sameHaving reflected on Missio Dei at SAEC and how SAEC sees the Triune God’s action and movement in the wider community and the church community, I will now reflect on how SAEC listens to the institutional side of the Church as it effects its local ministry and mission, in particular, the inherited tradition of Baptism. Like many other Church of England parishes, some people, even those who are not yet regularly in church services, do request baptism for their children. “Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which story continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in respond to God's love". SAEC has an ‘open policy’ on baptism. Even though in the last census of 2011, many people in St Ann’s (43.3%, a figure surprisingly lower than both the region and national average of 58.8% and 59.4% respectively) indicated that they are Christians, many of these have no connection with Church. As a missional church, SAEC gather, amongst other things, to ‘dwell in the word’ and are then sent to be ‘church’ in their communities so as to ‘dwell in the world’. The church mission ethos is not primarily attractional as they tend to have shifted their mind-set from the assumption that the average person outside the church in the community is looking for a church. Some of those who stated that they were Christians at the census of 2011 are actually without any church connection, while 41.8 % (about 8,074) who are not Christians or in any form of religion might have some frequently asked questions about life (FAQs). It is through a decisive listening to one another (an aspect of ‘dwelling in the word’) and listening to the wider community (an aspect of ‘dwelling in the world’) that hearing those FAQs becomes possible. ‘Without the capacity to dwell in the word of God, congregations cannot offer Christians answer to those FAQs’. So how can one offer Christian answers to those who would want their children to be baptised but do not actually have a Christian understanding of what it is they are asking for? SAEC, even though it is intentionally on a missional church journey with PMC, has not became anti-building, anti-clergy, anti-denomination, anti-tradition, anti-structure or anti-institution but rather has come to appreciate and acknowledge its institutional side as a gift, and likewise, to appreciate and acknowledge who and where they are. So in my observation, the ‘open policy’ baptism also provides a ready-made opportunity to answer the FAQs of people in the community in the context of the pastoral/baptismal visits. I believe that 1 Cor. 7:14 regarding marriage and the unbelieving husband has been a great deal of help for me in the understanding of infant baptism but I still do find it justifiable to offer baptism when the two parents are not Christians. One of the baptismal services of non-members (perhaps also not yet Christians) at SAEC that I observed was cleverly integrated into the Sunday service; the family and friends of the child baptising received a warm welcome, the clergy demonstrated a confidence with this in heritage and seized the innate possibilities for mission. However, since the church, through PMC, has shifted their mind-set from clergy at the centre of things to a corporate and communion involvement, I am not sure that I truly found the church community involvement in the baptism of the non-church member that was so evident in the baptism of a member’s child some month earlier. Another vital pastoral care and ministry opportunity for SAEC, as a Church of England parish church, is funeral ministry. Death is inevitable and a leveller of all; SAEC is in the community playing the vital role of helping families and friends cope with their loss. As I observed the Clergy offer the ministry of pastoral care to bereaved families and friends, they applied a great degree of sensitivity and care in order to help individuals cope with the deep pain of loss. The funeral ministry of SAEC does not merely consist of conducting the funeral service but also encompasses ministering to the living. As someone who has been bereaved 5 times in the last 12 years, I understand that the grief journey starts at different times and takes on different forms and shapes. The Clergy at SAEC tend not to be deceived into thinking that because someone seems be ‘doing well’ at the time of the loss / funeral service this should mean that after the funeral pastoral care is not needed. (I will reflect further on my own personal in the next session.) The funeral ministry is one of the missional actions to which SAEC has said ‘yes’. Like baptism and weddings, this is not only ministry for Church members but is also open to those who might or might not believe. At SAEC, quiet space for mourning is created; short prayers, gentle comfort and the Clergy’s quiet presence are evident in the funeral service. The situation in St Ann’s is indeed seen by SAEC as an opportunity to join God in what He is doing; as a church, responding to this call to discern God’s leading means being prepared to take risks and learn by trial and error, experience and failure, reflection and action.Personal Reflection I am a recent Anglican and very new to PMC practices, so undoubtedly my inherited Church mind-set resulting from my Pentecostal / charismatic / Free Church ecclesiastical traditions, by implication, posited a challenge as to how I initially articulated and interpreted the mission of SAEC. This coupled with the fact that I am an evangelist and have just recently finished working as a Church-Planting Pastor and a community Evangelism meant that I needed to consciously set aside my inherited ecclesiastical tradition, skills and experience in order to learn – and I am indeed grateful that I have been able to learn things that will complement my gifting as well as about myself. Other factors that I realised I needed to take into account in my preparation to learn were personal context (sex, age, marital status and education) and social position (social ‘class’), personality and cultural differences in the composition of entire members especially those in one form of office or the other. I was able to navigate my ‘identity voyages’ to enable me to learn and apply things that I was learning in my own context. Even though I do not have any theological issue with the ordination of women, the actual reality of working under the leadership of three women in ministry, in a parish context, for the first time meant that I needed to adjust certain things. For example, I realised that I held subconscious stereotypes about ministry contexts for ordained women; so parish ministry - especially in a ‘radical’ context such as St. Ann’s – would not be one of them. In practice, as I observed the ministries of these women leaders, I noticed giftedness not gender. However, I feel that there is uniqueness their gender gives as an advantage to their effectiveness to the ministry – motherhood model and vulnerability. I have to be intentional, where appropriate, in overcoming silent sexist elements of my culture and my church experiences. It is quite natural for me to facilitate the process of the group to get everyone engaging with the issue and contributing positively towards reaching a solution. I am ‘wired’ to believe that 'we can go far if we go together'. This style, in my experience, has produced high-quality decision-making with total group commitment but it does take time to reach a decision using this approach. Within a team, upon discovering a lack of commitment or adherence to agreed protocol, I can either become confrontational or impatient with people, which in most of cases will lead to taking on the tasks I had previously delegated. At SAEC, I saw a different model which has helped me to understand how I can overcome my weakness of impatience or undue confrontation. The need to ensure well-led and accessible courses and discussions that facilitate growth like the PMC cluster meetings are available and allow people time to grow at their own pace. Over the months I have seen people given responsibility to read the Bible during services or lead intercession and have thus seen them grow in their competence and passion when they discover that they have not been ‘written off’ because they failed to turn up at time or misread something or were very nervous. As I observed this, I it came to me with clarity that, in the future, I should apply the advice of Jethro (Moses’ father in-law) in Exodus 18: 14-19. Just as Moses learned to do, and just as I have seen in the good practice in evidence at SAEC, I should endeavour never to spread myself too thin but rather focus on my primary calling and patiently focus on empowering others in their own calling. Attending and observing a funeral service revealed to me how death and dying is still a sensitive issue for me due to my personal circumstances of still being the journey of grief. The funeral I attended reminded me of the advice of a close friend who had died a few months earlier; he had been so surprised by my reaction when he told me of the prognosis that he only had three months to live, even though he himself was not a Christian, he reminded me of the nature of my work and the work I was intending to do in the future. The reality that I still wrestle with grief demonstrates to me one of the ways in which I recognise that, even though I will be undertaking the privilege and responsibility of being a servant and leader in the ministry of the Church, I will still be ministering through my own broken humanity and I am thus aware of my own need to receive ministry myself in my ongoing situations. One way of paying attention to myself is to make sure that the ‘zeal’ of ministry does not push my own personal need to be ministered to and my marriage (which is also a call to vocation) to become of secondary importance to the vocation of ministry. This search for care for carer is what Trobisch called ‘self- love’, that is to say, a positive sense of ‘self- acceptance’. In other words, I cannot minister comfort to people who have lost loved ones if I myself do not possess the experience of ‘being comforted myself. This is not self- centeredness, an attempt to refute Jesus’ words in Luke 14:26; ‘the word “hate” as used in Luke 14:26 is not meant in the emotional sense.’ Bock rightly says that ‘Jesus’ call to “hate” is not literal but rhetorical’, otherwise, his command for us to love one’s neighbour as oneself in Luke 10: 25-37 would make absolutely no sense. Bibliography Adeyemo, T, Adria, S, Coulibaly I, Habtu, T, Ngewa, S, Bediako, Phiri, I, Turaki Y (eds) (2006). African Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Bock, D (1996). Luke Volume 2: 9:51 -24:53, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker BooksBruce, F (ed) (1979). The International Bible Commentary with the New International Version. Grand Rapids: ZondervanBosch, D (1991). Transforming Mission – Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. New York: Orbis Books The Archbishop Council (2006). Common Worship, Christian Initiation. London: Church House PublishingCray G et al (2004). Mission Shaped Church. London: Church House Publishing Cray G et al (2006). Listening for mission. London: Church House PublishingDulles, A (2002). Models of the Church – Expended Edition. New York. Doubleday Ellison, P & Keifert (2011). Dwelling in the word – A packet handbook. Minnesota: Church Innovations Institute Inc. Howell, D (1993). The pain of parting – understanding the grief journey, pastoral series 56. Cambridge: Grove Initiatives of change UK (September 16, 2013). Overcoming a troubled past. Retrieved on October, 2, 2014 from ITV Plc (2014). This morning. Retrieved from on May, 1, 2015 from Keifert, P (2006). We are Here Now – A new missional era. Minnesota: Church Innovations Institute Inc. Mckenzie, L (2015). Getting by- Estates, class and culture in austerity Britain. Bristol: Policy PressMoynagh, M & Harrold P (2012). Church for Every Context. An Introduction to Theology and Practice. London: SCM PressOffice of National Statistic (2012). 2011 census retrieved on April, 1, 2015 from Rooms, N & Keifert (2014). Forming a Missional Church – Creating Deep Cultural Change in congregations - pastoral series p139. Cambridge: GroveRoxburgh, A & Boren, S (2009). Introducing the Missional Church – What it is, Why it matters, and How to become one. Michigan: Baker Books. St Ann with Emmanuel Church (2015). St Ann with Emmanuel Church retrieved on April, 1, 2015 from St Ann with Emmanuel Church (2015). Annual Report 2014. The Archbishops’ Council (2001). The Eucharist: Sacrament of Unity. An occasional paper of the House of Bishops of the Church of England, retrieved on April, 13, 2015 from . London: Church House Publishing The Archbishops’ Council (2003). Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy, retrieved on April, 20, 2015 from . London: Church House PublishingTrobisch, W (1976). Love yourself – self - Acceptance & Depression. Here is my Problem No 6. Germany: Editions Appendix – 1 – Six Spiritual Practices of St Ann with Emmanuel adopted from PMC ?Dwelling in the Word – This is a time to dwell in God’s word in a smaller group, to let it shape the church by noticing where each person’s attention is drawn to in the text and by listening to one another into free speech as they share their thoughts, observations and questions, and then by giving feedback about what captured the imagination of others, especially those you know less well.?Hospitality - In a diverse community like St Ann’s, this means being open to receiving as well as giving hospitality, being welcomed by and welcoming the stranger in our midst.?Dwelling in the World – this is a practice of seeking to be aware of what God is doing in the world and learning to recognise who are the ‘People of Peace’ in the wider community who can become valuable mission partners. ?Spiritual Discernment – This is recognising where we are and how the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding SAEC into ‘God’s preferred and promised future’ for it.?Announcing the Kingdom - This is the sharing of testimonies of where one notices God at work in the world or within the worshipping community at SAEC. ?Focussing for Missional Action – This is seeing where God is at work and then, if He is indeed calling SAEC to join Him in it, joining Him in it; focussing SAEC’s energy and effort on that area, rather than ‘jumping in’ wherever one sees God at work and duplicating efforts unnecessarily.Appendix – 2 – Our Vision for EmbodimentBased on a visioning exercise (2014) feedback, prayer and reflection, the PCC (Parochial Church Council) holds this picture in our minds of God’s preferred and promised future.JOINING IN THE FLOW OF GOD’S LOVE We see the flow of God’s love in a relaxed and free sharing of lives both inside our church community and with other partners: people chatting, praying for one another, offering practical support and sharing in the Word with one another. We will recognize God’s love is light, free, joyful and creative; it is dynamic and flowing like fire or water or a crowd of people. We will not be afraid of movement and change.We will be recognizing the flow of God’s love through and from people outside the church as they help and work with us. We will be less fearful of those we do not know as we wonder if they are our ‘good Samaritan’. We will receive offers of help and support from others – partners in St Ann’s and our hub partner churches.We will be being challenged by the nature God’s love - entirely faithful and self-sacrificial – both to receive it from others and to give it. We will be generous in our sharing of resources – money and discretionary fund, time bank, practical support - and ask others, ‘How can I help?’ We will know what practical skills we have to share. We will be open about ourselves and share our lives with the people we meet and will be open to their lives. Our groups and gatherings will be underpinned by high levels of trust, developed over time. Prayer ministry: formally and informally, people have confidence to pray with one another. Dwelling in the Word will be our normal practice – in church, in groups, when we visit one another, with people outside the church as we listen to the text and to each other. We are involved in the spiritual journeys of others. We will Dwell in the Word with people outside the church, and encourage each other in private conversations, in our services (morning, evening, Messy Church) and in gatherings to talk about favourite scriptures and how we hear God speaking to us. We will be confident to ask people about their spiritual journey and to talk about our own, and develop ways to talk about our experience of Jesus in our lives. We will seek permission to hold one another to account for our walk with the Lord ('would you like me to ask you about that?'). There is a strong relational feel, with people from different ethnic backgrounds and ages engaging with and knowing each other. We will be able to talk with each other about difference and our diversity, and learn from each other. We will see awkwardness and grace: laughter at our misunderstandings, forgiveness, a willingness to try and endeavour to address anxieties. We will seek cross cultural friendships. People will tell stories from their backgrounds. We will celebrate our diversity at Pentecost each year. We will ask each other, ‘What do you find strange about my culture?’ and ‘What would you like to know?’ We will have open groups that are not homogenous, in order to avoid segregation. We will decide to take low offence in all our relationships and seek reconciliation.The flow of God’s love is experienced in two distinct styles of worship – vibrant, young, multi-cultural, with young people and families taking a lead, wide participation, and different styles of music being offered including a band and a gospel choir. The second type of worship is experienced as peaceful, quiet, warm, reverential and ordered. We will ensure both styles are included in our offer. REFLECTING OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITYWe are reflecting the diverse community, the context in which we are placed here in the St Ann’s area - ts age, ethnicity and cultural profile. Food is shared, there is cooking in the kitchen and we eat dishes from all over the world at lunches after our worship, Saturday breakfasts, at Messy Church and for special events. Our worship includes liturgy, music, art and images from various countries and we encourage multi-lingual songs.We offer space and opportunity to affirm the cultural heritage of our members – British, European, African, Caribbean and Asian Christians. We encourage people to pray for the countries with which they have connections, to wear traditional dress if they would like, to share their favourite foods and our display boards depict and encourage us to pray for the different cultures and nationalities we represent. We recognise and celebrate cultural traditions and festivities that are important to individuals such as birthdays, naming ceremonies and wedding blessings. We have an ‘open mic’ during our community gatherings to enable people to participate and share stories and news.It is ‘my church, everybody’s church’; everyone is valued, has a voice and is encouraged to share their gifts and talents. We hold regular events to help newcomers build relationships, and find ways of participating, belonging and leading a growing variety of small groups and teams including cell groups, afternoon fellowship, men’s and women’s gatherings, choir, cleaning teams etc... We hear and respond to people’s views through appreciative listening events to ensure we are connecting well across the diversity of our community and offering activities that reflect our different experiences, needs, preferences and interests. All our groups reflect this wider ‘us’, particularly our PCC.There will be older children and teenagers (groups we do not notice or hold at present) exploring faith through youth groups, Sunday worship, uniformed organisations and Messy Church and we are working in partnership across our hub to meet their needs and offer quality youth provision BELIEVING IN ST ANN’SWe believe in St Ann’s: that God is at work in this community and in the people of St Ann’s. We are noticing the community in which we are set. We know our neighbours at Mellors Lodge, Into University, community festive events (Christmas Lights / Holding Hands, Light Night) and residents in the new housing being built on the Chase, opposite the church who we have welcomed to the area. We are getting out more and forming new partnerships and bridging communities.We will have church people involved in community forums, initiatives and events and seek to join in ‘kingdom’ actions where we discern community is being built and the well-being of all is being developed for the common good. We will run listening exercises in St Ann’s every year, including through Nottingham Citizens listening. We will have one-to-ones to get to know people and what they do here in St Ann’s. The building will be available to the wider community and we will be intentional about developing relationships with those who use it. We will experiment in finding people of peace: building relationships and partnerships with others e.g. new housing, Small Steps Big Changes, Community Pantomime, Light Night, Holding Hands.BREAKING DOWN BARRIERSWe are intentional about breaking down barriers between people – old and young, rich and poor, well and sick, European and African, British and Asian, recent members and long-term members, inside church and outside church – seeking to partner with God in bringing justice, healing and reconciliation to the people we meet.Old and young - Our all age worship each month reminds us of our unity in Christ and enables us to encounter God together and through each other. Rich and poor - We offer practical help to one another during difficult times, sharing God’s generosity to us with those who are temporarily struggling. We operate an Inclusion fund to allow local people to access activities that would otherwise be beyond their reach. We recycle goods such as furniture, clothing, toys and books, and we collect food to give away, working in partnership with Sneinton and St Ann’s Foodstore, Mellors Lodge and Free4All. We fundraise and give to local charities and missions.Well and sick - Our pastoral care team and church members visit one another, give and receive hospitality and offer love and care to any in need, especially the elderly, the infirm, the sick and the bereaved. We are seeking to partner with God in bringing justice - We are learning from working in partnership with each other and our immediate neighbours responding to the needs we discover within the lives of people in our communities. Being part of Nottingham Citizens enables us to address the root causes of those problems that act as barriers for people and our work in local partnership with our schools, Renewal Trust, Mellors Lodge, Free4All, Into University, SureStart, Slimming World and the luncheon club helps us to alleviate the distress those barriers have caused.Healing and reconciliation - We are learning to recognise tension as a sign of God’s presence and activity within people and situations, and to see it as an opportunity to listen and learn from one another and to discern and negotiate ways of moving forward together by holding on to both our diversity and our unity, and seeking to transform the conflict that arises within our community. ................
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