Vision 4 action

Churches Together in Ampthill and Flitwick held an outdoor service to celebrate Pentecost. This took place at Katherine’s Cross in Ampthill Park. Ampthill Town Band led the music and hymns and the speaker was Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford. The Service was followed by a picnic and the weather was truly sunny! The idea for this service was put forward by Father Denis McSweeney.

As part of a Diocesan initiative in Mission, we have been looking at what we are doing already in the parish, taking an audit of where we are, and doing some new things. Here are some of them:-

On the (date to be advised) we shall be participating in the B2C campaign when we shall be contacting and personally inviting people who we know once attended church regularly.

Over a period of months spare church magazines are being delivered to streets in the parish with a view to making some contact with many who are not aware of the presence of our church in Flitwick

In December 2007 we mounted a Renewal in Giving campaign which spanned the four Sundays of Advent. The results were truly amazing and currently the increased regular giving has gone up by over 26% We shall be involving ourselves in the Diocesan Vision for Giving which takes off in the Autumn this year.

In November we admitted five children who have been prepared to receive Holy Communion before being Confirmed. This has taken many months to prepare and we have been given permission by the Bishop of St Albans to join over 50 other parishes in the Diocese who are already doing this.

As part of understanding about what our strengths and weaknesses are in this parish we are undertaking a three week course in Advent, which we hope will produce a profile of how we see ourselves as a church. The Parochial Church Council are to do this exercise separately from the congregational group and then we shall pool our findings. This will lead to both reflection and action as we seek to celebrate what we do well and to strengthen what we don’t. It may also lead us to undertake new things. At the heart of it all is prayer, that under God, we may seek to know and do his will.

One of the hardest things for us to do is to spread the word of Christ, and yet as Christians it is one of the most important. For those of us who do find it hard, Christmas is an easy opportunity for us to do our bit. Therefore each member of the congregation has been given a Christmas card to deliver to a neighbour or friend. We hope to follow this up early in the New Year with a complementary copy of the church magazine.

As part of equipping people with knowledge about the Christian faith we hope to undertake an Emmaus Course. Anyone who want to know more or to refresh what they already know will find this course useful. Adults considering being Confirmed may also join this group.

Almighty God and heavenly Father, open our eyes to see you at work in our world: grant us wisdom in using our gifts, grace to enliven our churches, and courage to transform our communities. By your Holy Spirit, equip us for the challenge ahead, excite us to follow your vision and empower us in witness and service. To you be the glory through Jesus our Saviour and mighty Redeemer. Amen.

A Celebration of Vision for Action

Over 1200 people from across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire came together on 24 February at St Albans Cathedral to celebrate the life of the Church of England in the 336 parishes and 133 church schools of the Diocese of St Albans. The event was hosted by TV personality Diane Louise Jordan and featured music and drama from several parishes and the Holy Fool, Roly Bain.

The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans said, “It was a wonderful occasion. It is very unusual for churches to come together to share their ideas and creativity so there was a real buzz about the place. We were also very pleased to be able to announce that the Diocese has been given Fairtrade status from the Fairtrade Foundation. This was very timely as Fairtrade Fortnight begins this week.”

Diocesan Communications Officer, Anna McCrum, said, “The Abbey is one of the largest churches in this country and despite that unfortunately we still had to turn people away who wanted to come. Over 100 parishes were represented and received awards from the Bishop of St Albans for all the work that they are doing in their communities.”

Contributing performers included, Tring School Band, Fusion Choir, from All Saints Church, Queen Park, Bedford, a excerpt from the Turvey Mystery Plays, the Choir of St Mary VA School, Welwyn, a combined choir made up of three parishes, and a modern band from Luton.