Uniting Church in
Australia
Glen Waverley
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GLEN WAVERLEY UNITING
CHURCH
FUTURE DIRECTIONS 2003-2005
DRAFT
FEB 2003
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Background
In response to our Christian being and as members of a Uniting
Church Congregation ascertaining God's purpose for us in Glen
Waverley is a key .
This document forms the basis of our future directions for the
next few years.
An affirmation..
We gather together as a community of faith at GWUC:
- because we recognise God in our lives and worship in
response,
- so that we may nurture, care, and support one another in our
Christian journey and be challenged and empowered to be disciples
of Christ, and,
- in order to continue to use our mutual resources and gifts to
live as Christ in our needy world.
Our Values
As Christians at GWUC we value being able to…...
- To acknowledge God in all of life,
- To belong to a congregation
- that is embracing, nurturing, caring, and that allows
people "to have a go".
- that preaches, teaches and seizes the opportunities to show
Christ in everything we do.
- To recognise, develop and use the gifts of the Holy
Spirit.
Our goals
Our goals are designed to show that we are:…
- A church with a mission focus
- A church offering a life alternative to the community.
- A church that is a "movement"; meaning- we are moving to a new
understanding and purpose in our individual and collective lives
under the message of Christ and to exemplify this to such a degree
that others will know of us and want to join us.
How our goals are met
We will exemplify our calling by living a "comprehensive
ministry"
This requires us to participate in:
- Worship and prayer life
- Teaching
- Leadership development
- Pastoral care
- Fellowship and community development
- Mission and Evangelism
- Justice and service
- Advocacy
The "comprehensive ministry" will be focussed in 3 broad
areas:
- Within the Congregation as a whole: members and adherents
overall.
- By offering special needs ministries to specific areas within
the congregation and extending to the local community.
And,
- By supporting the work of the wider church:
both locally and beyond.
Ministry settings include:
- The whole Congregation
- A continuing major focus on special needs in areas of:
- Youth
- Families and singles
- seniors,
- other groups in the congregation
- our home life
And…
Comprehensive Ministry goals:
….for the whole Congregation…
Over the next 3 years we will provide the following ministry to
the whole congregation .
Overall
We will offer an experience of Church that offers:
- Spirit fulfilment
- Sustainable living
- Growth in life skills
- Embracing of each person
And in response we will
- provide resources to meet our core values
Worship/prayer life
- Continue to provide worship options so that our worship life
together will be more vibrant & meaningful
- To further enrich the quality of our spiritual life so that
people will be drawn into the Gospel
- To improve intro of new music in our worship
- To continue to encourage and grow lay leadership in
worship
Community Life/fellowship
- Identify and promote passions and skills that can be offered
to support the congregational activities
- Be a more embracing congregation
- Identify person and produce guidelines and manual for running
large events eg fete, Easter
Teaching:
- Increase and facilitate faith and discipleship groups
- Increase and facilitate faith & discipleship groups
- Establish and grow a list of willing mentors
- Establish as a regional centre for growth in discipleship and
leadership development
Leadership:
- Identify and promote new leaders and actively manage
succession and participation
- Build a model of our ministry team leadership needs for the
future
Pastoral
- Encourage an intentional linking between pastoral care between
individuals particularly recent confirmees, elders, Councillors,
youth & other leaders in the wider congregation eg buddy,
mentors
- Review & refocus our pastoral visitation within the
year
Mission & Evangelism
- Grow our ministry to the 30-50 age group
- Intentional support to at least one community need and care
area
- Continue to meet a community need from which we expect to get
nothing in return (ie the ministry of Grace…eg supportive
care link
- Grow a new offering of Christ to local ethnic groups
- All groups are to be open groups willing to embrace new
comers
Justice & service
- To continue to meet our commitment or support the wider work
of the Uniting Church through Synod giving..
Comprehensive Ministry goals:
….. for Youth
Worship/prayer life
- Provide worship options that connect life & faith
- Develop evening services & support 9am creative
worship
Community life & Fellowship
- Build an integrated and inclusive community that is embracing
in Christ
- Provide activities that cater for youth reflecting our gifts,
talents and passions: includes music, arts and creative
activities
Teaching
- Help yp understand & question the Christian faith
- Help yp seek to live as followers of Jesus
Leadership
- Identify and grow leaders in young and older people
- Continue to the involvement in the NYLT course
- Take a stronger regional role in training and camping
programs
Pastoral:
- Identify needs and build a supportive and mentored youth
community
- Empower youth to be their brothers keeper
Justice & service
- Identify and support local action at youth level and
issues
Mission & evangelism
- Look for ways to present Christ new to a changing and
threatening world
- Take a stronger role in schools as these schools demonstrate
needs and interest
- Seek ways to present Christ in a relevant way for a changing/
threatening world
- Take a stronger regional role in training, camping program,
etc
Comprehensive Ministry goals:
…… for the Families & singles…
Worship/prayer life
- Target worship opportunities
- S involvement once a month
- Prayer resources for parents to take home for children
- Offer flexible and appropriate worship to home bound
seniors
Community life/fellowship
- Increase community activities targeted at young families
- Offer security, safety and a supportive community
- Activities targeted at young families
Teaching:
- Provide innovative and targeted CEd
Leadership:
- Identify leadership and facilitate their development
- Visit all adults under 40 to ascertain their gifts an dhow
they might offer them to the Church
- Provide support and training to SS teachers
- Increase number of seniors in ministry roles: eg mentoring,
peer support,
Pastoral
- Ensure every family/single in the church is provided with some
pastoral support
- Identify pastoral needs and enhance responses
- Build greater links with retirement villages
Mission & evangelism
- Research funding opportunities for playgroup
co-coordinator
- Regular parenting programs
- Provide greater links into he Church through occ. child care
& playgroups to provide greater links
- Appoint 2 people to identify people who live alone and get to
know them and find entry points into he church
Comprehensive Ministry goals:
….. for Seniors
Worship & prayer:
- Promote regular services targeted to seniors and elderly
Community life/fellowship
- Promote strengthen existing groups to provide networks of
support & fellowship and ensure seniors inclusiveness in
congregational life
- Run workshops an other sessions for skills training especially
for people left alone
Leadership
- Encourage mature members to be mentors and supporters to other
members
- Pastoral:
- Encourage members to join a regular visitation program to
elderly members outside the local area in retirement villages
nursing homes and private residences
Justice & service
- Promote issues of aged services justice funding and
philosophy
- Mission & Evangelism
- Meet the needs for "later life" skills training
- Target a proportion of COP giving to a seniors/aged care
ministry need
- Present Christ to older shut in bound citizens.
- Advocacy
- Meet/coordinate the advocacy needs for older people in
partnership with community services providers.
Comprehensive Ministry goals:
…….. for our mission in the Wider World…
Teaching
- Consider regional action in CE and faith development
Leadership
- Act regionally in identifying and developing and supporting
leaders
Justice & service
- Act regionally with other UCA and other churches in addressing
social justice issues
Mission & evangelism
- Offer a Internet and other media ministry
- Increase video ministry
- Adopt a local partner UCA and support them/ c
- create a UCA local network. give Presbytery a new
meaning!!!
- Organise a mission to proclaim the gospel
- Sponsor and support a community event by being a GWUC and
Christian presence that is intentional in its presentation of
Christ
- Adopt a local church and support them
- Practice as the UCA in a network in the region by identifying
and sharing resources. Promoting a less insular approach
- act on a issue that publicises our concern for the environment
in response to our need to care for God's creation .
