Speak Up!

We met after the main Mass on Sunday to discuss the final, final draft of the church mission plan. It's taken about two years to get to this point, beginning with me thinking about the state the church was in after my fifth year as incumbent, through the working-group which drafted a document for the consideration of the PCC, the Away Day in November and the further working groups established to batter our pious intentions into things like actions and lay out the resources required, and finally the PCC talking about it a few days ago. As always people take a bit of coaxing to say anything (apart from the church members who never miss an opportunity to argue that the services should be 'simplified' to attract all the mythical hordes who are champing at the bit to get into the church, and only put off by what we currently do in it) but we managed to have some discussion, at least, about the ideas and the situation we're in. The document we've adopted is a collection of bits and pieces, really: small, comprehensible little actions which nevertheless will take us all the time we've allotted ourselves, and perhaps more, to do. Even then I've tried to stress that considering things like 'communication inside and outside the church' and 'welcoming newcomers' are really just laying down the groundworks for the far more challenging business of re-engaging with the community of Swanvale Halt in new ways which will have to come later. I was tired out by the end of it, surprisingly.