Our Mission Action Plan

A Vision For St Olave Hart Street

Mission Action Plan

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This is a working document.  It is for everyone at St Olave Hart Street, to help us understand where we are going as a church, how we are going to get there and when we need to reach there by.  It is about vision, from God, looking forward with anticipation to all He can do.

We begin with an expectation that with God, nothing is impossible; that God alone can help us grow in numbers, to develop as disciples will give us what we ask in faith.

There are 3 areas to work on which have been identified as:-

Area 1: to be a sanctuary – to grow and nourish our faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Area 2: to be a place of grace – to grow in our relationships with each other and all who enter this sacred place

Area 3: to be a well spring – Reaching out to those on the Fringe/outside the Church

A prayer for the church to grow:

God of Mission
Who alone brings growth to your Church
Send your Holy Spirit to give 
Vision to our planning, 
Wisdom to our actions,
And power to our witness.
Help our church to grow in numbers,
In spiritual commitment to you,
And in service to our local community,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Area One

St Olave's as a sanctuary

A safe, sacred space, a “country church in the heart of the City”

What we want to do? How? What do we need?

Be a safe, sacred place open to City workers, tourists, visitors

1. To be open for quiet, prayer and visiting during church during office opening hours, Monday -Thursday.

Think about extending opening times.

2. Displays of good quality evangelistic/ prayer material

3. To see the Churchyard as a place of sanctuary- through the labyrinth, displaying bible verses, talking to visitors

4. Prayer wall on the website, prayers cards in the Trinity Chapel. To be prayed for on Tuesdays.

Worship on Sundays

1. Liturgy prepared in an accessible booklet, including large print

2. Music – to ensure really good quality music (organ, choir, cantors), publicise our service via website and social media

3. Sunday Worship available on Zoom

4. Strong preaching team, to preach accessibly with appropriate challenge.

5. Rotas for readers and intercessors

6. To emphasize hospitality and welcome – a culture of welcome from all church members, offer refreshments, have welcome cards.

7. Space for prayer after each service – to develop prayer ministry.

8. Grow numerically, and pray for growth

Worship on Tuesdays

1. Accessible service sheet

2. Welcome and refreshments after each service

3. Prayer ministry

4. Grow numerically through prayer, publicity, links to offices, website.

5. Link to business life of the parish

6. Offer Alpha/ bible studies for city workers

Be a safe church for all.

Response to vulnerable people in our community.

1. Agree a safeguarding policy and review it each year

Ensure all people who enter the church for any reason feel safe and protected

To be an accessible church

1. Work towards disabled access and a WC

2. To work through the access audit

Area Two

To Be A Place Of Grace

Building a sense of community, a place of growth, linking the history to the sacred.

What we want to do? How? What do we need?

Journey to grow in faith and understanding of the bible

1. Regular bible study groups

Being disciples in the workplace and in daily life

1. Online daily prayer resources on website

2. Signposting to the local community – flyers/digital about what is going on, choral music, readings, service.

3. Build links with local businesses

Deepen spiritual reflection through worship

1. Through good quality choral music

2. Through sermons- make them available post sermon – similar to Thought For The Day on to YouTube etc.

3. Through developing the congregations to be people of prayer, with a daily rule of life.

To be open to the opportunities for mission through tourism, celebrating the unique 1000 year history of St Olave’s as a place of faith.

1. To celebrate and promote the unique and special history of St Olave’s. Guide leaflet on monuments.

2. To work towards increased opening hours 7 days a week

3. An accessible guide book is for sale, History of St Olave since 1895 is also for sale (Brian Grumbridge),

4. History of St Olave on the website

5. To celebrate links with Pepys, information on the website

6. Storytelling events around the history of St Olave’s, egg through Pepys, Great Fire.

To build a sense of community and welcome

1. To welcome all who come in and offer hospitality, offer prayer if requested.

2. To offer welcome cards/ online ways to connect

To be generous stewards of all that God has given us – finances, gifts

1. To encourage regular giving, direct debits, gift aid, to teach on stewardship annually.

2. To encourage the parish rates to be paid and thank doners.

3. To be generous as a church to external charities e.g. Tearfund, The homeless- Suited and Booted.

To be a church where children are welcome.

1. To develop good quality children’s’ work, working with the Diocese of London support teams

Area Three

To Be A Wellspring

The love of Jesus flows out of our very being, to connect others to Christ, in word and deed.

What we want to do? How? What do we need?

To be a locus for engagement with the arts, to reflect upon theology and the arts.

1. Through music – by regarding the regular concerts as integral to the life and mission of the church.

2. Through literature- reflections and services to commemorate the legacy of Samuel Pepys

3. Participate in arts festivals across the City, e.g. Fragments

4. Organise talks to engage with the monuments and structure of St Olave’s

5. To develop relationships with blue badge guides and school groups

6. To put on special arts events e.g., a Pepys music and diary reading evening

7. Celebrate 70 years since the re-hallowing of the church after the war damage.

To see the twice weekly concerts as part of the mission of the church

1. To build good relationships with the concert organisers and the users, through welcome and connecting the music to the spiritual in this sacred place

2. To introduce the concerts linking the music to the sacred history of the church

3. Invite people to special and regular services

4. To use the website and social media to promote events

5. To develop a weekly newsletter to be sent out online.

To build strong pastoral and worshipping relationships with the Livery Companies- the Clothworkers’ Company, The Environmental Cleaners and Trinity House

1. Through St Olave’s as a place of worship and connectivity to God for the Livery Companies and Tower Ward

2. Through the chaplaincy of the rector, to offer pastoral and worship support

3. To make the most of Christmas services as a way of connecting people to the Christian faith and to St Olave’s.

To show the love of Jesus practically to the homeless, refugees and those who suffer poverty

1. Support of the homeless through providing Pot Noodles/ food/ prayer/ clothing

2. Collecting and donating for Suited and Booted/ Dressed for Success, the Afghan shop

3. Being active partners in the City Hygiene Bank

Having a global perspective on mission

1. Teaching at Harvest and other times, through sermons, on global issues.

2. Donations and links to Mission organisation, such as Tearfund and Christian Aid

To enable those working in the City to explore faith

1. Through the website, to explain the basics of the Christian faith

2. Through 1-1 conversations and support

3. To offer the Alpha Course and work with other churches

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