The Mission & Outreach Sub-Committee

'GO, THEN, TO ALL PEOPLES EVERYWHERE AND MAKE THEM MY DISCIPLES.'
Matthew 28:19 (GNB)

It was Jesus' last commandment: exciting, overwhelming, yet very specific.

This was his Great Commission, an instruction to his followers to go to the people of all nations. 'Teach them to do everything I have told you.' Matthew 28:20 (CEV)

That is why the Mission & Outreach Sub-Committee exists. It was originally established as a terrific concept that was committed to helping the Christian life of our parish to grow. And there are some great achievements to record:

M&O has been behind the 'new look' Good Friday and Palm Sunday worship events, co-ordinating and organising the processions that have, literally, taken the story of Jesus onto the streets of our parish.
The committee has introduced the Easter card in addition to the traditional Christmas card, distributed to every household in Prestbury, bringing greetings and inviting people to join us for services.
We also helped to co-mastermind Springboard 2002, which had a great response within our Church family - although it is still struggling to have an impact in our wider community.
A 'Welcome Pack' is also in production, which we hope church members will distribute to new neighbours or to friends who might be showing an interest in joining us at church.

SEEKING YOUR VIEWS

Our role also involves directing our 'mission giving' to a comprehensive list of both home and overseas charities. During this year we shall be reviewing that list and talking to church members about the type of charities they would like to see supported.

We are also talking about selecting a specific charity each year on which to focus our thoughts, prayers and giving. A year-long mission project would provide opportunities to track the progress of our charity, welcome guest speakers, and introduce an educational element as we find out more about what the charity does, and why. Watch this space!

LOOKING FOR HELP

It is fair to say that there is no shortage of new and exciting ideas bursting from the M&O team. And considering there are only a handful of members, the levels of enthusiasm are extremely high.

But the M&O Committee hits the same stumbling block time after time: a drastic shortage of people ready to help with this work. There have been countless, often fruitless, appeals for help, which leads us to ask this one question:

Do we, as a parish, really believe in the importance of mission?

DAUNTED? THINK AGAIN . . .

It may be that the mere thought of 'mission' conjures up the image of trying to talk to others - perhaps our family, friends, or neighbours - about our faith. There is no denying that, for many of us, this part of mission is quite terrifying.

Sure, there are occasions when we may have a God-given opportunity to open up to someone about what we believe; we may even help them change their lives.

But on a day-to-day basis, the work of Mission and Outreach is much less daunting. Our main aim is to increase the profile of our churches in Prestbury. Our task is to let people know that we are here; that we are a serving church and that they are invited and welcome.

THE CHALLENGE!

In his first Lent sermon, Fr Paul encouraged us to 'attempt mission we can manage.' So here is the challenge from M&O:

If you are committed and enthusiastic about finding new and exciting ways to tell Prestbury about what happens at St Mary's and St Nicolas', then join us - and discover just how much more we can manage together.

MISSION & OUTREACH CONTACTS:

Fr Stephen	Fr.Stephen prestbury.net
Jerry Porter	Jerry.Porter prestbury.net
Daphne Philpot	Daphne.Philpot prestbury.net
Caroline Sexton	Caroline.Sexton prestbury.net
Ruth Rudge	Ruth.Rudge prestbury.net

Caroline Sexton

This article first appeared in the April 2003 edition of the Prestbury Parish magazine