On the last Thursdays of April, May and June, an enthusiastic group of folk from the church met together for the first two sessions under the title Vision4Life. All agreed that we should do more of this, and we will start again in the autumn, beginning on Thursday 13th November at 7.15pm.

 

WHAT IS Vision4Life?

A consultation group on spirituality and evangelism, with members from across the UK and across the URC’s theological spectrum, found a shared excitement about new approaches to the Bible. We can picture whole congregations developing their skills of storytelling, listening and conversation in ways that ought to connect the ancient texts with their current situation and stimulate a new confidence in who we are and what we believe. Might this be how our churches could renew their vision for life? Might we all then bring these skills to being a diverse, lively, interactive denomination ready to speak & act & attract fresh generations of diverse believers?

 

Each congregation is invited to set up conversations to explore ‘the big picture’ and their own local story with regards to: 1. The future of the church; 2. The effectiveness of the Bible in their church; 3. The role prayer plays in the life of their church and its members/adherents; 4. Their preparedness to talk about their faith to each other and to outsiders. After these conversations each participating church will then decide whether they wish to commit to developing (with a lot of shared materials and support) their own 3-year programme to renew their engagement with The Bible, with Prayer and for Evangelism.

 

If we decide that we would like to take on the challenge, this is

• November 2008 – Year One, focussed on the Bible, begins…
• Advent 2009 – Year Two, with an added focus on Prayer, begins
• Advent 2010 – Year Three, adding a focus on faith-telling for evangelism, begins

 

This programme from the United Reformed Church seems to be a wonderful opportunity for us in Porth URC – perhaps with partners from other churches – to take the next step on our journey. The timing, beginning in 2008 when we are committed to learning from others following the minister’s sabbatical, and then continuing in 2009 when we are committed to reviewing where we have got to as a church, running into 2010 when we will have to plan for the next stage of Porth URC’s life, fits like a glove!

Do join us on 13th November if you can – and watch this space for details in the autumn.