St Michael and All Angels Aston Sandford

Mission Action Plan

1. To improve our pastoral care

Our parish team needs to liaise and network with the other parishes in the benefice on pastoral care matters. We especially hope to facilitate the housebound members of our congregation’s access to receiving Communion at home routinely.

2. To reach out in mission

A substantial number of our regular congregation already live outside our small parish (only eleven houses in the village itself, with a further seven households in the wider parish), not only from within the benefice, but from the farming communities in the general area. One way we can ‘reach out in mission’ is to raise our profile as one of four parish churches in the benefice and strengthen our role at the hearts of our four communities, through occasional offices (baptisms, weddings and funerals) and informal community involvement in our four villages, for example through local events, through our schools and work with elderly people. We also need to use existing media, i.e. the Benefice Magazine and modern technology, such as the internet, to bring knowledge of our church community to more people. We are known for our warm welcome and fellowship, we hope to continue and grow our mission through this and other means.

3. To retain and strengthen our diversity of Worship

In recent years St Michael’s has attracted new members from those moving into the larger communities around who appreciate traditional worship in a smaller congregation. We need to improve our communications so that we are visible to these new people coming in, especially widows and widowers.

4. To continue the process of coming together to form the Wychert Vale Benefice

As we have come together with Stone and Dinton our concern has been to develop good relationships and a proper agreement. This has been fulfilled in the benefice covenant and we now need to establish this. We have been pleased to have the increased clergy resourcing for the new benefice and we are now seeking a new full time Associate Rector to complete our stipendiary clergy team.

5. General matters

There are a number of other areas which we need to address in the near term. These include:

1. We are reliant on a retired priest taking the majority of services. He will eventually retire and we will need to work with the Rector and Benefice Ministry Team to provide continuity of worship in terms of style and quality of services.
2. Increase the amount raised via Planned Giving.
3. Talk to the congregation about Legacies.
4. Establish our ashes policy and ashes interment space.
5. Establish a rota of people who are willing to help prepare the church for services and tidy up afterwards.
6. Encourage more members to join the mowing team.
7. Assemble some books, etc. for children.
8. Review our music facilities including the operation of the organ and the availability of organists.
9. Examine the need for further facilities for the disabled e.g. Audio loop, more large print service sheets, etc.
10. Consider suitable location and form of church for the 3 young (2 – 7 years) children, as they get older.