PCC News

Over the years we introduced many new initiatives: some were successful, others less so, but all helped us to learn. The ‘Committee for Growth’ talks through and implements ideas. It keeps up the impetus.

A ‘Committed to Growth’ house was built on a board, showing all of the activities taking place in the church, past and present. The congregation and ministry team wrote on ‘bricks’ what they wanted for St Peter’s. The vision of a thriving, warm and welcoming church where people of all ages, shapes and sizes happily worship and serve God and the community side by side came across. The challenge for all of us is to translate this into action.

To help engage everyone, bookmarks were made. Our St Peter’s Church prayer (one of the past initiatives) was written on one side with the five actions required of everyone on the other:

• To pray (daily for each other, for St. Peter’s, and for Sheringham);
• To befriend (get to know one another better and be a friend);
• To welcome (make each other feel welcome as well as welcoming visitors);
• To read (newsletters, boards etc to keep up to date with church life);
• To talk (telling others about our church and our faith, encouraging each other).

We incorporated the Diocesan 2021 Mission Strategy into our thinking by asking for ideas at our Annual PCC Awayday for a community project which might be included in our plan. All were explored. Some were taken forward, including books of celebration and remembrance, becoming a Dementia Friendly Church, an overseas fundraising project, an information board, a community space in the building, and a co-ordinated communications system. We have found Communication and Welcome to be the two most important factors in each stream of Committed to Growth.

Some members attended the recent ‘Mission and your Parish Church’ day at the Cathedral, which fired us up with possibilities. Some will attend one of the ‘Resourcing your Parish’ events.

St Peter’s offers a great deal, for our congregation, for the people of Sheringham, and for visitors. We celebrate all we do, and value those who work hard to achieve it, while remaining focussed on our vision of a thriving, inclusive church in our town, and working on it through Committed to Growth.