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Presentation on St Mark's United Reformed Church, Wythenshawe,
in preparation for the Quinquennial Pastoral Consultation.
Made to SW District Council - 23rd February 2004

Revd. Kate Gray

o Church Background: Presbyterian Church opened in 1959. Became United Reformed Church in 1972.
o Sunday morning congregation is made up of people ages 5 to people into their 90s, mainly women. The bulk age is 65-80+. A strength is that almost all people are active in visiting, social groups or activities of the church-community mission project The Tree of Life, which you heard about at last District Council.
The area in Woodhouse Park is changing rapidly with new investment in local businesses and new business parks. The Forum at the centre of Wythenshawe has been rebuilt after a period of consultation. There is much to do in areas of regeneration still and in particular in the input of the faith communities into the regeneration. Political boundaries are changing and sometimes there is much public consultation. It will be interesting to find out if democracy and voting has increased, whether people feel more of a sense of pride in themselves and their community once regeneration work comes to its completion.
o Strengths:
o We have established a new pattern of worship on Sunday mornings is on a rota of All-Age worship. Communion service. Bible study service, Service of the Word and when there is a 5^ Sunday rt is led solely by the worship team who plan and prepare ft- Alongside this there is a growing team of people who are part of the team who lead worship each week and are interested to grow and learn about worship further.
o Some work is being done in welcoming international students too with two recent visits from students from China, Taiwan and Malaysia to help lead worship and take part in One World Week.
o The church adopted a fair-trade policy late last year including a purchase policy, boycott of Nescafe, information sharing with all building user and running a course on fairtrade.
o The church is now exploring policies in relation to communion, the environment and recycling and HIV/AIDs.
o The church has 12 principles on which it works and these are now in the church welcome area. They include tolerance, integrity, good practice etc.
o The congregation is open and flexible and with support is willing to experiment in worship and local witness and mission.
o Weaknesses:
o There are few people who are in the middle and younger age brackets in the congregation on Sunday mornings though this presents opportunities for working with the Tree of Life and the Family Centre.
o The church is overstretched in different areas: Limited resources in terms of able-bodied people willing to contribute to help maintain the basic functions of the church are few on the ground.
o Sometimes communication can be difficult between the different groups within the building.
o A lack of confidence in articulating the faith and re-presenting it in words can sometimes hinder members.
o There is need for refreshment and renewal for the Elders, releasing of resources, time and energy for mission work in relating to Woodhouse Park Family Centre, the Tree of Life and the Manse home as well as local schools, residential homes and more joint ecumenical work.
o Prioritising is difficult but so far the 2 main areas of focus for the church are worship and mission. Both of these are areas where the Sunday morning congregation and the rest of the local community have input.
o Parts of the building are in need of restoration, adaptation or replacement. This is in process in conjunction with the Tree of Life.

o Opportunities:
o Worship & worship teams: This year a series of events is taking place to aid and enhance worship with prayer writing and speaking, using the microphone, background to worship and worship feedback sessions in preparation.
o The Elders share pastoral responsibilities with the minister including visiting and home communions and to some extent the joint pastoral care of those involved in the projects too.
o We are part of the usual ecumenical scene with Churches Together, Ministers Meetings, Lent groups and a new venture with an joint ecumenical Church-Related Community Worker post which has been put together and recently been approved. We are hoping someone will be appointed and begin this summer. They will be based at Brownley Green Baptist Church. It will essentially be a grassroots worker who will network the activities of mission in the churches and communities across Wythenshawe linking into the strategic regeneration framework, social and economic justice groups and initiate further creative partnerships in the area. This is an area of opportunity and a growing strength.
o St. Mark's has links with many other churches and organisations in this area, in Manchester and internationally previously having Time for God volunteers. It is hoped that next summer a team of Taiwanese young people will visit the church and assist in mission in the area. As part of the women in ministries visit from Southern Africa Cheryl Dibeela made a short visit to Manchester including taking part in worship here and sharing about her work in Botswana. St. Mark's is also part of Partners which is a group of 4 churches: East Manchester, Wilmslow and Penrhys in Wales. This group meets each year for a conference and we are doing so this year around the theme of Springs of Living Water about encounters with Jesus through biblical women and our churches and communities. St. Mark's see this as a growing partnership relating to exploration of mission together.
o Exploration into new areas for spiritual growth and direction has begun with a church relaxation day held last year and Taize and other forms of worship and prayer being experimented with.
o It is difficult to measure what St. Mark's does. St. Mark's is not confined to the Sunday morning congregation, which has so creatively relinquished some of its power and identity and building in releasing it for the work of God's mission in community. Many people see their identity in relation to what goes on here and belonging is a strong part of that. Many people are not Sunday morning worshippers but people whose faith and relationship to the church have been taken seriously into account when deciding how to move forward as a church.

o Threats:
o What may hinder St. Mark's... not a lack of creative vision nor the willingness to try but perhaps in some areas a lack of understanding that the church will never again be what it has been in the past. Perhaps a reluctance to let go fully of the expectations of having a traditional ministry.
o St. Mark's is a church involved in creative partnership in mission. This is not something easily labelled theologically since broad views are held about the purposes of the activities in the building. St. Mark's relationship is one signified by the desire to be open to God, open to the community and open to change. This inevitably involves struggle, challenge and a constant wrestling with questions about what church is called to be and do, about who's involved in mission and how, about how power and theology are affected and shaped by the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world. Actions and people seem to come first here. They are driven by need. response and longing to read the signs of the times and share in ways that are Godly, faithful and meaningful, ways that transform and share salvation. In my understanding this means that the boundaries of church, membership and even faith are blurry. I believe this is a move of the Spirit of God to the church - for confidence lives alongside humility, deeds with loving words and change alongside keeping all the good stuff we have been entrusted with here in this church.
o Please continue to pray for us as we continue to try and grow together into who we are called to be as God's people of faith.