SAVE OUR CHURCH!

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The following is a summary of the ideas which emerged fom the Brainstorming Meeting held at the Church on Saturday 6th April….

STRATEGY

  • Keep in touch with old / lapsed / inactive members – there is an existing community already around the Church which is bigger than our Sunday congregations
  • Reunions – a special event to which, with notice, old friends who have moved away might be tempted to come
  • Communicate with the outside world – we do not exist in a vacuum. There is a lot of goodwill out there for our Church. Let us reach out and embrace it
  • Get Wifi – a must if we’re serious about hiring out the hall to bring in an income, or about bringing in members of the wider community to attend Church events
  • Improve bookings system – let’s not lose enquirers because the Secretary is too busy at work to speak to them about their hall hire request
  • Extend some / all meetings to non-members – striking the right balance between preserving what is “special” about membership and keeping others interested
  • Clearer explanation / publicising of membership – everyone should be aware that the option of membership is there should they wish to make the commitment
  • Rotating services with other churches – many churches in other localities do this, especially for certain events
  • Create interactive online presence to maintain infirm / remote support – can we afford to lose touch with good people because they are unable to attend Church services? Should they not be given the opportunity to worship with us?
  • Discontinue evening service – see main article
  • Evangelism
  • Gospel sessions
  • Soup and food – providing help to those in need within the community we serve

EVENTS

  • Jumble sales
  • Bring and buy
  • Regular Saturday coffee mornings
  • Quizzes
  • Reading night / book night
  • Debate night
  • Chess / board games / card games night
  • Singing/community choir
  • Bring a hobby, share a hobby
  • Crochet / knitting
  • Playgroup
  • Prayer group
  • Make and mend

PUBLICITY

  • Newsletter – we already have this, is it as widely distributed as it could be?
  • Posters – something more eye-catching and locally relevant perhaps?
  • Leaflets – advertising and promoting specific events
  • Visual aids – inside and out
  • Large board / banner – let everybody know the Church is open
  • New community newsletter – a small, colourful A5 to be distributed bi-monthly to 1,000 local dwellings at no cost to the Church, creating a regular channel of communication with a modest but targetted audience

ALSO

  • Suggestions board – facilitate feedback
  • Exit services via back door – to encourage participation in coffee mornings