Pilgrim Uniting Church

As a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia, we are a faith community called to lovingly serve God and the whole of creation. We are a pilgrim people, committed to developing resources, meaning and vigour for sustaining the journey towards a promised goal

OUR VISION — our intent

We will:

	Celebrate our Christian faith in worship
	Share with others our experiences of God’s grace
	Celebrate and affirm our diversity as we seek to live the gospel
	Help one another to grow in understanding what Christian discipleship demands of us, individually and collectively, locally and globally
	Work toward the creation of a more whole society – reconciled and renewed – through meeting human needs, and healing the hurts caused by separation, injustice, oppression and disadvantage

LAYOUT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

This Strategic Plan is structured into two main sections. Section A covers the Pilgrim Uniting Church Core Mission area comprising the programs and activities that have evolved over the life of the Congregation. For historical reasons, these have tended to involve mainly, but not exclusively, working-age adults. This Section also covers Pilgrim’s relationships with the Wider Manningham Community and with our partner Congregations — St Gregory’s RC Church, The Grove Uniting Church and Woomelang Uniting Church. Section B covers three Mission Development areas that have been approved in recent years by the Congregation for priority attention — Children and Young Families, Youth and Young Adults, and Seniors. The Strategic Plan is intended to be a living document. It will be reviewed periodically, progress will be celebrated and appropriate changes will be made

Our Structure

All ministry team members, all congregational members, all who are part of any Pilgrim groups, committees, worship services and other activities are part of the Pilgrim family and are included in this vision for 2006-2008 as shown below:

Ministry Team members are appointed by the congregation to undertake spiritual and pastoral oversight of the congregation and to join with elders, council and the congregation in determining the focus and direction of God’s call for this church and beyond

A — The Congregation has oversight of and responsibility for all activities at Pilgrim. All major decisions are made at Congregational meetings, following Council recommendations. Elders and Church Council members are drawn from and elected by the congregation. Committee / community members are welcomed from all parts of the congregation.

B — Committees/communities at Pilgrim involve many members and undertake specific roles and focussed tasks that are needed to enact the vision, core business and priorities described in this plan. Committees are normally convened by Church Council members. All Councillors are committee members and all Elders are encouraged to participate in a committee.

C — Elders are elected to the Elders Fellowship, which appoints a majority of the members of Church Council. Other Church Councillors are elected directly to Council. Church Council undertakes the corporate responsibility allocated to Elders in the Basis of Union with a resource / management / planning focus, recommending and enacting congregational directions. Council Executive is drawn from council office bearers and the ministry team and is empowered to undertake council directions between meetings.

Priority Mission Goals

Pilgrim Uniting Church will focus on the following mission priorities for the next 3 years:

	To provide a nurturing community for children and young families to worship God, have fun, explore the life of Jesus and be with people of their own age and experience (as well as older people!)
	To provide a lively community for youth/young adults to worship God, have fun, deepen their discipleship with Christ, and hang out with people of their own age (as well as older people!)
	To provide a lively, caring community for seniors, as they worship God, serve the church in various ways, and enjoy fellowship
	To offer opportunities to address the needs of people in our local area, especially those on the margins

Committee goals

Each of our Pilgrim Committees/Communities will focus on agreed goals to achieve these priorities:

Elders’ Fellowship:	To support and nurture each other as Elders as we strive to provide spiritual leadership to the people of Pilgrim UC. To provide advice to Church Council regarding the spiritual direction of PUC
Church Council:	To determine the overall spiritual direction of Pilgrim UC and to provide the management, support and resources required to achieve its goals
Worship/Wider Church:	To provide enthusiastic, meaningful and interactive worship experiences that enable all who attend to honour God and to encourage ongoing interaction with other church and faith communities
Education/Small Groups:	To provide varied and meaningful opportunities for all in any way connected with Pilgrim to learn about and experience God and to be supported and challenged in their faith journey
Pastoral Care:	To build and maintain a strong, effective and visible pastoral care network
Outreach and Justice:	To seek and provide opportunities to involve Pilgrim and share God’s grace with the wider community and to raise awareness and promote a response to particular local and global needs
Property:	To properly maintain buildings and other physical resources needed to optimise ministries
Strategy/Resources:	To ensure that longer term strategic planning is undertaken in a timely and coordinated manner and to oversight the management of church finances and the identification of available resources
Executive:	To provide a sound administrative framework to support agreed directions and to respond to day-to-day requirements

Sections A and B follow to complete the full plan which can be obtained by contacting the Church Office

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