Letter from Louise ..... Looking to the future … In 2000, the Director of Christian Research was asked to forecast what church life would be like in 2010; here’s some of what he said: 1. commonplace involvement in school clubs 2. rural churches open mid-week as shops and post offices close 3. more Christian schools, both church and independent 4. more services catering for particular tastes and/or age groups 5. increasing number of lay people in central and local church leadership Some of this rings true for our parish, some (such as the second point) could be food for thought for church area committees. Interestingly, the same man also made forecasts for the year 2020, and the following points he made should attract our attention … 1. worship more popular in people’s homes 2. church membership about 7% of population 3. many rural churches closed 4. ‘Songs of praise’ discontinued (!) I have to say I find particularly the last two depressing, and I hope that he was interpreting his data on the side of pessimism. To prove him wrong, I think it imperative that we have our own clear vision of where our churches could be in 2020. The diocese has begun to do such an exercise, looking to the future of the church in Worcestershire on the big scale; I think it would be to our benefit to do similar for our local areas. The PCC shall begin this process in September, please look out for opportunities to join in the discussion in your local area over the next year. The diocese is also encouraging each parish to attend to the following areas of church life: deepening our spirituality; engaging with quality worship, and sharing our faith stories. The parish annual meeting spent time reflecting on these themes, as did folks who participated in the parish away day. In response, there was a retreat in daily life, which enriched the prayer lives and deepened the spirituality of participants. Looking ahead there will be a Bishop’s certificate course beginning in Jan 2011 (helping us to share as well as explore our faith), and also a series of teaching Eucharist’s, part of our Sunday worship offering, where all ages can deepen their understanding of Holy Communion alongside one another, hopefully leading to a greater quality of experience in worship. May both processes, consultation and new input, help us on our way to a positive experience and vision of church for the future. Louise Revd. Louise