Thoughts from a lapsed Sunday morning worshipper who works extensively ecumenically and has good
knowledge of the churches in the town and Circuit.
- What is the Methodists’ USP i.e. unique selling point?
- What can FMC offer compared to other churches in the town? (St John’s with 6 priests, Messy Church, Parish Pantry, retreats, 6 baptisms on Easter Sunday. Christ Church expanding to an evening service as morning so full, home to Ukrainians, Alpha, Manna pop-up with 100 attendees. Old Felixstowe Parish with pop-up shop, men’s breakfast, liaison with primary schools & chaplain at Colneis. New church plant at St Philips with baptisms Easter Sunday.)
- Where is the prayer life in FMC?
- Why are advent, lent courses, Holy Week services so poorly attended by Methodists?
- Are Methodists ecumenical or self-contained?
- Are Methodists aware/care about all the wonderful ministries going on in our town (CAP, Parish Nursing, Hope Trust, Compass, Mission to Seafarers, Christian Aid, Fair Trade, Climate Justice)?
- Do we need a paid administrator to coordinate, communicate & ease the workload of the Stewards and Supernumeraries? For example, a lay worker to coordinate funerals, baptisms, lettings, the plan, produce a newsletter & posters, advertise events, liaise with other churches, pass on pastoral issues.
- Do we need a regular newsletter (bimonthly) that keeps us in touch with members’ activities, events, shares prayer concerns, shares news, informs of what else is going on in the town, links with other churches, links with Circuit & Connexion. Let’s get out of our “small corner”, navel-gazing and look out into the wider world and engage in the town.
- Should we be thinking about buying a more suitable Manse (minimum 4 bedrooms, more central to town)? With a shortage of Ministers nationally the Manse needs to be an attraction in the profile, offering good location for schools, being practical, spacious for families (children and elderly parents), responding to the needs of living on a peninsula.
- How do we feed the thinkers and help others to grow spiritually?
- How do we use the talents in the congregation and empower them so the work doesn’t fall on a small number of people who then get overburdened and burnt out?