That's what I've titled my time line thingy for tomorrow night. It has been a useful exercise - if tricky without access to the minute books (church politics, pah) and having to depend on someone else trawling through their back copies of minutes to build up a picture.
Still, I have managed to establish then and now 'snapshots' they maybe say something...
Then...
- Membership of ~50
- Two services (10:30 and 6:00)
- Sunday school
- Women's meeting
- Junior and Senior youth clubs
- Rambling club
- Sewing club
- Singing group
- Lunch club 6/year
Now...
- Membership ~40
- One service (3 p.m.)
- Three Bible study groups
- Women's meeting
- Junior youth club
- Lunch club 12/y plus outings 4/y and due to start servcies 4/y
- Pub-based 'plant' 12/y
- Outreach events at Christmas and Pentecost
- Lead role in Churches Together
- Closer fellowship with D+1
The journey itself is full of troughs and troughs really, and I have chosen to pickout good things (as I perceive them) to try to balance this.
Ten years to turn around from what I'm told was perceived by some as a Sunday Social Club to being Mission focused - well maybe I should be a little less hard on these good people. With God's help they've come one heck of a journey.