Travelling Together

Travelling Together

During 2006 many individuals and churches took part in the “Being Church Today” research programme, an enquiry into how local Congregational churches are responding to such a challenge, which was part of the CWM funded Mission Support Programme within the Congregational Federation. The results of the research are available on this website but we might ask, “How do we use the information to encourage and assist all our local churches?”

The answer is the Travelling Together programme.

I am pleased that the 2007 May Assembly adopted both the “Being Church Today” research together with the “Hope 08” initiative and commend both to local Congregational Churches.

The CF Travelling Together programme is designed to be a resource pack that churches can use to help them think together about mission and outreach to their local communities. It is intended to help churches ask themselves challenging questions like:

Where are we going as a church?
What does our local community need?
What can we offer our local community?
What strengths do we have as a church?
What areas for growth and development?

As well as reference documents resources will include discussion starters for church and deacons meetings, study material for bible study groups and house groups, worship material and resources for children and young people.

The “Hope 08” initiative is a particular stage within the “Travelling Together” programme. “Hope 08” is an ecumenical, national-wide opportunity for churches to engage with their local communities throughout 2008 with a series of events.

As part of the whole year, there will be larger regional gatherings but local churches are encouraged to work with other local ecumenical partners in reaching out to their community with the good news. This outreach might be through enquirers groups, community action, forging new partnerships with other like-minded community groups, or simply being a good neighbour.

Your Travelling Together pack includes a copy of Hope 08 resource manual and I would encourage churches to seriously consider how they might be a part of bringing hope to the communities we serve. Further resource sheets will follow for you to add to your pack over the coming months.

I invite you to travel together with the other churches of the Federation in a spirit of interdependency exploring the resources being made available as we each seek to reach out in our communities.

Yours in the way of Christ

Revd Wayne Hawkins
Chair of Mission and Society Committee

Keep returning for new resources which will be being added to these pages

Faced with the challenges of contemporary society how do local Congregational churches see themselves?
How are local Congregational Churches relating to the communities in which they are embedded?
What are the children’s and young adults’ thoughts on the Congregational way of being church?
What stories are local Congregational churches drawing on to make sense of being church today?
How important is leadership?
How are Decisions made?
How do Congregational churches view change?

Synopsis

Some initial thoughts to get you thinking?

The Pack to date

Travelling Together resources