Forth Churches: Schedule
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   Forth Churches
   Aberdour Church
   Dalgety Church
   Inverkeithing
   North Queensferry

Psalm 141 verse 1

O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.

 

 


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Forth Churches Group Schedule
“That through the churches’ fellowship and working together, all within the parishes served by our grouping may hear clearly the Gospel of Jesus Christ, see the life of his Spirit among his people, and come to know the love of God the Father”
Schedule of Parish Grouping Activity
(as agreed 2003)
Introduction
This Schedule is a "plan for our journeying together" and will be subject to constant review and reform by the Joint Kirk Session.
Worship
Sunday Mornings
Occasional rotation of worship leaders will be a part of our shared ministry.
Evening Worship
We will share in worship through regular joint evening services, using different venues on a rotational basis. Festivals We will share in and publicise worship opportunities around the major Christian Festivals.
Worship Teams
Each congregation will explore development of a worship team.
Resources
We will identify worship resources that can be shared within the parish grouping. This will include people, their skills, books, equipment and buildings. We will compile a catalogue of resources that might be available to all within the Parish Grouping.
Music
We will develop an awareness of the potential, and develop our skills for music and praise in congregational singing and participation. Nursing and Residential Homes We will collaborate in the provision of worship opportunities in Nursing Homes and supported accommodation within the grouping area.
Pastoral Care
Hospital Visits
We will explore opportunities to develop collaborative methods of offering pastoral care in hospitals.
Baptisms, Wedding and Funerals
We will develop opportunities to share the preparation and follow up, and where appropriate the conduct of services in these pastoral encounters.
Parenting Support
We will explore opportunities to develop collaborative methods of offering parenting support.
Shared Ministerial Cover
We will operate a system whereby one minister will always be “on call”, and “time off” can be secured.
Elderly/ Housebound
While recognising the importance of local contact, we will explore opportunities to develop collaborative methods of offering pastoral care to housebound, elderly & bereaved persons.
Crisis Care
We will explore opportunities to develop collaborative methods of offering crisis care.
Lay Training
From the larger lay membership of the Parish Grouping, there will be greater involvement and opportunities for training of members, encouraging and enabling them to share in a pastoral ministry; the congregations will work together to share ideas and develop programmes in this field.
Christian Education
Children's & Youth Ministry
Whilst retaining existing congregational activities, particularly with respect to Sunday School, we will develop our educational programmes for Children's Church and youth work.
Adult Education
We will develop Collaborative Adult Christian Education in areas including: Elder Training, New Communicant Groups and will ensure that all learning opportunities and events (Guild meetings & opportunities for Prayer and Bible Study for example) are well publicised within the group.
Parish Mission
Outreach
We commit ourselves to taking up new opportunities to enable outreach into the parish.
Community Profile
Early in the life of the Parish Grouping, we will work towards a detailed “Community Profile” studying and analysing the Census 2001 statistics which will be available to us, by parish, in the National “Statistics for Mission” Project.
Stats have Faces
Early in 2004 we will use the "Stats have Faces" booklet as the basis of small group study, discovery and learning.
Social
We commit to share times of fellowship and fun including: ceilidhs, quizzes, St Fillan’s annual pilgrimage to Inchcolm Abbey for example.
Finance
Any shared costs incurred must have the prior approval of all the Congregational Boards. Shared costs will be on a pro-rata basis in proportion to the ‘Annual Income Base Figure’ (as used to calculate each congregation’s contribution to the Mission and Renewal Fund.)
Communication
We commit to developing a sound internal structure for churches working together, and an external structure to support the delivery of the parish grouping ministry. Initial projects would include: We will develop the existing practice of sharing information about all Holy Week and Easter services to all in the area through a printed leaflet and the www.holyweek.info website.
Administration & Staffing
Central Office
An office staffed (initially voluntarily) each morning will provide a Central Contact Point for internal group communication and administration and also will be an accessible contact with all in the grouping communities.
Development Group
In addition to the annual Joint Session Meeting there will be a Development Group comprising Ministry Team (ministers and others as may be appointed - youth worker for example) and 2 members from each congregation. Day to day development and planning of collaborative ministry, as remitted by joint K/S, would be entrusted to such a group. The Development Group will be chaired by a Co-ordinator appointed by the group.
Additional Ministry Team Staff
We will explore the possibility of Parish Development Fund Funding for collaborative projects and staffing.
Lay Involvement
Within the Parish Grouping there will be greater opportunity for lay training and involvement in various aspects of our shared ministry – as already indicated under the headings Pastoral & Worship.
Ecumenism
The congregations of the grouping commit to maintain and develop ecumenical links and opportunities in the area.