A Strategy for our Life Together
As those seeking to know, love and follow Jesus we welcome everyone. We believe that God speaks a message of hope, forgiveness and love that is life-giving and life-changing – for us, for Chichester, and for the world.
Who we are
St Paul’s is a Church of England Parish church in the centre of Chichester with an open and liberal spirit, in which difference is accepted, faith can be questioned, and new ideas explored. We are a thoughtful congregation and respect tradition. We gather to give glory to God through our worship and to be inspired and challenged in our discipleship.
As a community of faith, we are especially committed to:
- Imaginative and inspiring worship – with the Eucharist at our heart.
- Supporting and caring for one another – to share God’s love with everyone we come into contact with, in humble service.
- Growth in faith – to enable us to deepen our own discipleship and nurture the faith of others, including our children and young people and those new to the Christian faith.
- Accessibility and Inclusion – to allow everyone to feel welcome and valued.
- Strong links with mission partners, charities, and our link parish of Alt-Schoneberg in Berlin – so that we might share in the work of the gospel and encourage good relationships.
- Good Communication – both within our congregation and with the wider community.
- Good Governance – to ensure that what we do is efficient and better able to serve, support and enable the daily work and mission of our Church.
- Safeguarding – in every area of church life so that all feel safe, are protected and are free from harm.
- Environmental sustainability – to do what we can to honour and protect God’s creation as we work towards making our buildings net zero carbon.
Our Vision
Our vision is that St Paul’s should be a place of sanctuary, hospitality, and spiritual encounter, celebrating and expressing God’s generous and inclusive love.
There are many verses in scripture which inspire that vision. But as we seek to live it out, we believe that we are particularly inspired by the words of the prophet Micah, and the call –
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 3.8b
– and at the centre of our faith are the words of Jesus who, when asked which of the commandments are the greatest, responded –
‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Mark 12.30-31
As we look to the future, live out our vision, and explore how we might share in God’s mission, we are also guided by the Anglican Five Marks of Mission. These are sometimes abbreviated as –
TELL – Proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.
TEACH – Nurture all believers
TEND – respond to human need by loving service
TRANSFORM – challenge and transform unjust structures of society.
TREASURE – safeguard creation and be good stewards of our buildings and resources.
The marks of mission are the basis for all that we will focus on as we plan our activities, our worship and our hospitality.