St James' Church
Briercliffe
"Jesus calls us to follow in his footsteps to be a prayerful, worshipping church who welcomes all to know his gracious love."
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Hello, I am our new Vision Champion Andrea Bettany. I am a long-term member of St James Church and I am committed to doing everything possible to enable and encourage church members to fulfil the objectives of the Blackburn Diocesan Vision - to embrace God’s call to make disciples, to be witnesses, and to grow leaders.
Not many of you will have heard of Vision 2026, but I will regularly update you via our church website, parish magazine and our church notice board.
The following explains the rationale and I will look forward to bringing this alive in our church.
The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) desires to make the Good News about Jesus Christ more widely known, because we believe:
He is the One who brings 'life in all its fullness'
Healthy church communities have a positive and transformative impact on our society.
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We will work together to achieve this by:
MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST
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Knowing the Scriptures better through reading, teaching, preaching and study
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Praying with greater depth
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Giving generously of our time, talents and money to the cause of Christ.
BEING WITNESSES TO JESUS CHRIST
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Sharing the Gospel of salvation with confidence
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Showing God's love in action through projects that meets our local need
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Offering thorough and accessible Baptism preparation and follow-up
GROWING LEADERS FOR JESUS CHRIST
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Supporting and equipping the current leadership for today's context
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Enabling missional leadership in every Christian community
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Liberating lay leadership for greater participation
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Creating the varied patterns of Sunday and weekday worship necessary to welcome all kinds of people, especially the newcomer
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Prioritising work among children, young people and schools to raise up a new generation for Christ
For further information on Vision 2026, visit the Blackburn Diocesan Website www.blackburn.anglican.org