WELCOME Our vision is to share life together, and to love Leeds. This guide shows how God is working through St George’s and what we believe he is calling us to do in 2014. We can only fulfill this vision together , so we invite you to join the journey. Jonathan Clark (Rector)
OUR VISION
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Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27
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In 2014 we are being called to build on our vision of sharing life and loving Leeds. Sharing Life, belonging to a Network that encourages and challenges each other to follow Jesus. Loving Leeds, demonstrating his love in our daily lives, wherever he has placed us. As I prayed about the vision, Jesus reminded me of words He’s spoken before,
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See, I have set you before you an open door Revelation 3:8
St George’s has great opportunities. Jesus asks us, ‘can you see them?’ We can invite our friends to Sunday services and special events. We can learn and grow spiritually through good teaching. We have the opportunity to raise up leaders for the Church of the future.
We are well placed for mission to the whole city: to the universities and colleges, to internationals, to the poor, to the hospitals and people who pass by over the bridge, and lots more, both in the city centre and in our own neighbourhoods. So, my prayer for 2014 is that we will all see the opportunities we have and play our part in sharing life and loving Leeds.
As part of sharing life we aim to grow in the character of Jesus. This means pursuing the following values: True Life Knowing and living God’s word Full Life Filled, led and empowered by God’s Spirit Shared Life Loving one another freely Deep Life Resting in the Father’s love Pure Life Recognising, repenting from and replacing sin Serving Life Serving from the heart Bold Life Local mission, global passion We have already begun exploring these values through the Academy of Life course which has already helped many St George’s members grow in their faith. In 2014 we want to enable St George’s members to take these values deeper into our small group and Network life, our relationships and all the places God has placed us.
OUR VALUES
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Jesus didn’t send his disciples out as lone rangers but rather sent them out in pairs and called them to be known by their love for one another.
OUR NETWORKS
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In order to fulfil our vision of sharing life and loving Leeds we need people we can share life with and with whom we can reach out to those around us. Our Networks are the groups of people seeking to do just that. The variety of Networks reflects the wide range of people, ages, life situations, and specific mission opportunities that God has called us as a church to be part of. Over this last year a number of new Networks have started; one with a vision to befriend and show God’s love to asylum seekers and refugees in our city, one for young adults as they start out in the world of work and another seeking to share the love of God with those in the city centre. Our Networks have also been the places where pastoral care has taken place as people have supported one another through the joys and sorrows of life. Our challenge in 2014 is for Networks to increasingly step out in mission, to discern how God is calling them to connect with people and how to be places of welcome and belonging.
At St George’s we long for our children to know and encounter Jesus in their daily lives and for them to grow in their personal relationship with Him. We seek to do this through our Sunday groups and special events. Over the past year we have seen new families join the church and our numbers in Explorers grow. We now have about 90 children in the Explorers Network and around 60 attend on a Sunday morning. We are blessed to have a strong team who serve our children on a Sunday and at other events. In 2014 we are continuing to build on the success of last year by encouraging children to step out in mission and invite their friends to events. Through our Sunday groups, bring and share lunches and social events we hope to see more friendships grow within Explorers and between families. We also hope that Play and Pray continues to be a welcoming place for new parents to meet and find a place of support.
CHILDREN
YOUNG PEOPLE
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We want to see God’s kingdom at work in the lives of young people in Leeds.
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At St George’s we want our young people to grow to know God through encountering him in all aspects of life, to know who they were created to be and to know how to influence others in their context through the love and the power of God. In 2013 we have seen our young people grow together as a community and in confidence in their own abilities as they have led their own cell groups and continue to be invested in by the St George’s Worship Ministry. We have also seen them engage in mission, blessing Leeds through ‘Cottingley Impact Week’ and develop as young leaders. All this wouldn’t be possible without our committed and gifted volunteers who serve and invest in the lives of our young people in many different ways. In 2014 we continue to invest in the lives of our young people, through Roots on Fridays and Sundays as well as starting a new 14-18’s mid-week group; developing our ‘connect’ mentoring programme and working again in partnership with Cottingley to give our young people more opportunities to use their gifts. Alongside this we continue our work in schools in partnership with Abbey Grange and Leeds Faith in Schools.
With over 100,000 in Leeds, student ministry plays a key role in opening up the Gospel to non-Christian students. At St George’s we want to instil great confidence in the truth and goodness of the Gospel in our Students, and have been doing this by sending our own students off to universities around the country with greater confidence and by helping Leeds’ students find, rather than lose, faith during their time in Leeds. We have seen many students become Christians, biblical literacy increasing, leaders growing and over the last year we’ve seen students stepping out, into their universities and sharing the Gospel; helping to set up two new Christian Unions, leading small groups and mission events like the June Project. In 2014 we want to see our 5 student Networks grow in confidence and to release more leaders to support the work of the Christian Union and reach the many students who have no contact with other Christians.
STUDENTS
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It’s been a real joy to lead a Network with my friends. We’ve seen people saved, set free and built up in their faith.
OTHER LIFE TOGETHER
Our vision is to share life together, gathering to share our interests as well as in our Networks. Whether your passion is sport, walking or crafts, here at St George’s there is opportunity to get involved, meet others and enjoy life together. In 2014 we want new people to find a welcome and connect with others easily through the activities they enjoy, but also giving people in different Networks the opportunity to connect.
Our gatherings are an important part of life at St George’s, they help us to connect as a diverse yet united family to worship, listen to God’s word and pray. Morning Worship at 10.30 is a gathering for the whole family with groups for our children and young people to share life together. The 18.30 Service is a gathering to celebrate the Christian message, invite friends and encounter God. All are welcome but we particularly want to see young adults reconnecting with God. At St George’s we have the privilege of putting on high quality gospel events including Contemporary Carols, Carols by Candlelight, Family Nativity and ‘the Gospel according to…’ These events continue to see many hundreds of people hear the good news about Jesus in a fresh and powerful way. In 2014 we want to see our gatherings continue to grow in welcoming and connecting new people.
OUR GATHERINGS
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They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
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OUR TRAINING
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So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col 2:6-7
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We provide high quality Saturday morning teaching through our School of Theology, which this year includes a Bible Track, a Life Track and a Discipleship Track. The interns programme continues to attract applicants nationally. It invests in young leaders, equips them for life and blesses churches around the city. 2013 saw the launch of the St Barnabas Theological Centre (SBTC), supported by St George’s in partnership with other Churches in Yorkshire. SBTC provides ordination training, independent study and church-based theology courses. Already St Barnabas has six Anglican ordinands and over twenty students in total. Our prayer in 2014 is that through St George’s involvement in SBTC God would raise up the next generation of church leaders and church planters for Yorkshire, and for the congregation of St George’s to develop firm foundations through exploring theology, the bible and discipleship.
Our vision for our city is to see God’s love extend to every workplace, community and family. God has placed people from St George’s all around Leeds to be his witnesses and each one of us has a vital part to play. Over the past few years we have seen hundreds of people come along to the Alpha Course, an eight week introduction to Christianity which we run twice a year. Many say that it has played an important part in their coming to faith. We engage in a number of community mission projects in the local area. Last year a team from St George’s joined the ‘June Project’ in Hyde Park for a week’s mission. It was truly amazing how receptive people were. Every couple of weeks a small team sets up our Bridge Cafe near church. In a friendly style we offer prayer and explain the good news of Jesus. Many lives have been powerfully touched, with some people moving from addiction to freedom in Jesus. We don’t try to do everything ourselves; St George’s works with and supports other churches and local mission agencies in many different ways, and we give over £12,000 a year to projects including Leeds Faith in Schools, Kidz Klub and mission to the Iranian community. We also support St George’s Crypt to meet the needs of the homeless people and we have strong links with Spacious Places drug rehab programme. In 2014 we hope to launch the ‘Lighthouse Network’ which seeks to share the love of Jesus and encourage discipleship with those who have been through addiction issues, the prison system or are marginalised through poverty. Also for Community Church, based at Park Dale Hall on the Marlborough estate, to continue to reach out to the local area.
OUR CITY
GLOBAL PASSION
St George’s supports several families in long term mission and helps fund around 15 people on short term projects every year. We are partners with the church in Uganda involved in a process for empowering local communities to create routes out of poverty. Each year we send a mission team to Romania, and have a group committed to engaging with Israel/Palestine. To make these things happen St George’s gives around £40,000 each year. Recently we’ve begun to support two new projects: Jason and Rachel are working with a team of Muslim background believers now living outside their homeland which is strongly opposed to the gospel, writing mobile phone apps to enable people to have Christian literature in their own language. Jonathan and Laura Beatham are creating training materials and worship songs in the Farsi language as an aid to worship and teaching across the International Farsi-speaking network.
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We have long had faithful people ‘behind’ us in St George’s who give financially and pray faithfully for us and Japan. Without this back-up we would not still be here.
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[Long Term Mission Partner]
It has been an amazing year! It has definitely been very difficult, with an intense workload, not much sleep, and some very difficult personal challenges, but it has also been one of the best years of my life.
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[Short Term Mission Partner]
The St George’s Centre is an excellent city centre venue. Each year we serve more than 6,000 different people with a warm welcome and high quality facilities.
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The staff at St George’s Centre are always helpful and happy to assist. As a meeting venue the Centre is a professional location that always makes a good impression.
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[Leeds City Council]
In 2013 we have invested in the Centre with the introduction of a boardroom and upgrade of our Audio Visual system. In 2014 we hope to build on the success of the last year in providing high quality facilities for the activities of the Church and to provide a great service to our customers.
CHURCH CENTRE
To make this vision a reality we all need to play our part. Whatever stage of life we are in, we can all share life and love Leeds. We can pray, give financially and give our time. There are many teams where you can use your gifts, serve and feel part of the wider St George’s family; from welcome teams and worship bands to artistic teams and financial committees. There’s a place for you to serve others in ways you’re passionate about; whether that’s welcoming others, baking or crafts. Joining a Network is a good way to start serving a smaller Church family.
PLAYING OUR PART
God has blessed us with generous, faithful givers. But each year we rely on new givers, and on one-off gifts at the start of the year. Every member of St George’s has something to give. Please pray about whether you can give, and how much. Consider giving monthly, for instance, by standing order with Gift Aid and consider if there’s anything else you can do to help further God’s work through St George’s. In 2014 we are looking to raise £42,000 of additional giving to make our vision happen. Our PCC (Parochial Church Council) has agreed the 2014 budget. Now we are asking God to meet our needs.
GIVING
Father God, you’ve placed us in Leeds to share life together and love this great city. Give us the grace, the wisdom, the courage and the resources to pursue this vision. eLet your kingdom come. Amen.
St George’s Church, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3BR reception@stgeorgesleeds.org.uk | 01132438498 s s @stgeorgesleeds /stgeorgesleeds www.stgeorgesleeds.org.uk