Members of Wicklow Parish have been meeting to consider how the future of our church looks. The Parish Future Group is made up of people who responded to Rev Jack’s call and others are welcome to join in at any time. The group is made up of people who have been connected or involved with the parish for many years and those who are new to Wicklow so there is an emphasis on both honouring the past while committing to exploring new ideas. People bring a wealth of different experiences and talents to the group and together we are exploring how these skills can be nurtured and enjoyed in our own parish context.
A number of themes have emerged during the group’s discussions. Community has been a central theme – both building on the firm foundations of our parish community and continuing to reach out into our wider community to serve and support the people of Wicklow and surrounding areas. The church has much to contribute to wider society bringing the Good News of Christ to all and supporting people who are struggling mentally or spiritually.
Members feel the desire to gather together before God in worship and prayer. They also recognise the need for this gathering to adapt and consider new approaches as well as the traditional services in order to enable people to engage who might find coming to church difficult. This may be because they do not relate to the traditional service or simply because the time doesn’t suit.
The first steps are being taken on Friday March 3 when an evening of Praise and Prayer will take place in Wicklow Parish Church from 7.30pm to 9pm. All are welcome to this relaxed evening of music, song and prayer. Full details are available elsewhere in this newsletter.
The group is very excited about the new energy and ideas being generated and members are delighted to be able to support Jack. The population of Wicklow continues to grow and we look forward to continuing the work of exploring how best to serve God for the good of the whole community.
