Vision 2020

“Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already arrived at my goal,
but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
Philippians 3:12
This page is packed with information about St. Luke's, Ramsgate.
We’ve tried to group things under three headings:
  • Growing ​Deeper ​in Christ.
  • Coming Together as Christ's family.
  • Going Wider ​with Christ's love.
Each section develops these areas with vision statements, one key aim and aspirations. It also records recent developments and ongoing work.
Vision 2020
File Size: 265 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Growing Deeper in Christ

We want St. Luke’s to have:
  • Sunday services that connect all ages more deeply with God.
  • Regular opportunities for Ramsgate people to explore the Christian faith.
  • The Bible as the basis of all we think, say and do.
  • Regular prayer for the work of God in Ramsgate and around the world.
Key Aim for 2020:  Encouraging more prayer in the church and for the church.
Prayer has the power to move mountains (Matthew 21:21) and praying together connects us with Jesus (Matthew 18:19-20). It also shows our total reliance on God.
 
At St. Luke’s we need God’s help if we are to make any progress on our aims, so prayer is essential. To help encourage more prayer for the church, we are going to have a special prayer week in the middle of each term:
 
Prayer Week:
            Sunday services will include a focus on prayer
            Growth Teams will focus on prayer for the church
            On the Saturday morning there will be a prayer breakfast
 
What can you do?
  • Support the new prayer meetings.
  • Let us know about any answers to prayer that can be used to encourage others.
  • Suggest ways of encouraging prayer.

Coming Together as Christ's family

We want St. Luke’s to have:
  • Sunday meetings where people can make and deepen friendships.
  • A caring and supportive network of relationships across all ages.
  • Generosity in giving to God’s work in Ramsgate and around the world.
  • Strong support for Christian Mission around the world.
Key Aim for 2020:  Empowering a team of leaders to continue church growth.
Jesus appointed twelve ordinary men to spend time with him before sending them off to make disciples of all nations (Mark 3:14ff; Matthew 28:18-20). Paul, the apostle not only planted churches, but appointed leaders in the churches (Acts 14:23).
 
At St. Luke’s we have seen our numbers grow over the last few years. If that growth is to continue we need to empower more people to take on leadership roles within the church.
 
Over the coming year we want to identify, encourage and mentor new potential leaders as well as building up the present leaders we have.
 
What can you do?
  • Pray that God would raise up new leaders within the church.
  • Talk to the vicar about people you think might be potential leaders.
  • Encourage and pray for those who are already leaders.

Wider

We want St. Luke’s to have:
  • Sunday services that so captivate new people with Christ that they want to return.
  • Activities where God’s love and good news is shared in Ramsgate.
  • Members who are equipped and encouraged to talk about Jesus in their day to day lives.
  • An effective partnership with other local churches for God’s mission.
Key Aim for 2020: Equipping people for mission on their frontlines 
We are to see the whole of our lives as a service to God (Col. 3:17) and we are all encouraged to be ready to explain our faith (1 Peter 3:15-16).  Part of the reason we gather on Sundays, is to be better equipped to live for Jesus for the rest of the week, when we are on our frontlines: at work, at school or college, with friends or family. We hope to continue to provide a special focus on teaching and training for this through 2020. We are to see the whole of our lives as a service to God (Col. 3:17) and we are all encouraged to be ready to explain our faith (1 Peter 3:15-16).  Part of the reason we gather on Sundays, is to be better equipped to live for Jesus for the rest of the week, when we are on our frontlines: at work, at school or college, with friends or family. We hope to continue to provide a special focus on teaching and training for this through 2020.
Key Aim for 2020: Exploring the future of mission and ministry in the town centre alongside St. George's church.
As many churches face decline, we need to reassess how best to pool our resources to continue and improve our mission and ministry in the town. In 2019 St. Luke’s and St. George’s came up with a number of different options for the future shape of ministry in the centre of Ramsgate. In 2020 we need to research which of these is likely to be the best way forward.
In 2020 we will carry out surveys with church members and the local community and talk to various different groups that may be able to work with us or have an interest in our future plans. With this research in place we should be in the best position to prayerfully consider a plan for the way ahead.