Our Vision is to learn to “grow in faith, live out God’s purpose for us, make Christ known in the world and raise up the next generation to love and serve the Lord.”

The purpose of St Michael Anglican Church is to be God’s agent of transformation in the world.

This transformation begins as each member of the church opens their lives to God so that they might be “transformed day by day into the likeness of Christ.”! At the same time the church (the people of God) is God’s agent of change in the world. We are to enjoy an intimate connection with God and with each other. We become blood relations, brothers and sisters in Christ, a family of God. Together we are to be united, a school of holiness, a hospital for human brokenness and light bearers in a world that is growing darker. The vision of St Michael Church was described with amazing simplicity and clarity by our Lord Jesus Christ when he said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Our vision to “grow in faith, live out God’s purpose for us, make Christ known in the world, and to raise up the next generation to love and serve the Lord” is a declaration to focus our attention, our lives, our conduct, our thinking on five arenas of authentic relationship with God and with one another: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry and Evangelism.

Worship of our God is the sacred centre of life. Through worship we discover God’s beauty and perfection. God the Father, God the Son God the Holy Spirit is our creator, the author of love, the centre of what it means to be fully human, and fully alive. Worship is our natural response to God. “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, and Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind soul and strength.” Worship is much more that coming together to sing a few songs. While worship does include music is involves our whole lives. “Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose — all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.” Every follower of Christ is to celebrate God, to worship God, to magnify his holy name. Over the coming five years we will invest time and energy and stillness in learning to worship and adore our God. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Archbishop William Temple

Fellowship. The first members of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit were Peter and Andrew, James and John, who chose to follow Jesus when he called them at the beginning of his ministry3 The fellowship grew and today numbers in the millions. Each member of the Fellowship has in some way heard Jesus call to come and follow Him. Fellowship is the people of God living out the Commandment to Love God with all that we are and to love one another as we love ourselves. Baptism is the entrance to the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we are called to belong, not just to believe. We are all called to be active members of a holy community, we are called to support, encourage, love, forgive, teach, pray, rejoice, sing, hold the Christ light for each other. How can we grow in fellowship? How will we see each other and treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ?

Discipleship. A disciple is a student and every person who follows Jesus is called to be a disciple. How can we worship God if we don’t know God? How can we follow Jesus if we don’t learn from him. All through his ministry Jesus acted as the great Rabbi of the people. He taught everything necessary to live life to the fullest, so that each person could live the life God has called them to live. Discipleship brings each student of Christ into maturity. A student of Jesus is called to learn and to obey God’s teaching. All members of the Church are called to be disciples; life long learners who day by day are growing in Christlike maturity. How will we accomplish this?

Ministry. Jesus said in John 13:34, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." The only way people will know that you are my disciples, declared Jesus, is to demonstrate it by the way you think and act and speak toward others. Your ministry and mine is to love God with all that we are, and to demonstrate the reality of our love for God by the way we respond to the world around us. All followers of Christ are called to look for ways to demonstrate the love of God to their neighbours. Who are our neighbours and how will we serve them?.

Evangelism: Evangelism is to tell others of the best news ever told, that “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life. You must understand that God did not send his Son into the world to pass sentence upon it, but to save it—through him” (John 3:16,17 JB Phillips Trans). We live in a culture in which many despise the Christian Faith and evangelism, so the Church must learn once again tell others of reason for the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. In our hearts we must, “revere Christ as Lord [and] . always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15,16).” All baptised Christians are commissioned tell others of the hope we have in Christ. How will we learn to communicate this message in the world today? 3 Matthaw A: 12-99