1. Getting the vision From last time (Geoff’s sermon) Nehemiah - Waited Mourned Fasted Prayed (Nehemiah 1:4)

2. Do you believe God has a plan for you / us? Rely on what you know of God Character –‘Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God...’ –‘...who keeps his covenant of love...’ –‘Great is your faithfulness’ (Lam 3:23) –constant despite our own ups and downs God wants to communicate –but we are still human –our own ideas and desires intrude –we put up blocks – that what sin is

3. Where does St James’ Taunton fit in?

4. Christianity: Knowing GOD personally through Jesus Christ As part of the Church in Taunton We seek to know Christ better, and to make him better known We do this through varied and lively worship, learning to apply God’s word in the Bible, and being filled with his Holy Spirit

5. Five years ago... In order to allow for growth, several things were needed:

7. Please could you just help me? Hey, we’ve got a great idea!

8. Please could you just help me? Hey, we’ve got a great idea! Let me give you some of these and we’ll do it together

9. Sharing of oversight (‘episcopé’) –needing more people who realised they were ‘leaders’ and who were equipped accordingly Growing Leaders course, involving lots of prayer and discernment by the 35 who attended –a look at the published church growth literature a strategy group convened

10. –overseers / coordinators appointed pastoral, administration, worship, teaching, children and young people, outreach andothers within these fields –people who could get things implemented or else the vicar is the one holding all the balloons, with no scope for more...

11. –overseers / coordinators appointed pastoral, administration, worship, teaching, children and young people, outreach andothers within these fields –people who could get things implemented or else the vicar is the one holding all the balloons, with no scope for more...

12. Like Nehemiah, we need to Wait –rather than rush into our own plans Mourn –for those who do not have a living faith in Christ Fast –God’s plans may involve us going without our own pet schemes Pray –align our wills with God’s

13. Where might God want us in another five years’ time? Some things we KNOW are God’s plans: ‘Your kingdom come’ ‘Your will be done on earth...’ ‘Go and make disciples... teach... baptise...’ ‘I have sent them into the world’ ‘You are the salt of the earth’ ‘You are the light of the world’

14. So his plan will involve us all Individually and corporately To be focussed outwards on those not yet part of God’s kingdom Another Growing Leaders course? Refine the structures to meet changing times? Starting outside the ‘church’? Please will you pray?

15. Exciting – God really does have a plan! Believe it! Hear his call for you personally as well as for his church His plan will be for our own good as well as the growth of the Kingdom Next time: how to discern what God’s vision entails...