STK - our vision

 

Releasing the whole people of God, for the whole mission of God in Cumbria 

What does this county-wide vision mean for us?
We are an apostolic church, aiming not simply to gather people in but equip, resource and send people out into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit: as Jesus’ said in John 20.21 – “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you!”. 
 
Secondly, whilst we intend to cultivate and sustain growth, we want to emphasise building big people rather than big church – to make life and identity in Christ and equipping God’s people for life-long mission a priority. 
 
Lastly valuing relationships – both in how we do life together as a church family, encouraging one another for mission, and by seeking opportunities to partner with other churches and ministries to reach out to our town and region. 
 
What’s next? Below are two key priorities of the next year for us in the context of lockdown and beyond. 
 
Discipleship
God for All involves all of us and invites us to be disciples like those we find in the Bible: ordinary people, chosen by Jesus for an extraordinary purpose. We want our life together to help grow every person into this amazing potential and cultivate the life we are called to live by Jesus.  That means we will make it a priority to:
 
• Receive the Father’s love – spending time with God, encountering and living from his acceptance and empowering grace.
• Realise our identity – discovering who we are to God, and what he believes about us and our potential in order to believe and live by it!
• Release the kingdom – Jesus sends us, his church, into the world to do the things he did……

Partnership
We want to serve, resource and build up the body of Christ in Cumbria.  This means prioritising partnership with other churches in Kendal and the developing Two Valleys Mission Community.  
 
In recent years and in lockdown we have been sharing mission with others across Kendal: evangelism and Alpha, CAP and foodbank, Winter Shelter, Lunch Clubs and Marriage Courses in our Moving Mountains mission in 2018 and a follow up mission at Pentecost 2019, in Alpha and Marriage Courses.  It’s all about seeing ourselves as part of a bigger economy of churches and ministries. 
 
In the Diocese of Carlisle churches are committed to Mission Communities partnering in outreach and sharing resources and leadership. We are part of the Two Valleys Mission Community: this includes St Catherine’s, our sister church in Crook, and the Parishes of Underbarrow with Helsington, Winster, Crosthwaite, Cartmel Fell, Witherslack.