The final total number of the Team was 21. It consisted of 12 people from All Saints, which included a family with three of their teenage children, two married couples, and three people who came on their own. There were two people who had previous connections with St Mark’s and another two who came through EvNet. In addition five members of St Mark’s requested to be part of the Team. Meetings began twice per month with supper at my house (still in the parish of All Saints as I had not yet moved house).
With prayer, people were encouraged to share their visions for the church, the Team and themselves. Informal arrangements were agreed on the time and commitment each Team member realistically hoped to offer and it was apparent that we were blessed with many gifts.

The decline of St Mark’s probably started in the 1950’s. The church, however, continued to be well attended at both Sunday worship and mid-week activities with numerous church organisations being a focal point for village life. The decline continued and the church suffered a particularly bad period during the mid 1990’s and entered into a two-year interregnum in 1998. The congregation was in the lower 20s, mainly elderly and included seven adults with learning difficulties. There were no children, although the uniformed organizations were still meeting weekly.

Forming and Implementing a Mission Plan

The Team was commissioned and I was licensed on 13th February 2000 at St Mark’s. Working within the guidelines of the implementation document, we formed this mission plan.