Focus Forward 2006 - 2011

Dear Friends

As Rector of the Parish of Bray I am delighted to present the Focus Forward 5-Year Plan. I hope that you will enjoy all that the Church is offering by way of vision, support and genuine help in your daily life.

As our plan is officially launched on 1st October 2006 at our Harvest Service it is appropriate to offer this booklet as an expression of thanksgiving to Almighty God and to those who have made it possible.

At it’s core, the plan is all about people we serve and how we can engage with God’s help through our six ministries, these being – Worship, Pastoral, Youth, Vision, International and Evangelism. The emphasis on these ministries will ensure that we focus on who we are called to be as a Christian Community in the 21st century.

We decided not to repeat our very successful parish weekend away but for this year to have a series of focus days and a questionnaire to find out what is most important to you as a parishioner and this process has been very successful in helping us develop our parish plan.

The Parish of Bray has existed for several hundred years through both St. Paul’s and Christ Church, so we have a cherished history of serving the people of Bray and this will be the foundation on which we will grow and develop our Church community over the coming years.

I have been greatly encouraged by the energy and enthusiasm that the focus days have generated. We are committed as a parish to making this plan a reality and your involvement is central and greatly appreciated.

We will use our In Touch magazine to communicate progress and developments over the coming months and years but for now I wish to thank most sincerely all who have made this plan a reality, especially the parish vision team Noel McIlwaine, Hilary Collins and Mary Maconchy, and also the late Tony Morrissey who coined the parish motto at the bottom of the cover page.

To God be the Glory

Yours in Christ, Baden Stanley