Dubbo Uniting Church

Mission Plan

Mission (Why are we here?)

As people who understand God to be working in the Dubbo Community, we seek opportunities to join with God in that work.

Vision (Our best and preferred way of being and working)

Our vision is to be people who encounter and experience the love of Jesus in our daily lives. The discoveries we make together give rise to creative ministries which nurture and serve. We come from a diverse community and this is reflected in our ways of working together. Wherever possible we work co-operatively with other churches and faith communities

Values (How do we work?)

We are committed to:

· Providing a diversity of high quality worship experiences, including specific responses to community needs, where people of all ages are valued and encouraged to take an active part in leadership.

· Respecting and attending to the Biblical Witness as God’s way of inspiring, leading and guiding our people.

· Recognising and promoting personal and corporate spiritual gifts, enabling sharing of people, property and finance; developing a new sense of generosity.

· Empowering and nurturing the ministry of lay people within the church and community.

· Developing and resourcing effective pastoral care networks using a variety of styles including visitation and relational groups.

· Providing quality Christian Ministries for Funerals and Marriages in Dubbo

· Providing ministries with specific generational groups, such as youth and seniors.

· Speaking and acting within the wider community in the pursuit of social justice and social welfare, such as our exploratory mission West Dubbo.

Our Mission Context (The situation in which we work)

Dubbo is a rural service city (approx 40,000 people) located at the junction of both major highways and railways in Central Western NSW.

Dubbo provides:

· Medical facilities for our region

· A hospitality industry for visitors and travellers

· Educational opportunities through high schools, senior college, vocational education and the newly established campus of Charles Sturt University

· A place for retirement with aged care facilities and services

· Employment in rural service industries

· Regional welfare services

Our church is part of the Uniting Church in Australia, an inclusive Church which risks living the way of Jesus, participates in God’s action in the world, enables people to discover new life through the Spirit and to live by that discovery.