Who we are
We want to become ever-increasingly like Jesus.
With God's help, that involves our head, our heart, our hands, and the help of others.
So, to become more like Jesus, we do the following practices.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARISH
St Michael’s and All Angels is located in East London, in the beautiful, beachside suburb of Nahoon. St. Michael and All Angels, an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Grahamstown, was established in 1950, after a group of people under Reverend Young took the initiative to raise funds to build the church. The foundation stone was laid on 23 September 1950 (can be seen under the table in the foyer). St. Michael and All Angels served as a “daughter church” under St. Alban’s until 1972, when it became a separate Pastoral Charge.
OUR VISION
We’re building a loving community that is centered in Jesus and living for the sake of others, where:
the love of Christ is experienced, made visible, and given to the world.
all are welcome to belong and participate;
the active participation of young people and children is valued and encouraged;
worship is dynamic and includes the whole worshipping community;
healing and reconciliation are a visible reality;
the humanity of each member grows in relation with others
OUR MISSION
Learning to follow Jesus as our Lord means that we don’t just want to learn about him but we also want to take on his way of life, trusting GOD will help us as we take a step of faith. Therefore we do the following practices:
We worship together
One of our primary purposes as a church community is to worship together as we seek to be centred on Christ alone. As a community we gather together regularly to celebrate the Gospel of God's love for us as we pray, we sing, we reflect on Scripture, and we dine at Jesus' table in Holy Communion. In doing this we believe that the Spirit, the Scriptures, and the Sacraments work in us and through us to draw us closer to God and to be transformed into Christ's likeness.
We do life together
One of our primary purposes as a church community is to have fellowship together - to do life together - as we seek to love each other as Jesus loves us. As a church community, this means that we look to nurture small group gatherings in which we seek to deepen our friendships, study the Bible together, and to pray for one another.
Occasionally we also have larger celebrations together to mark a special aspect of our community life, or sometimes just to have fun.
We have strong pastoral care and prayer teams, working together with our Clergy to give support to our members in special times of need in the form of pastoral care and visits, phone calls, intercessory prayer from the Prayer Chain, and counselling.
We serve together
One of our primary purposes as a church community is to serve those outside our community, selflessly sharing the love of God with them in word and deed. As a church community, this means that we look for ways in which we can work together to embody Christ's love for our neighbours. This means helping one another to serve the places and people that we already encounter in our ordinary, everyday lives. It also means choosing a few selected avenues to work together in serving our neighbourhood.
Presently, we have an active and leadership role in the Nahoon Community Outreach (NCO), a growing collaboration among some of the churches in the greater Nahoon area, working together to uplift the poor in our neighbourhood in a loving and sustainable manner.
Other outreach-related ministries that the church is directly involved with include:
The Charity Shop - A programme that collects or receives donations of various household items for low-cost resale to people in our wider community. The proceeds are donated to children-orientated charity.
Alpha Courses such as the Adult Alpha, Youth Alpha, Alpha Marriage course, and Alpha Parenting course. (These courses are only run occasionally based on expressed interest and demand)
PARISH LEADERSHIP
St Michaels has a healthy tradition of strong lay leaders assisting the clergy in parish leadership. While this leadership happens in many informal ways through the regular gatherings and ministry teams of the parish, it is also important to specify the formal aspects of leadership that help to guide the church towards its stated mission and ministry. This formal leadership structure is depicted in the diagram below and consists primarily of:
The Clergy and Parish Council, giving Strategic and Administrative Oversight to the Parish ministries.
The Clergy and Lay Ministers, giving Spiritual and Pastoral guidance to the Parish ministries.
The Clergy and Staff, giving direction and energy to the Parish ministries as discerned above.
The Parish Council (PCC), elected annually and currently consisting of twelve members (including the EXEC), typically meet together about once every 6 weeks and different aspects of responsibility are delegated between PCC members according to their own interests, their availability and our collective discernment.
While the Parish Council fulfills its mandate to have direction and control of the properties, revenue and expenditure of the Parish, we also prioritize our responsibility to assist the clergy in matters concerning the life, ministry & mission of the Church. According to our Church Canons (laws), the work of the Parish Council consists of:
Assisting the clergy in matters concerning the life, ministry & mission of the Church
To have direction and control of the properties, revenue & expenditure of the Parish
To consider the welfare of the clergy and their families
To strengthen Christian witness and promote Christian unity in the broader neighbourhood
To receive and act upon all matters referred to it by the Bishop and his Diocesan representatives
At our Annual Vestry Meeting we also elect two Churchwardens and one Alternate-Warden to serve as our principal lay leaders in the Parish Council and as the Bishop's officers in the parish. Together with the Rector, the two Churchwardens and the Treasurer form the Executive of the Parish Council (EXEC), who work together to oversee the affairs of the Parish between Parish Council meetings.
