District Church Council agenda for 30 September

Apologies for absence
Bible Study and Prayer - Serving God who challenges
Please read Hosea 5.14 – 6.6 before the meeting
Minutes of the meeting of 10 June 2008
To check and approve them as an accurate record of our last meeting.
Matters Arising from the minutes of the last meeting
To respond to issues which were marked for action, or for which significant developments have since taken place, and which aren’t on the agenda for tonight’s meeting.
Open church?
At the moment, St Paul's is open when in use for church activities and lettings. Should we do what a growing number of churches are now doing, and open it at other times? Anita attended an Open Churches meeting (leaflet attached) and will help us to learn from the experience of others.  The benefits include a very visible witness to God's availability and for our mission of engaging with the wider community. It's not difficult to imagine the risks and there are ways to reduce them but probably not to eliminate them altogether. What do you think?
As part of this item, Anita will also bring some ideas for improvements to seating in the foyer.
Alpha 2009
We had a really successful Alpha Course in 2008 and are excited about planning Alpha 2009. A timetable has been drafted and we'll share our plans at the DCC.
Review of Back to Church Sunday 2008
This is the first time that St Paul's has used BTCS. How did it go? What have we learned?
Healing and wholeness course and ministry
A number of people from St Paul's are taking this introductory course. We'll hear about how things are going and consider where this might take us.
Dates for DCC meetings 2009
Dates for the PCC and DCCs are being considered at the next PCC meeting and will be circulated at our DCC meeting.
Other business and date of next meeting – 4 November 2008