Our vision is:
Receiving the grace of Jesus and sharing His goodness with the world.
This is a modern spin on an ancient motto for the church that for possibly over 1000 years has been known as the Church of St Probus and St Grace. Historical evidence for these saints is somewhat sketchy yet inspiration is found not necessarily in their story but in their names. Probus is the Latin for “goodness” and together with Grace, the two names identify two human virtues or characteristics of God.
Upon the rood screen and painted on the ceiling can be found the words of the Probus prayer “Jesu, us thy people hear, send us grace and good for e’er”. This ancient prayer shows how we can turn to God and seek goodness and grace from him. The word “Grace” describes the way in which God pours out his love on us through a kindness we do not deserve and cannot earn, the greatest example of this being the salvation that came through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. But goodness is also a fruit of the Spirit, something that we can show in our lives as we interact with others. Because God is good and gracious to us, so we can show the same grace and goodness to those around us.
Just about all we do as a church is encompassed in, or driven by, our vision, from receiving the bread of communion on a Sunday to providing bread for those in need through the community larder.
Our vision has driven us to identify action points by which we can take forward the mission of the church over the next few years. This action plan can be accessed here.
St Probus & St Grace Parish Church 