Proposal

 The Family Store as a Missional Space for Community Members to build faith connections

Our Vision

A world, restored by the love of Christ, living in dignity and filled with hope.(international)

Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight alongside others to transform Australia one life and a time with the love of Jesus

Our Mission

The Salvation Army is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus. 

We share the love of Jesus by:

• Caring for people
• Creating faith pathways
• Building healthy communities
• Working for justice

Our Values

The following values are central to the operation of The Salvation Army:

• Integrity – Being honest and accountable in all we do
• Compassion – Hearing and responding to pain with love
• Respect – Affirming the worth and capacity of all people
• Diversity – Embracing difference as a gift
• Collaboration – Creating partnerships in mission

We commit ourselves in prayer and practice to this land of Australia and its people, seeking reconciliation, unity and equity. 

Overview

The Salvation army family stores are the front line, the first point of contact many will have with the salvation army and christianity. The Family store needs to reflect the mission and values of the Salvation army. For the Armidale family store to be a Missional Space for Community Members to build faith connections there is a need for dedicated and intergrated spaces allocated within the current layout with an intentional missions purpose.

This document discusses the spaces needed to initialise a heart change within the current missional focus of the store. These spaces are:

•     Connection space
•     Action center
•     Notice board
•     Kids Corner

Connection Space

Fellowship is an important part of our faith. Coming together to support one another is an experience that allows us to learn, gain strength, and show the world exactly what God is

What people experience on a Sunday morning should not solely be programmed into the worship time. The connection space can be designed as intentionally as the sanctuary to help people grow in their faith.  

The connect corner, currently where the red corner is located, will be a communal focal point and gathering space. 

A large relationship and connecting space component of the "Connect Space" is a "family room" type space where lengthier conversations can occur if individuals wanted to stop for longer than just an on-the-way conversation. The family room is designed for that intentional stop to have a conversation. Groups may be two persons large or grow larger. The purpose is to have a more intimate space out of the traffic zone. Conversation is easier and flows better when the volumes are lower. 

To delineate the "Connect Space" from its surrounds the intention is to create a feature wall and disparate flooring and the use of single seater lounges to promote connection while adhering to COVID-19 safe distancing. The power box could be covered by a hinged blackboard where scriptural messages are written reflecting the weekly church message OR the salvation army shield.

Current layout of "Red Corner"

Possible layout of "Connect Corner"

Action Center

"We should not make it difficult for those who are turning to god," ACTS 15:19 

The "Action Center", located within the "Connect Corner" is where someone will go specifically to take the next steps in their faith. Here is where ministry opportunities, small group opportunities, and missional opportunities will be displayed. The "Action center" is created to both give people information and an opportunity to engage.

There is often a call to action in worship where people are challenged to consider doing something. An example would be “joining a small group.” The action center will be the designated space in the store where these people can identify just how to “take action” or take the next step in signing up to join a small group.

The church does intentional programming on a Sunday morning to prepare time for people to encounter God through worship, sacrifice through stewardship and offerings, a celebration of communion, and a sermon that speaks to their heart, encourages, challenges, and convicts. The congregation is almost always called to do something after a worship service. They are called to take a step closer to Jesus.

The action center is where an individual can go to take the next step. It provides a vehicle to respond once a person has encountered God and feels convicted, inspired, or encouraged. The church should provide those opportunities for people at the time and place they are thinking about it; they cannot depend on the fact that individuals will do it later in the week. The "Action center" provides the community a place to immediately take a next step in their faith journey. 

For effectiveness the "Action center" should have a combination of digital and paper options. 

Other media for the "Action center" could be; Bibles; Chrisitian literature; salvo magazines; pamflets and cards from community supporting organisations such as neighbourhood center, food bank, womens/mens shelter etc.

Notice Boards

Possible placement position for "what's on at the salvo's" notice board

Investing in a notice board both indoors or outdoors would be beneficial in engaging  the community. This is especially prevalent with older members of the community who may not be comfortable using Facebook or emails as a main method of communication. The intention is to install notice boards to the left of the main entrance of the Family store and next to the register, where the DVDs are currently located.

Sense of community

Instilling a sense of community in the customers is incredibly important for a happy and thriving community. Investing in a central notice board that is used for a wide variety of purposes helps to create a focal point and heart of the community. It works as a less formal extension of the religious building and therefore is able to reach out to all members of the community, not just those who regularly attend services..

Communication

As mentioned earlier, not all members of your community may be comfortable with using digital and electronic means of communication. Especially for those who are of an older generation, written communication is their go-to method and therefore it’s vital that you provide them with a means of communication that they’re comfortable with.

News

As well as communication in general, creating a central point where news is shared may be the only way for some members of the community to learn about what is happening elsewhere. Although Facebook is a common communication method, users will only be able to see activity and notifications from their friends, and therefore not the wider community.

Sharing important news with your community via a notice board also creates a guaranteed point of contact where you know the obligation to share the information has been met. If someone says they missed something Facebook – where information is very temporary – you can be rest assured that the information was available on your notice board and therefore you are not at fault.

Contact information

Whether someone wants to find out about upcoming special services, or to enquire about wedding ceremonies, providing the relevant contact details is vital. Utilising a notice board in this way means that you can be rest assured the contact information is always available should someone need it. This is also important in case of emergencies.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of reasons why a notice board could be beneficial to your community and all of which contribute to bringing the local parish closer together. Ultimately, clear and open communication is one of the easiest ways to build a happy and trusting network, which makes the notice board the ideal tool in which to achieve this.

Kids Corner : Focus on families.

C3 Kingscliff Kids church wall painted by Marija Griffin

Children’s Ministry was a priority for Jesus. The disciples didn’t think it should be, but Jesus did. He made time to minister to children.  Children are the greatest mission field. Stats show that 85% of people who come to Christ do so before the age of 18. We must invest our time and resources where we will see the biggest harvest. Children are not the church of tomorrow; they are the church of today. A healthy family is made up of grandparents, parents, and children.

 The "Kids Corner" is Space dedicated to children,  sending the message that the store is family-driven, offering a safe environment for kids to "play", learn and connect. The kids corner mirrors the "Connect Corner" with a: 

•  Feature wall: Christian imagery (christ)
•  Action Corner: Free kidzone magazine, christian coloring in, christian kids books, kids bibles etc
•  Secular Kids books 
•  Somewhere for kids to sit and read (2-3 seats and a small table)

Current layout of "Kids Corner"

Proposed layout of "Kids Corner"