Vision Sunday 2025: Seeking God's Direction Together

Every year at HTR, Vision Sunday gives us the opportunity to consider what God is calling us to in the year ahead. This year, Eils set out how we believe God is inviting us to take a longer-term view. Looking at Nehemiah chapter 2 together, we explored three guiding principles for this next season of HTR's life: prayer, vision, and strategy.

Prayer as the Foundation
When God called Nehemiah to the significant talk of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, his starting point was prayer. As a church, we want to deepen our roots in prayer, both individually and corporately, over the coming year. Amongst many other things, prayer transforms us, aligns us with God’s will, and prepares us for His work.

Vision for the Future
Clear vision provides direction. Like Nehemiah, who clearly articulated his desire to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, we too want to discern where God is leading HTR over the next 10-20 years. What kind of church is He calling us to become? How might we see our wider community impacted by the transforming love of Jesus? These are the questions we will explore together over the coming months, as we seek clarity on God’s specific plans for us.

Strategy for Action
Vision without a plan is merely a dream. Nehemiah combined reliance on God with meticulous planning, securing resources and support for the rebuilding effort. Similarly, we are aiming to develop well thought-through plans and strategies that will enable us to grow and develop as God's people in this part of Richmond. This will involve listening to God and to one another, working to better understand the needs in our local community, and stepping forward in faith together. 

Next Steps
In the coming weeks, the PCC and staff team will be seeking God together and looking to refine our long-term vision, and we hope to share more concrete plans some time after Easter. Meanwhile, we invite every member of HTR to join us in prayer, to ask what God might want to do in and through us, and to step out with fresh courage and faith to follow him wherever he leads us.  If you would like to share any thoughts, ideas, or things you feel God is saying about this process, please do speak to Eils or a member of the PCC.

You can listen to the full sermon here: