February 2012

Letter from the Minister

Having come through the mildest winter ever in my experience I am glad to arrive in 2012 wondering what else will be different this year? A tree has come crashing down in the Manse garden reminding me that nothing stays the same for very long. Thankfully it fell while we were out and did no damage.

In the past few weeks we failed in the last attempt to find a new Minister for Haslingfield this year and so the search will move into 2013.This may not appear to touch your life but it does leave a gap in the Circuit and conversations are taking place soon on bridging that gap. Fortunately we do have committed Local Preachers without whom the circuit could not function in the way it does. We think of the folk at Haslingfield during this time.

I read a prayer recently from which I quote an extract here, “As we look for your coming among us this day, open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will”. It is important to look for signs of God in the life of the Church as well as in our individual lives. Without sensing his help we can easily become disheartened and risk doing things for the sake of doing them, without love or enthusiasm. The shape of our four churches (the people) has changed over 2011 as we have lost familiar faces and in some cases welcomed new faces who have stayed. Small but significant things are changing as new people have input into the way we do things. In this way we naturally adapt to a different shape over the years, sometimes quietly and sometimes not.

To quote our Covenant Service scripture, there is a divine gardener at work trimming the church according to his will and timing .So may God give us the humility to always adapt willingly and welcome new faces and ideas even if we are “laid aside” ourselves. That phrase is perhaps one we prefer to ignore until it finally catches up with us and we let go of some task we have valued for years. It requires a grace to let go of things just as much as it does to start them.

Rev Chris White