What is love?

Dear Friends

I want to share with you some concerns and hopes for our parish through the medium of this letter.

One or two of you who have the opportunity to read this never come to worship, some through illness, of course, but many, through indifference to the mercies of God. I think that must rank as a grave concern! If we become people who no longer want to thank God or cry out to God for help, then we have perhaps lost sight of him. To meet with others is a public declaration of our need of his help.

Lots of you love to come to our churches, and we are surrounded on Sundays by people who make this their top priority for the week, and others who make it one of their aims. That gives all of us hope! To live a balanced God-fearing life, is to plan our days and weeks to include what is important to God and to us and our families, so that we can give ourselves wholeheartedly to our work and witness. To meet in the company of worshippers is a declaration that we require one another’s support on the journey.

Some of you were former team members, serving in various roles that were significant to you and the people you served, but you have given up. We are all concerned when that happens! Although we can reach a stage in life when it is good to let go of a responsibility, it is disappointing if we make the decision through mere indifference. Was it, perhaps, that you felt unacknowledged in your role, or passed over when a greater responsibility could have been yours? Everyone experiences these things at some stage in life, but we mustn’t let that be enough to stop us using our God-given abilities in the church and community!

There are dozens of people across our churches who continue to look for ways to help, and who are unceasing in their prayers and support for our life in St Patrick’s and St Andrew’s Churches. Your desire to see people comfortable and settled during their time at worship or in the halls, is matched with your desire to reach them for God in the loving and compassionate way you do these things. This is a source of great joy for all who receive that ministry from you, and we are all indebted to you and our heavenly Father, for equipping you to serve.

We have come to the time of year when our vestry has just met to nominate and elect office-bearers for the year ahead. I hope that you will appreciate how important your faithful service means to all of us, even if we sometimes forget to say thank you clearly enough! I look forward to seeing God equip you in your roles, and that we make him the priority in the way we serve one another and worship together.

Stephen