So many positive things happened at church today. This seems to be the case every Sunday at the moment. Not everyone will have noticed it all, but God was working powerfully in the things that get shared up front and maybe especially in the quieter things behind the scenes. I love my role as Minister and Team Leader and getting the chance to see and join in with what God is doing. I thought I’d take the chance to share with you a little of what happened.
Alex led us beautifully in worship. The first time she’s led at St Peter’s. Her own journey hasn’t been the easiest in recent years but she has faced those trials with courage and grace. She serves God and the church wholeheartedly and really helpfully. It was so good to see God’s restorative work in her shining through. Such a blessing! The rest of the band was made up of a range of fantastic guys sold out for Christ and working in harmony with each other. Two of the band have been baptised in the last few weeks – just the best!
Ruth preached an excellent, challenging sermon and encouraged us all not to be limited by the things that might hold us back but to courageously step forward, not letting difficult circumstances define us. It was wonderful to see many people determined to keep going and be fruitful in times of adversity.
Then there’s our children, youth and families ministry (CYF). A thriving ministry being led by a brilliant team and growing week by week. God is doing amazing work with our families. What a joy to see so many young people enjoying life together, genuinely belonging and beginning to flourish in faith.
Other beautiful things happening included: people building each other up; praying for each other and supporting each other; offering to serve in teams and use the gifts that God has given them to build the church; wanting to find out more about God and so signing up to our Alpha Course where they’ll discover how great God is. These are just a few of the lovely things going on. There was plenty more but some of that is personal to the individuals involved so I can’t share it here.
It’s such a privilege to get to see so many of the things that are going on and hear the stories of change and transformation in people’s lives. This brings me so much joy. All of these wonderful things are happening with the backdrop of my own challenge and sadness having lost my father just a few weeks ago and which is taking some time to process. It seems to me that this is how life works. It is often a blend of the very good and the pretty difficult. God is so good in both contexts and in working out His plans for our prospering and giving so much reason for hope.
Belonging to a genuinely loving and thriving community isn’t so common in today’s society and I don’t take this for granted for a moment. This genuine community holds an open door and wants to share its joy with others. I don’t know if you’ve ever given church a go or not, but if not, maybe it’s worth coming to check us out sometime soon – you’d be so welcome and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
To see a YouTube video of last Sunday’s service click here