Monthly Newsletter

Dear Church Friends

This time last year I was writing my first church letter at the beginning of the vacancy. We were beginning a period of uncertainty with a little apprehension, mixed with resolve and a good measure of hope. Our faith is, after all, in a message of hope.

In the gospels we read the story of how a huge crowd was listening to Jesus preach. Towards the end of the day, when people were tired and hungry, the disciples approached Jesus concerned about how to look after and feed such a large crowd.

A small boy stepped up with a few small loaves and fish. Hardly enough for one, and certainly not enough for a multitude. And

yet, we read, the crowd was fed.

The miracle is understood in many ways, it is an account of an event in Christ’s life and also a parable. It is a story with layers of meaning; an embodied parable. The events carry meaning which is beyond what we see on the surface.

I think that the last year has had challenges for many of us. For my part I feel incredibly proud of the ways that everyone has risen to the challenges and in many ways exceeded those challenges. Like the small boy, people in our churches have stepped forward offering their time and gifts, their own “bread rolls and tins of store-cupboard sardines.”

We have seen how, just as in the feeding of the 5000, God has blessed and transformed those offerings, and in the process, blessed and transformed us.

This August things have moved on. Bishop Andrew has been positive in supporting our search for a new vicar and that request is beginning to show interest and a good response. We begin this month with a different hope, a sense that God is working

and that the vacancy will be filled. A sense that the next year will bring a new season for us.

During August we can take a breath.

Psalm 23 begins:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

He restores my soul.

This beautiful poem / prayer reminds us of the importance of rest. Indeed, God has given a commandment to remind us that we need to set aside time to rest. We need to rest physically, we need to rest mentally and we need spiritual rest. It is in rest that our batteries are recharged; it is in rest that our souls are restored. It is in rest that we reconnect with God.

August is of course a time for many of us when we take holidays, or perhaps just take a break and enjoy the good weather. In our family it is a time for BBQs, days out at the beach, reading in the garden and a glass of beer with friends outside the local pub. These are some of the places I find my green pastures and still waters. You all will have your own ways and places for rest. Places for restoration of your soul.

This August may we find rest and relaxation, may we celebrate life and love.

May we experience God’s blessing on us all

Keith