Some news and announcements
Dear Church Family,
I do hope 2025 has got off to a good start for you. A few things going on in church life as the new year gets underway.
First of all, I am delighted to announce that Iain Williams and Louise Hellem have offered to stand as our new Joint Church Secretaries. Alan Price will step down in April having served for three years (and for six years some time ago). Alan has been great to work with and I will miss his wisdom, patience and energy. As the role can be quite demanding the ECC decided, moving forward, to divide the role between two people and I am so grateful to Iain and Louise for being willing to take this on. Their appointments will be subject to election as trustees at the AGM on April 29th.
We are now in our twenty-fifth year as a church with a variety of celebration services and events taking place throughout 2025. We will let you know the dates of these shortly. We are amazed at God's faithfulness over the past quarter century and it will be good to celebrate together in different ways. A significant service will take place on the first Sunday of Advent (the anniversary of the church's first service) to which the leaders of our four partner denominations have been invited.
A fruitful and enjoyable Alpha Course came to an end before Christmas. Some of the guests are now attending our Sunday services and a number are going on to do Christianity Explored. Our next Alpha will start after Easter on Tuesday April 22nd.
It is good to start the new year with the Rule of Life series on Sundays, thinking about the habits and practices that strengthen our walk with Jesus. At the same time home groups will be studying the Practising the Way course. The two will go together well.
For the first time in ten years churches across the town are coming together for the Lent Study Course. Between now and the 28th February you can sign up and be allocated to a group according to your postcode. The group will meet for the five Wednesdays of Lent. This is a great way for Christians across the town to get to know one another. You can sign up here.
Over the past few months we have been working on our goals for 2025/26. This is part of a church development plan facilitated by Guildford Diocese. During our Vision Day in October the ECC and Ministry Team identified these four goals:
1. To continue to seek God for the growth of the Staff Team
2. To create discipleship pathways (from consumers to apprentices)
3. To have more fun with more opportunities for fellowship
4. As we celebrate 25 years, to explore planting a new church or congregation.
To comment briefly on these, although last year we decided not to pursue the appointment of an Associate Minister at this time, we sense we are in a fruitful season as a church with opportunities for growth in worship, service and outreach. Another member of staff would help us move forward in these areas.
We have worked hard to embed Alpha in the life of the church and we now want to establish follow up courses so that new believers can grow in faith and be rooted in the life of the church.
We want to create more opportunities for fun and fellowship in 2025. this coincides with the 25-year anniversary celebrations which will off a number of opportunities to gather together socially. The setting up of a 'fun and fellowship' team would help continue this into 2026 and beyond. Let me know if you would like to be a part of this.
Lastly, we would like to begin exploring the possibility of planting a new church or congregation within the next five years. We ourselves are the result of a bold church plant and 25 year on this would be a challenge that would stretch our faith. It is generally recognised that church plants attract a greater number of new believers and sending churches are strengthened and renewed in the process. Let me know if you would like to be part of an initial prayer and planning team.
Yesterday, as I was searching for a document on my computer, I came across a vision for our church written on a post-it note in January 2015. I don't know who wrote it, but it was written during a day of prayer in tiny handwriting. Reading it once more ten years later I was struck by just how prophetic it turned out to be. I shared it with the ECC last night and I leave it with you now:
'This will be a place of encounter with God in many different ways.
For some it will be a 'thin' place. For others it will be a place of healing of spirit, mind and body.
Some will encounter God through words of knowledge and be changed.
Teams will become more diffuse as more of the church become pray-ers.
One to one we will build each other up. We will take risks for God and find ourselves led into new expressions of worship.
The prayers of our children will be more significant.
There will be a sense of playfulness as we experience the Holy Spirit in new ways.
Jesus will be lifted higher as we find more ways to point to Him and people will be drawn to Him more for a change of life, salvation, release.
Our faith will be tested.'
Every blessing,
Patrick.