Friends,
I do love a fresh start: that saying of Anne of Green Gables that “every day is a fresh start with no mistakes” (or words to that effect) is a wonderful moto – and of course, we can have that fresh start in Christ, when we come to God in faith and repent…..but that’s not quite where I am going today. September is the beginning of the Connexional year when Methodism takes a deep breath and launches into a new beginning. It’s exciting. I’ve loved September all my life: for the Autumn term at school with nice new exercise books and new teachers, and because it's my birthday month, too.
This is my second September with you, and I write this on the anniversary of the day we moved here last year. Looking back, so much has happened, and I have met so many new people. For us, last September was so full of “new” things that it was actually quite overwhelming – but so positive too. We both enjoy our roles in the Circuit, we love getting out and about around the area and discovering new places, and we are (sort of) enjoying the warmth of the weather – it certainly makes a change from the rain in the northwest.
September 2022 is another “new” start. We are moving closer to our new church, which we hope to tell you more about our Vision for on the 29th October (please keep that date in your diary). We have new initiatives, which have arisen from your conversations and suggestions. We have a new preacher on the plan (welcome, Clive!) and we have new opportunities to grow into our communities (watch this space) but none of that means that the “old” is disregarded, or cast aside, or no longer of any value. We cherish the past for all that we have learned and experienced together, we value the wisdom that age brings to us all, and we recognise that there is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the past. “We want to be churches that are known for our Spirit-led discipleship and our practical care in the community.”
I don’t know how you feel about September personally, but for me, it is full of potential, full of possibility, full of opportunity and full of hope. I pray that you will embrace all that the new Connexional year offers you, in your church families and your spiritual lives. We stand on the brink of something exciting in Horsham and Partridge Green, and the Spirit is moving powerfully amongst us, stirring us up into action and calling us into deeper contemplation of the call that God places on all of our lives. I pray that the coming year will be a blessing to you in so many ways, but that we might also be a blessing to others in these difficult times.
With love
Deacon Sarah
I do love a fresh start: that saying of Anne of Green Gables that “every day is a fresh start with no mistakes” (or words to that effect) is a wonderful moto – and of course, we can have that fresh start in Christ, when we come to God in faith and repent…..but that’s not quite where I am going today. September is the beginning of the Connexional year when Methodism takes a deep breath and launches into a new beginning. It’s exciting. I’ve loved September all my life: for the Autumn term at school with nice new exercise books and new teachers, and because it's my birthday month, too.
This is my second September with you, and I write this on the anniversary of the day we moved here last year. Looking back, so much has happened, and I have met so many new people. For us, last September was so full of “new” things that it was actually quite overwhelming – but so positive too. We both enjoy our roles in the Circuit, we love getting out and about around the area and discovering new places, and we are (sort of) enjoying the warmth of the weather – it certainly makes a change from the rain in the northwest.
September 2022 is another “new” start. We are moving closer to our new church, which we hope to tell you more about our Vision for on the 29th October (please keep that date in your diary). We have new initiatives, which have arisen from your conversations and suggestions. We have a new preacher on the plan (welcome, Clive!) and we have new opportunities to grow into our communities (watch this space) but none of that means that the “old” is disregarded, or cast aside, or no longer of any value. We cherish the past for all that we have learned and experienced together, we value the wisdom that age brings to us all, and we recognise that there is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the past. “We want to be churches that are known for our Spirit-led discipleship and our practical care in the community.”
I don’t know how you feel about September personally, but for me, it is full of potential, full of possibility, full of opportunity and full of hope. I pray that you will embrace all that the new Connexional year offers you, in your church families and your spiritual lives. We stand on the brink of something exciting in Horsham and Partridge Green, and the Spirit is moving powerfully amongst us, stirring us up into action and calling us into deeper contemplation of the call that God places on all of our lives. I pray that the coming year will be a blessing to you in so many ways, but that we might also be a blessing to others in these difficult times.
With love
Deacon Sarah
