Dear Friends,
As we begin a new Connexional Year we do so in the midst of some changes and some opportunities.
The most obvious change is that of Sarah Pitkeathly’s arrival and the commencement of her ministry amongst us here as a Deacon in and around Horsham. We bid Sarah and her husband David a warm welcome and look forward to sharing in ministry with her in keen anticipation! Of course, that ministry represents one of the changes for us in Sarah being a Deacon as well as the initiation of a team ministry across the three Horsham based churches in which Sarah and I will share. A whole world of ‘new’ to explore for us all!
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone who has had a part in preparing for Sarah & David’s arrival amongst us. It has been a significant effort from the Circuit Stewards and Property Officer as well as numerous other individuals from the three churches. To each one a huge vote of thanks. Your efforts are greatly appreciated not least by Sarah & David, who are almost settled into their new home! Having done this before I know it takes a little more than two weeks to get it all done!
One of the other significant changes we are seeking to explore is how this new ministry relationship can be the catalyst for new opportunities for shared vision and mission across the three churches. One of the more significant pieces of work emanating from the Conference this year had to do with a new opportunity for restructuring for mission. In it the Conference has recognised that ministers seeking to hold together a plethora of churches, usually a group of smaller churches, can be weighed down by the administrative load that comes with that task. For each church there are usually separate meetings for all the major functions resulting in a number of meetings for the minister to participate in. Not necessarily the best use of human resources! To this end Conference has been exploring ways in which Churches can work together to reduce this load and that has been one of the things that the Leadership Teams and Church Councils of the three churches have been keen to explore for us going forward.
In fact, we are going to begin that exploration by engaging with the Connexional material entitled A Methodist Way of Life together. We believe that this material can help us shape a shared vision for mission across the three churches and we are exploring beginning the process come January of next year. Watch this space! If you want to get a heads up on it all please do have a look at the Methodist website – you’ll find the relevant section here: https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/life-and-faith/a-methodist-way-of-life/
So we go forward, as a friend of mine in South Africa usually says! Forward in Faith, in Fellowship and in our shared Discipleship of Jesus.
Gavin
As we begin a new Connexional Year we do so in the midst of some changes and some opportunities.
The most obvious change is that of Sarah Pitkeathly’s arrival and the commencement of her ministry amongst us here as a Deacon in and around Horsham. We bid Sarah and her husband David a warm welcome and look forward to sharing in ministry with her in keen anticipation! Of course, that ministry represents one of the changes for us in Sarah being a Deacon as well as the initiation of a team ministry across the three Horsham based churches in which Sarah and I will share. A whole world of ‘new’ to explore for us all!
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone who has had a part in preparing for Sarah & David’s arrival amongst us. It has been a significant effort from the Circuit Stewards and Property Officer as well as numerous other individuals from the three churches. To each one a huge vote of thanks. Your efforts are greatly appreciated not least by Sarah & David, who are almost settled into their new home! Having done this before I know it takes a little more than two weeks to get it all done!
One of the other significant changes we are seeking to explore is how this new ministry relationship can be the catalyst for new opportunities for shared vision and mission across the three churches. One of the more significant pieces of work emanating from the Conference this year had to do with a new opportunity for restructuring for mission. In it the Conference has recognised that ministers seeking to hold together a plethora of churches, usually a group of smaller churches, can be weighed down by the administrative load that comes with that task. For each church there are usually separate meetings for all the major functions resulting in a number of meetings for the minister to participate in. Not necessarily the best use of human resources! To this end Conference has been exploring ways in which Churches can work together to reduce this load and that has been one of the things that the Leadership Teams and Church Councils of the three churches have been keen to explore for us going forward.
In fact, we are going to begin that exploration by engaging with the Connexional material entitled A Methodist Way of Life together. We believe that this material can help us shape a shared vision for mission across the three churches and we are exploring beginning the process come January of next year. Watch this space! If you want to get a heads up on it all please do have a look at the Methodist website – you’ll find the relevant section here: https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/life-and-faith/a-methodist-way-of-life/
So we go forward, as a friend of mine in South Africa usually says! Forward in Faith, in Fellowship and in our shared Discipleship of Jesus.
Gavin
