Thanks to all who attended the Annual General Meeting tonight. As always, it’s only when we look back over the past year that we realise how busy the church has been in so many different areas!
We looked back on our community outreaches, including coffee mornings, Parent & Toddler group and youth club, along with support for the Salvation Army food bank. Alison is now able to run this every day of the week, thanks to an army of volunteers, and because they now receive food wastage from Morrison’s and Tesco’s, they are able to provide food parcels which include fresh fruit and veg as well as tinned and dried food. A ‘working families’ food bank’ is run on the 3rd Saturday of every month to enable families on low incomes to access the food bank. In addition, a clothes bank helps to support local families. Thanks were given to all who support this ministry which aims to fulfil Jesus’s commands in Matt 25:35-40.
We looked back on people’s growing involvement in church meetings and how local churches are working together, including helping at the community carol service and Christmas Market and now joining regularly to pray together (the next ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting is on Tuesday 18th July at 7.15 p.m. at GPCC.) Future plans include ‘family fun days’ at Houghton Road Centre in August (where the minigolf facility will be available) and the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival on 1 & 2 September at Dearne Playhouse, with workshops available before then.
The India trip was a highlight of the church’s mission support this year, and we would like to support a specific family we met at the tailoring programme from this. Support for Bedline continues and the church wants to continue to be involved in mission, both locally (working alongside other churches) and further afield.
On a practical note, much has been done to maintain and improve the building this year, including fitting new lighting in the corridor and worship room, fitting a new fire alarm and sorting out the doors to open outwards and be effective fire doors. In August, work will start on flooring under the stage so that this can become a storage area. In preparation for this, there will be a work day on Friday 14th July from 5 p.m. – come along to clear under the stage and sort things out and have supper at the end of this!
Looking ahead, we want our focus to be outwards – we need to see the church grow and must be involved in God’s great commission to make disciples of all the earth. We also must have an upwards focus – prayer is the key to everything we do as a church. We need to be unafraid to ask big things of God, for we have a big God!