Thanks to all who attended the church’s annual general meeting last night. It was good to look back on all God has done in the past year and to look ahead with expectancy, hope and faith. We may have many plans, but we know it is the Lord’s purpose which prevails (Prov 19:21) and our heart is simply for His will to be done in our lives, our church and our community.
Looking ahead, there are always practical things to do be done when there is a building to be cared for! This summer, we are looking to work on the outside area, making sure the roof is in good order, cleaning gutters, checking soffits and painting and varnishing outdoors. In order to determine exactly what needs doing, we’ll be having a cleaning and inspection day on Saturday 18th June from 12 noon. Inside, we’ll have a general spring clean and tidy-up and outside, those brave enough to climb ladders will find out exactly what needs to be done… with days set aside during the summer holidays to finish this work.
The Community Open Day on Saturday 9th July will be a great opportunity to celebrate 6 years since we officially opened in Market Street. This day will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will feature refreshments, craft activities and games (any face-painters out there who want to help us?!), with the church open for people to see what we have been doing and to think about the question ‘What is the church?’ We’re also hoping to hold a family film night from 6p.m. as we’ve done in the past, where we show a family film and invite people to come and watch it and have snacks afterwards. Suggestions for suitable films are also welcome!
We have opportunities to serve the community at the Macmillan Coffee Morning on Saturday 24th September (10 a.m. – 12 noon), where we’ll be raising funds for this cancer charity, and at the Christmas Market on Friday 9th December (4-8 p.m.), where we’ll raise funds for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal. We are privileged to be able to support the food bank at the Salvation Army on a regular basis, giving £50 per month towards this.
An exciting future venture is the planned missions’ trip to India (probably in 2017). We hope to be involved with the ministries of Fredrick and Reeba in Bangalore, and will be looking to raise funds for air fares and other expenses throughout this year. Watch this space for more details!
Thanks to everyone who supports the church so faithfully: in serving, in giving financially, and in giving time and energy. We know that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Heb 11:6), so let’s continue to seek His face and serve Him in all the multifarious ways we can!