Last night’s Information & Envisioning evening looked at what the church has been involved in over the past year. For many people, this is not new information, but it is sometimes good to pause and reflect on what is happening locally as we seek to be ‘with God in the community, with God for the community.’
Outreach ministries include the coffee mornings held on Saturdays, the Mums & Toddlers group on Fridays, the youth club on Mondays, and badminton on Fridays. These may not seem overtly ‘Christian’ in that no songs are sung, no preaching is given and there is no official time for prayer. But because of the presence of God’s people at each one of these meetings, God is with us as we talk and engage with people from our local community. The number of different people who help at these groups is amazing and there are opportunities galore to get to know people, share God’s love and pray when asked.
We also meet at Cherry Tree Court once a month, seeking to share God’s love with the older residents there. Please continue to pray for this ministry, especially that the residents who are not in favour of this meeting will not be able to spoil things for those who are and who enjoy the fellowship and teaching!
The support of the Salvation Army food bank reflects God’s heart for the poor and needy. People’s generosity in providing food and other items such as clothing is much appreciated. Those who help with the distribution of the food parcels see how much difference this can make to those in crisis. The Salvation Army works closely with other organisations to try to provide support in other areas (job clubs, help with those suffering from alcohol or drug addictions, help in learning how to budget and cook healthy food and so on.) It’s been good to see some local people get on training courses or find work and so find purpose and hope after difficult times. It’s a privilege to be part of that helping process.
Over the past year, we have seen new people join the church and others decide to get involved in different things that the church is doing, including helping with Sunday School and music as well as youth, coffee morning and Mums and Toddlers. Prayer, worship and preaching remain key aspects of what the church does: aspects which may well seem ridiculous or insignificant to the outsider (see 1 Cor 1:18-31), but which are fundamental to our spiritual life. We are also thrilled to be able to support missionaries in Mozambique and India (watch this space for plans for a missions trip to India!) and to sponsor Bedline, a little girl in Haiti. We are well aware that our neighbour extends far beyond the Dearne Valley and that God’s heart is for the whole world.
The church is far more than the building on Market Street, though we are immensely grateful to God for His provision of this building and for providing the ongoing finances – often through the sacrificial giving of members – to run all that we do. Last year, significant improvement to the building included cavity wall and ceiling insulation, new boilers and heating, sound reduction panels, new chairs and tables and the refurbishment of the children’s room as well as new carpets to some areas and a stage partition to replace the ageing curtains. We are constantly amazed at how God provides income (including income from hiring the building to the community and from the coffee mornings) and grateful for those who Gift Aid their donations, allowing us to receive income from HMRC!
When we stop to look at all the church is doing, we are immensely grateful not only to God but to all the people whose enthusiasm, commitment and sacrifice show us that their faith is outworked in totally practical ways. The Salvation Army shop in Goldthorpe has a new sign on it that says ‘Belief In Action.’ We believe and therefore act! Thank you to all who help in any way and to God for His immense grace and generosity to us.
