Sisters and Brothers,
Through grace, we commence another Connexional Year. The assurance is ours that the grace that saw us through last’s years complexities is more than enough for all that is to come. All that the Lord requires of us, the Lord will enable us to fulfil. For this though, we must be ready to discern and available to follow the leading of God’s Spirit.
Life in Christ is not always easy, but rather, often demanding. The District’s theme Trusting God in Difficult Times: transforming obstacles into opportunities, reminds us of this. In the context of challenges we shall face during the year ahead, we need to prove not just to ourselves, but to the communities we serve, that we are a church. We are registered as such – a movement of people committed to sharing in God’s mission in the world.
This means that we have taken on, in both an ecclesiastical sense as well as a socio-political sense, the imperative to do mission. We agree to serve the world beyond the walls where we meet for communal worship and fellowship. We must come to church, yes; join in fellowship with believers, yes; learn the faith, yes; be constantly praying and growing in grace, yes; but there must be more to us than that. Outreach is key. We must go out and make disciples as our Lord commands. This we do through Christian Service and Witness. We cannot ignore those who are not part of our present fellowship for it is to those whom we are sent. We are sent out to love and to serve and as we do, some will love in return.
Therefore, with COVID distancing in perspective, we resume Operation Andrew- friendship based evangelism. Everyone can be an Andrew leading another into friendship with Jesus. How you do that depends on your special gifts. The Bible teaches that each one of us is specially gifted. With your gifts, you will serve and win persons to whom others do not have access. You have what it takes because you are God’s special gift to somebody else. Don’t belittle what God can do through you. It is in our weakness that God’s perfect strength is realised.
It might sound a bit cliché when we say “Little is much when God is in it” but please put your little gift of love and friendship into the Operation Andrew basket. We will all look back with grateful hearts as we rejoice, “See what the Lord has done!”
Let us follow the Lord as the Spirit of God leads us into a world needing to know more of God. We can show that love through service and witness.
For God’s sake, let’s just do it.
Yours in God’s service
Joan Delsol Meade, Pastor