Dear friends,

It’s very surreal this is my final week at St Martin’s and so, my final weekly message! I’m left feeling quite nostalgic about the journey we have been on in the last three years. We’ve been through quite a lot as well, namely the pandemic and have journeyed together the changes and disruptions this has caused. I remember my first service and the nerves I had of being in a new style of worship as well as feeling at home and welcomed. These are the aspects I am so thankful for, embracing and truly experiencing God in a new church style, for learning that wherever God is present I will feel at home and for the warm and loving welcome you have shown Jack and me throughout the three years.

A good few months ago the PCC met to spend a morning together to pray and discern the next steps for the church. In the previous week, we spent time praying with a specific scripture from 2 Timothy that felt important. As I have gone through this week, the passage has kept coming back to me.

2 Timothy 1: 3-7: I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

I find this passage moving for many reasons. But when I reflect on St Martin’s the space, the people, and the community – this passage seems to illuminate much of how I feel and what I have learnt.

There is something holy in the history of the church- the people who have dedicated years to the church, the 120 years of prayer, worship, preaching, outreach and fellowship. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of stories of love, hope, grief, pain, and joy have been woven into the story of St Martin’s. You feel the peaceful weight of this holiness when you walk into the building- those who come from the community notice it too, the number of times people come in and cry and can’t explain why… but the Holy Spirit dwells tangibly. As part of the worship experience, this rich history is celebrated and honoured.

As well as this, God also has called into other expressions, expressions that have required us to lean on God and receive that Spirit of power and not cowardice. Over the three years, we have seen changes beyond what we thought would ever happen. And yet, God has been with us in it all. As we stepped out in trust and tried to put fear behind us, we have seen some amazing things. Whether that has been Café church, the depth of conversation in Morning Prayer, the experiment of things like 4th at 4 and Messy Church, gathering new families in Bears and Prayer or having spaces of silence and contemplation like Contemplative Community. God has taught us that we are never left alone when we step out of our comfort zone and we have experienced new ways in which God meets his people.

I have been so blessed by the diversity of these expressions and I think it’s why St Martin’s has been growing, there are so many opportunities to see God’s love.

It’s also not just about the gathered Sunday community- but also Knowle. I have loved being part of the community of Knowle. Reaching out to local schools, Redcatch Community Garden, our Food Hub during the pandemic as well as other gatherings it has been a joy to see where God is already moving and working and for us to join in, even if in a small way. This has enabled new people to get to know St Martin’s, for that message of God’s love and inclusion to be shared.

What is wonderful is that God’s Spirit is ever present and will continue to be despite who leaves! God will continue to move through and use St Martin’s in new ways for his love to be known.

And so, the broad expression of God, the love from all of you and how we are integrated with the community have all contributed to a curacy that has not only taught me so much but has enriched and deepened my faith.

Thank you for these three years

With much love and prayers

Laura