Over 40 members of our congregation enjoyed a delicious breakfast together in church on 18th January. A hum of chatter and laughter filled the air as we tucked into our various choices of tea, coffee, juice, rolls, croissants, Danish pastries, fruit and yoghurts. Then it was time to listen and watch presentations on the state of our buildings, finances and growth. Some of the statistics are sobering. For example, the church heating system needs to be replaced within a couple of years at a potential cost of £60K. To replace our current lighting with LED bulbs will incur a potential cost of £30k. Even if applications for grants are successful, we will need to raise half of these amounts ourselves. It was good to pray together as a church family together for these needs.

On a more positive note, Revd Joe highlighted four areas in which we will seek to GROW:

· Becoming more Christlike and putting down deeper roots of faith

· Improving the health of our faith community

· Growing with the community we serve

· Growing numerically in a natural, sustainable way, bearing good fruit in due season.

Joe reminded us of the Bible verses in Ephesians 4 that point to our goal in growth:

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.