Philippians 1: 3-5 3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. September is a time of endings as well as new beginnings. Our schools return after the long summer holidays, with some starting a new school in a new place, while others return to what is more familiar. For our farmers the summer fruits have been picked and sold and now the crops are starting to be collected in, and harvest is on its way. For me September brings a house and job move as I transfer my ministry from the Staffordshire Border Group of Churches to Greyfriars, Kirkcudbright and St Mary’s Gatehouse of Fleet on the south-west coast of Scotland. My time here has been fulfilling and rewarding as I’ve journeyed with you through the high and low points of life, as well as all that comes in between. And while it has been a relatively short period of time, I feel that much has been shared in that time. Each encounter and memory is precious, each time of ministry a privilege and each answered prayer a source of joy and encouragement. We have a God who travels with us, through the beginnings and the endings, the goodbyes to a season just ending and the welcomes into a new season. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians was one of confidence in God’s promises to fulfil his plans in and through each one of us. And that is my prayer for you, for each of the churches in this Benefice, for our lovely church schools in Gnosall and Woodseaves, and for each one of your lives. It has been a privilege to live and minister among you, may God continue to bless your journeys, hear your prayers and fulfil your hopes and dreams. Philippians 1: 9-11 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Dear Congregation of St Lawrence Church,Thank you for your fantastic Harvest Festival donations to the House of Bread. It is donations like these which will help to ensure that we continue to support the homeless and most vulnerable in our local area. I am enclosing a certificate of appreciation which you might like to display on your noticeboard.From the House of Bread Team.
“Earth is crammed with heaven. And every common Bush fire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh. It is easy to feel that everything is out of control, or maybe worse we feel that everything should be under our control but it isn’t. We have the technology, don’t we? Surely, we can regulate everything. Nature and life, however, have other thoughts. The cool breeze this June has kyboshed best laid plans for our vegetable patch. The runner beans have been bashed by the wind (my dad always says we put them in too early) and the courgettes are looking very peaky. It is certain, we can’t make the weather get better, we can’t turn up the temperature of the sun, nor can we tell the wind to stop blowing. It feels hard, living at the mercy of what comes our way. Life does what life does. There is some truth in the cliché “Always look on the bright side of life”. Looking at the bright side gives us something to do, we are taking positive action. It doesn’t take away the “dark side”, the trials and tribulation, but at least we have a better view as we battle on through. I love the images of weeds which against all odds push through the cracks in the pavement. They may be weeds, but somehow there is hope in their resilience, “Earth is crammed with heaven”. The author of Ecclesiastes (Bible, The Message) was fed up. He had tried everything, he found no satisfaction anywhere, he concluded in chapter 3 verses 1-14 that, “God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time … I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life... It’s God’s gift”. In times of trial and tribulation this is very difficult. But I wonder if Elizabeth Barrett Browning was right. Perhaps we should give ourselves permission to take the time and the space to take off our shoes and see the goodness of God in the things around us, that action in itself might bring us hope and peace. Sarah Smith
Dear friends, the following announcement was made in church this morning:"It has been a real joy and privilege to have been Rector of the Staffordshire Border Group of Churches over the last three years. However, with family in Scotland, when a vacancy arose in the area, I applied for and was offered the post of Priest-in-Charge of Greyfriars, Kirkcudbright and St Mary’s, Gatehouse of Fleet.My final Sunday in the Benefice will be on 25th August, when we will join together for a Benefice service in Gnosall."With kind regards and prayers,Revd Alison
