One encouraging feature of our church’s life has been the increased interest in and commitment to overseas mission. Each of the homegroups supports a mission partner financially and in prayer, and as they tell us when they visit, this means an enormous amount to those working often in difficult and isolated situations. Last year we were able to channel over £38,000 through the Mission Partnership scheme to a range of mission initiatives, from Central Asia to Kenya and from Senegal to the Shekinah Mission.

One family we particularly enjoy supporting are the Dryes, who we hope to see more of this month as Alistair takes part of his sabbatical in Torquay. We look forward to commenting on how Ella, Jonah, Rhiannon and Boaz have grown – and how Naomi looks as young as ever! Bishop John Ellison has now retired from Paraguay, Katy has arrived safely in India, and we are glad also to take on support for a former member of our congregation, Sarah Leedham, who works for the Christian environmental organisation A Rocha. It will be good to hear more in due course about what Sarah is up to. And we hope to have an update on Marine Reach from Brian and Ann Sloan after the evening service on 13th July.

All of this is to say that support for mission activity is not an optional extra but central to church life. “From those to whom much is given, much will be required,” and we do have a great deal in terms of resources compared to the church in many parts of the world. But we can also learn a lot from those who serve Christ in difficult situations. The prayer diary gives us a weekly mission initiative to pray for, and we look forward to plenty of intrepid tales once our Malawian parties return!

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Many thanks

This book explores the spirituality of young people in former Soviet countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It describes their hopes and fears, their ideas about God and their search for meaning.  It is now available in the church shop for £8.99.  If supplies run out, please sign the list in the shop.

Their April newsletter can be read here.

At the church’s annual meeting last month, the reading was from Colossians chapter three verses 12–17. In those verses the apostle Paul is deeply concerned about how the Christian community lives. God’s chosen people, as he calls them, emphasising the privilege of our calling, are to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. They are to bear with each other, forgive as God has forgiven them and, above all else, to put on love (continuing his clothing metaphor).

This is because the gospel is not just a theological truth or abstract good news. It is embedded in community, demonstrated and lived out by those who hold to it. The salt of the earth are also the light of the world. The Holy Spirit changes not just individuals but also whole groups of people, as we see in the Acts of the Apostles. Indeed, the gospel is about creating God’s new community.
The new life that Christ brings is demonstrated above all in relationships. The calling is not just to love those who are like us. Love begins at the point of disagreement. That is where our commitment to each other is proved. In a fragmented society, the church can demonstrate unity. In a world where people grumble, criticise and bear resentment, Christian people can be encouraging, kind and forgiving. It’s not easy, often it goes against our natural instincts, but it is a mark of God at work by his Spirit.

After telling the Colossians what they are to be, Paul goes on to what they are to do. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” At the annual meeting we touched on the priorities and targets for the year ahead. But on their own, those things are just events and activities. Our service is to be a grateful and joyful response to God’s grace to us, doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.