Welcome back

… well I know some of us haven’t been away yet – but September still feels like a new start. I hope you’ve had a good summer with time for rest and re-creation. Harder to achieve this time of year if you’re involved in farming, but maybe you’re going to be making time for a break later on in the year.

In the last few months, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming many couples making a new start through choosing to get married in one of our churches. Due to a recent change in the law there are now more qualifying connections for being able to get married in church, even if you don’t live in the Parish where you want to get married. See www.yourchurchwedding.com for more information. Of course this still doesn’t help those of us who have yet to meet our future spouse, but as at least one of our Parish Pubs is starting up a singles evening maybe more opportunities are on their way!

St Thomas church in Lower Moor has had a new start too recently, in that it has just been licensed for weddings, the first one of which happens in September.

A new start too for three of our parishioners – Celia Willis, Sue Perry & Richard Murray-Peters - who have been undertaking a year-long course of study in pastoral care and parish administration. . They will be ‘authorised’ in a special celebration service in Worcester Cathedral in September. We have a Parish brimming over with mission opportunities and I look forward to working with our increasing number of lay* leaders in developing strategies to help us move forward in ways of inviting people to discover for themselves the abundant life Jesus calls us to.

(*lay = commited christians who do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy’)

My preferred definition of the word Leadership is, ‘recognising, equipping and enabling others to work with you in turning vision into reality’. The vision for our Parish is contained within:

1. Jesus’ priorities of :

‘ loving your neighbour as yourself (and not being picky about who that neighbour is)

going and making disciples of all people

2. the hopes and expectations our 3,300 residents have (including our migrant workers & gypsy families) of what they want their village churches to provide

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3. the priorities given to us by Worcester Diocese of -

The deepening of our corporate prayer life

The renewal of our Worship

The equipping of people to share their faith

The more we can focus our planning and resources in these ways, the more our Parish will grow in displaying the hallmarks of having spiritually healthy churches, through:

Worshipping God

Working to rid the world of poverty

Sharing the gospels

Building inclusive communities

Helping people to faith

Caring for the earth

God loves us the way we are, but loves us too much to leave us the way we are. Jesus – the hero of the Christian faith, didn’t come to teach us how to be spiritual – he came to teach us how to be fully human. The Bible teaches us that we are all in the process of being transformed “from a sow’s ear into a silk purse”. All of the above implies movement, so maybe part of what it means to live peaceably and productively in community is about recognising that we’re all on a journey of exploration together.

In God’s perspective it’s never too late for a new start and every day brings new opportunities.

Love, light and blessings - Lynn