Pastoral Letter - August 1997

"Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua I :9 [NIV]

Looking back we have a great deal for which to praise God. We give thanks for the financial provision which has enabled us to accomplish tasks we set ourselves for the past year; the willingness and creative giftedness of so many people committed to the Lord's work here; the people who make their own contribution to our life together with great cheerfulness while at the same time jollying the rest of us along; those marvellous folks for whom nothing ever seems too much trouble and who willingly go the second mile again and again; as well as the diligence and faithfulness of those who work steadily behind the scenes, content to be out of the public eye.

As we look to the future we are conscious that we are fast approaching the millennium with all the pressures that significant date [in the eyes of the world at least] will inevitably put on people's expectations and perspectives of the new century - however muddled or unreasonable these might be at times. The church will be caught up in that. As we look to ministering in the 21st century we should not be daunted or discouraged by the challenge of change. Rather, as in the word to Joshua, we should be "strong and courageous" - not in ourselves or in our human skill or ingenuity, but in our God who goes before us and will be with us in the future as he has in the past.

• Looking to the future we want to worship and serve God. That requires our worship services are relevant and meaningful to the people who come, including those unfamiliar with the church and its ways. It means our own people must be friendly and welcoming to newcomers. We are celebrating God's love and goodness. We should be excited and enthusiastic about our life together in Christ - including what we do on Sunday! That means we can be confident to invite others to come. We know the Holy Spirit is among us to touch us, to bless us, to draw us closer to the living God.
• Looking to the future we want to serve people. One of the best ways we can do that is to sustain ourselves in the faith by being true to the Scriptures as the Word of God written. Both through personal reading, devotion and reflection and public proclamation is how we nourish ourselves in Christ. The Gospel is Good News. Diluting its truth or diminishing its standards will not help people in our increasingly secular and confused society. Adapting the message to the preferences of the current popular world view - "what their itching ears want to hear" - is neither helpful nor effective. We are to hold out the word of life [see Philippians 2:16].
• Looking to the future we want to be an authentic Christian community. Christians do not live in isolation. Fellowship is a wonderful New Testament word. It denotes active, strong partnership. it is life in true relationship. It goes far beyond the superficial, shallow notions of what society regards as "relationship". Still the best ordinary means of building fellowship within the congregation is vital participation in a house group. In this way people get to know one another, share problems and concerns, learn more of God and pray for and with one another. Many people in our community are avid for real friendship. Have we even begun to tap into the possibilities many of our social occasions in church life open up to invite others to join us? For instance have you ever thought of the "Theatre Night" or the recent Midwinter Dinner as opportunities to build bridges to bring friends or neighbours into initial contact with the church? People often regard Christians as weird, so it can be helpful if their first contacts can be very ordinary ones. They can see us as real, normal people!
• Looking to the future we want to reach out and meet the needs of people in the community. In some ways we have already been involved in such work. The late Jean Eaton not only began the midweek playgroup almost twenty five years ago, but she also set up a Monday night programme of games and activities for all kinds of lonely people. There are many needs out there in society and while we cannot possibly meet them all, there some ways in which we might offer help. The ministry of Loco Foco is one means of reaching out to youth and young adults. The two morning playgroups is another community service. The proposed counselling ministry of Janet Thompson is still another real possibility of a helping hand or is it a listening ear?
• Looking to the future we want to use effective means of evangelism, reaching out to others with the Good News of Jesus with integrity and proper respect for people. Anything that tries to manipulate people or put pressure on them is quite unworthy of Jesus and inappropriate. In recent months we have found the Alpha course to be a very useful means of explaining and exploring the Christian faith. Its friendly and non-threatening environment means absolute newcomers can feel quite at home. Others who have been around churches for a while find it a very stimulating way to find out more. Small group discussion enables everyone to ask any question they want. We still have quite a way to go to fulfil the great potential of the programme here in Greyfriars. Let us claim and affirm the vision. Let us work on the strategies and follow through on the objectives!

Yours very sincerely,

J O Evans