Spiritual

A Pastoral Letter to the Methodist People from the President and Vice-President of the Conference and the General Secretary

As holidays go this one hasn’t been quite so bad.  We’ve had the flat for free, only a minute’s walk from a view of the Menai straight.  We’ve had two glorious days of sunshine – if you like that sort of thing.  We’ve visited various towns in the vicinity and sampled their cafés, shops, sand, slides and swings.  It’s been good, and it seems we’re surrounded by sailing boats.

It’s summer!!!! Hmm?-  where you say, “Well,  apparently summer happened here in England on Tuesday the 16th June!!” (according to the pilot that flew Neil, myself and about another 200 or so passengers back from Cyprus)

Another busy year of mission and ministry is drawing to a close.  It is difficult to assess what has been the highpoints but I am sure that you will be able to think of your own.  Here are some of mine.

I wait.  Tick follows tock, follows tick, follows tock – you know the rest.  I sit -  in the dark place.  Feet away, a small creature rises from his bed.  “Thomas, lie down”.  The plea for reason falls once again on deaf ears, and I find myself once again manoeuvring my precious son back into his bed and covering him over.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 talks about there being a time for everything. We have just spent 10 days in 24/7 prayer, spending time with God praying for global issues, economic crisis, governments, UK needs, KMC needs and personal needs.  I wonder if anyone has discovered what God has been calling them to!!

Dear Friends,

Over the next few weeks there is the opportunity to participate in times of prayer for the circuit and for KMC.

On Wednesday 13th May we are holding a circuit prayer and gift day at Snelson Methodist Church from 2.00pm to 8.00pm.  In the March Open Doors I laid before you the need for financial gifts to fund the extension of Wesley Cottage in preparation for the arrival of Rev’d Jackie Betts in September.  The building work has now begun. The Circuit Staff felt that we should give people the opportunity to bring their gifts on 13th May and also have a time of prayer to pray for the mission of all the circuit churches.  In the past, these prayer times have brought direction and encouragement to the churches.  Please drop in to pray even if you are unable to make a gift.

We have just returned from our week in Llandudno at ECG.  A week where the weather was fantastic, the worship was powerful and God spoke to many of us in a specific way.  You could really feel the presence and power of God at work.  It proved to be an awesome week for all of us, for some more than others; however, everyone felt a sense of God’s presence and many of us have returned changed and on fire for God.  One of the evening events spoke about seeking God’s will for our lives, not being afraid of change, change in direction, change in situation, about stepping out and doing something different, putting our faith before anything else; the faith that brings us to understand who Jesus really is and how He affects our lives; the faith that God wants us to use daily in every aspect of our lives, not just weekend worshippers; to stand out from the crowd, be bold, be different and stand up for what we believe in.

So there was this bunch of men and women who’ve been following this Rabbi.  They’ve travelled with him; eaten with him; sat round the same fire; slept on the same ground; played the same games.

I am sure you have all heard the joke about ‘How many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?’ - with the overwhelming response being ‘CHANGE!!!!!’

I have just returned from my annual Lay Employees’ conference, and to say change is difficult is putting it mildly. Within the whole restructure of the Methodist Church the annual Lay Workers conference was joined with the Children and Youth Workers’ conference.  As part of the planning group, we met a few times over the past year and eventually had a programme that we felt would engage with the diversity of the people who would come.  Both conferences had very different ways of working, and to be able to bring them together involved change and compromise!