The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

After much planning and preparation we will, this month, be celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the church. It is not a celebration of bricks and mortar but of the faithfulness of God down through 80 years of our fellowship. Over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of September we will have the opportunity to gather together as a fellowship to give thanks for how the Lord has been at work in the lives of His people down through the generations since the founding of the church and the establishment of a place of worship. It is a time to look back over the years that have gone by and the faithful servants that have gone before us. It is also an opportunity to give thanks for the Lords leading and guiding in these years and His many blessings but it is, importantly, an opportunity to think of what the coming years will hold. None of us know what the future holds and what blessings we will experience and what challenges we will face but looking to the Lords faithfulness in the past means we can be sure that He is trustworthy for whatever the future holds. We seek to continue to build on the bedrock of the ministries and work that have been and to establish ways to connect with a new generation or generations. As plans come together for the celebration so other plans are being considered for the life of the church beyond these celebrations. In many ways it is these plans that are important because we cannot rest on the past victories and successes but must be continually pushing forward in our life and witness to the world around us. We seek to be faithful to the Word of God, to the unchanging Lord and the call to be His witnesses in an ever changing world. We continue to look to the Lord and we ask that He will give us a vision of what He would have us do and how He would have us do it. Great steps of faith were taken in the past as the church stands testament to and great steps of faith will be needed in the days ahead but as the verse above declares ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’ In this joyful period of celebration in the life of our congregation please take time to reflect on the faithfulness of the God we serve and in the business find time to be still before Him and see glimpses of His glory.

Every blessing
Gordon