02/07/2024 0 Comments
Rector's Ramblings - Feb 2017
Rector's Ramblings - Feb 2017
# Word from the Clergy

Rector's Ramblings - Feb 2017
The world in which we wake up in now is a very different one from the one we woke up in in February 2016. Much has happened in the last year that have brought about some pretty significant changes – things that will affect us all. There has been the vote to leave the EU and we are just beginning to see what a Trump Presidency looks like and how that might affect things on the international stage. No doubt there have been things that have happened in our own lives in the last 12 months that have had a profound affect on us and will have shaped some aspects of what is going to happen in the future. These changes can be positive as well as negative. The true
test, is as always, how we deal with the things that life brings us.
Whilst there are many unknowns in the future for us all, this is not so much the case with the future of St Mark’s. We are very fortunate in that we are able to plan many aspects of what the future will
hold for us at church. We can do this because each year a group of 30 people from the church undertake an annual survey which helps us to determine how we are doing in various aspects of
church life. These results are then processed into what we know to be the 8 Essential Qualities (or EQs) of a Healthy Growing Church. Just to refresh your memory, these are; Empowering Leadership, Gift-based Ministry, Inspiring Worship, Holistic Small Groups, Passionate Spirituality, Effective Structures, Need Oriented Evangelism and Loving Relationships. Over the last year we
have been working on the area of Passionate Spirituality, as this was our lowest scoring area from the previous survey.
As we have gone through the year, I hope you will have been aware of some of things we have been doing to work on the area of spirituality, as we have put on a series of Quiet Days to help us with our improving our prayer life, our Bible Awayday where 75 people attended to learn more about the scriptures and how to read them, and our focus on giving our money to God as being a spiritual, not a financial issue.
By the time you read this, this year’s survey will have taken place and we will already be turning our thoughts to what is going to happen over the course of this coming year as the Ministry Leadership Team begin to set priorities. Whichever of the 8EQs we end up working on and whatever the priorities we set for the future - whatever the year has in store for us personally - there is something that we should always bear in mind. We don’t go forward alone and we certainly don't do it in our own strength. Every step of the way we invite God to be with us so that he can help us and guide us as we travel into what could be new territory and through uncertain times.
With God helping us and guiding us we are able to give him our grateful thanks for when the journey is easy and the going good, and ask for his support and love to help us through those times when the going is tougher. So, may we all put our hope and trust in the God who journeys with us and see his hand at work in our lives, now and always.
Wishing you every blessing.
Tim
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