Blog

  • Where did summer go? I blinked and we’re heading into Autumn and har-
    vest! Hopefully we still have good weather to come and there will be plen-
    ty of time for the farmers to bring in the crops that they have so diligently
    sowed and tended this year.
     
    Whilst it’s always sad to say goodbye to summer, I do love autumn with
    it’s beautiful colours. I tend towards nostalgia, remembering my gran tell-
    ing me off for getting my white ankle socks dirty by kicking through the
    piles of fallen leaves, school harvest festivals, and Sundays in chapel
    singing ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’. I never could sing – as I’ve told
    many of you, I once tried to sing my grandson to sleep when he was a ba-
    by and he took his dummy out of his mouth and put it in mine. I think I get
    it from my dad who, when he was a child, was sent out to weed the school
    garden during singing sessions!
     
    Times of change do, I think, bring a tendency to look back, to evaluate
    and consider the direction that we’re headed in. Looking back on our year
    so far at SBC, and staying with the farming analogy, I think we’ve all, as a
    church of every person ministry, done a good job in tending our sheep.
    We have cared for each other and strengthened our sense of community.
    With the help of visiting speakers, church members, and home group
    leaders we have (sometimes quite literally) fed our flock. While we contin-
    ue our search for a new minister and look forward to the changes that will
    bring, the seasons here continue to play out ,and we carry on keeping the
    faith, marking the milestones, and trying to keep God’s church here thriv-
    ing.
     
    One of the obvious truths about harvest is that you can only reap what you
    sow. To be able to gather in an abundant crop the farmer first had to sow
    the seed, and then nurture it. For us, this means that we first have to
    spread God’s word and then carefully watch for any new growth that
    springs from that and keep it watered. The Women’s Breakfasts have
    been a great example of this in action. From a seed of an idea from Sue
    M, we now have around 30 women attending, many of whom are not
    church attenders but who have come along with friends. They come
  • 4
     
     
    back,each time enjoying fellowship with Christian women and listening to
    testimonies from two invited speakers. Wouldn’t it be great to expand this,
    and maybe reach more men and younger people too?
     
    Recently, two opportunities to do more with outreach have presented them-
    selves to us. I say recently, but one has been dropping on and off the radar
    for over a year. We were contacted by a travelling company from Glasgow
    who were looking for venues to bring their Jesus the Evidence presentation.
    At first we thought this may be more suitable for Churches Together but, to
    cut a long story short, have recently come to the conclusion that this is
    something we should do at SBC, with the support of CTiS, and have
    booked it for October 27th. We hope everyone will get behind it and invite
    people along to listen to what Derek has to say.
     
    Around a month ago we also received an email from two girls running the
    Christian Union at Brackenhurst, asking if there was any way we could sup-
    port them. They currently have only four members and are hoping to attract
    new people. We circulated their prayer requests, as you probably remember,
    but have since then gone back to them with the offer of putting on an even-
    ing meal that they could invite fellow students to, giving the opportunity for
    them to ask questions about the CU while they’re here. Olivia and Leah
    were delighted with this suggestion and we will be getting together on their
    return to college for the Autumn term to discuss the practicalities. The timing
    of the Jesus the Evidence evening will also allow us to invite the students
    along to ask their questions there, with Olivia and Leah’s help, and hopefully
    be convinced that the evidence is overwhelmingly in favour.
     
    It feels like the loose strands that have been laying around have suddenly
    come together and we’re weaving something good. Your prayers for these
    events will be very much appreciated, and we will, of course, be asking for
    help nearer the time.
     
    God bless
     
    Sue H