A message from the CURATE, SOPHIE COWAN
I am writing to you a couple of weeks after Holiday Club 2021 and just after the service in which we celebrated all those young people and adults who took part. In this time we considered the question:
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
It took a huge team effort to make a shortened & COVID safe version of Holiday Club (led by our expert 'White Shirts'). It is one of many of our services and activities that we have had to adapt in these unusual times. Emerging from lockdown generally hasn't been easy and that is particularly true for young people who have had to deal with all that has changed, perhaps without fully understanding what has been going on. We had hoped all of this wouldn’t take too long, though, as we now know, COVID has and continues to provoke huge change in all that we once considered to be ‘normal’. The Holiday Club Team persevered and adapted to provide a space for our young people to get to know God and to have a joyful time together. Which leads me to the question, even in such difficult circumstances:
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
We are carefully regaining our confidence in gathered worship, making the most of our online resources, as well as meeting in person. And we are singing our praises to God as a congregation once again (wearing our masks to take care of one another). But, are we actually ready to follow the example and calling of Jesus? Here are some of the ways we can follow Jesus that were explored at the Holiday Club:
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
This all may seem like a lot to ask when we are already dealing with so much. However, what has been listed above are the things that will enable us to ‘fish for people’ as Jesus taught his followers to do. They are life-giving, energising, freedom offering practices. They are the spiritual equipment that we gather as we respond to Jesus’ call to ‘follow me!’
My prayer for each of us in the coming months is that as we grow as a church, (and we are growing!), we will do so in a way that shows we are ready and prepared to follow the way of Jesus; bringing healing, seeking to know more about what God can do in our lives and the lives of others and revealing the Good News of Christ in our speech and actions. Amen.
With every blessing,
Sophie Cowan
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
It took a huge team effort to make a shortened & COVID safe version of Holiday Club (led by our expert 'White Shirts'). It is one of many of our services and activities that we have had to adapt in these unusual times. Emerging from lockdown generally hasn't been easy and that is particularly true for young people who have had to deal with all that has changed, perhaps without fully understanding what has been going on. We had hoped all of this wouldn’t take too long, though, as we now know, COVID has and continues to provoke huge change in all that we once considered to be ‘normal’. The Holiday Club Team persevered and adapted to provide a space for our young people to get to know God and to have a joyful time together. Which leads me to the question, even in such difficult circumstances:
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
We are carefully regaining our confidence in gathered worship, making the most of our online resources, as well as meeting in person. And we are singing our praises to God as a congregation once again (wearing our masks to take care of one another). But, are we actually ready to follow the example and calling of Jesus? Here are some of the ways we can follow Jesus that were explored at the Holiday Club:
- Looking to offer healing to those who are suffering or in need.
- Listening for God speaking afresh to us in Scripture and through prayer.
- Telling people of the Good News.
Are we ready to follow Jesus?
This all may seem like a lot to ask when we are already dealing with so much. However, what has been listed above are the things that will enable us to ‘fish for people’ as Jesus taught his followers to do. They are life-giving, energising, freedom offering practices. They are the spiritual equipment that we gather as we respond to Jesus’ call to ‘follow me!’
My prayer for each of us in the coming months is that as we grow as a church, (and we are growing!), we will do so in a way that shows we are ready and prepared to follow the way of Jesus; bringing healing, seeking to know more about what God can do in our lives and the lives of others and revealing the Good News of Christ in our speech and actions. Amen.
With every blessing,
Sophie Cowan