From the Minister

                                                                

From the Minister

October 2024.

Dear Friends,

This Autumn seems to be a busy and exciting time and a time of celebrations and welcomes.  In September we welcomed three new members at Glemsford, October begins with a wedding at St John’s and all of the churches have harvest celebrations to give thanks for God’s good gifts to us.  I am also due to preach at the church where I grew up in Salisbury as they celebrate their Church Anniversary.  In both welcoming and celebration at these many different services, one factor seems to be key and that is openness, both to others and to God.

We open our doors as we worship and celebrate, but does our openness go further than that?  In order to extend a true and authentic welcome we also open our hearts to others in friendship as we talk, listen and share with them some of their experiences.  A real welcome is one that draws people in, making them feel at home and allowing them to offer their own skills as well as receiving the hospitality and ministry that is offered in each of our churches.

A Gospel passage that has stayed with me this month is one from Mark 7: 31-35 in which Jesus heals a man who has been both deaf and mute.  His words as he offers healing are ‘Ephphatha’ which means literally ‘be opened’ and these words are an apt prayer for us all; not that our ears and mouth physically be opened, but that we allow ourselves to be truly open to God’s Spirit in the many ways in which she speaks to us.  The Christian life is one that is open to God and open to others, both in our listening and in our action.

We all have different journeys of faith and we give thanks for those who have welcomed us and for the openness of those through the years who have responded to changes in the community and society and who have continually found new ways of presenting the Gospel so that it is both ‘eternal and ever new’.  We also seek to be open ourselves as we listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church at this time and pray for wisdom and courage to respond.

In our celebrations, our worshipping and our welcomes may we be open to what God is doing in all our lives.

God bless.

Ruth.