Minister’s Letter My three month sabbatical flew by and it is now September and the start of another church year. And so I ask myself, what have I gained that might be of benefit to others or could be shared with others? Apart from visiting family, catching up on my reading, spending 3 weeks playing with the Appledore Band and dodging the rain, I attended a couple of courses and a retreat. Overall it has been a time of renewal, something that we all need and which God offers to all of us. One of the books I have been reading as a kind of summary since I returned is called “Rhythms of Grace”, by Tony Horsfall. He reminds us that the two great gospel words are “Come” and “Go” – a word of invitation and a word of command. Both are important in the Christian life but our coming to Jesus must always come before our going out in his name. Sounds simple doesn’t it but ask yourself if it is true in your life? For many of us there is far too much “going” and not enough “coming”, resulting in lives that are spiritually impoverished and lacking in both depth and passion. Jesus’ gracious invitation to us to “come to him” is the foundation of everything else in the Christian life. Before we rush into the Autumn round of meetings see if you can find time to reflect on the above. Is coming to church on a Sunday and doing our duty in groups and meetings etc all there is, or is there something further that we are seeking? Jane
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