Christmas 25 and New Year 26 Message

Dear Church Family,

 

I want to start by wishing you all a very Happy Christmas. I hope you all get a chance to stop, rest and anchor yourself in the profound nature of the season – that we are loved by God and the coming of Christ into the world is an invitation to know him personally. It’s easy to miss this in the busyness of Christmas, and so it’s important to create space for us to be still and contemplate the deep truths that are presented in the Christmas narrative. What might God be wanting to highlight to you this Christmas season? I encourage you to stop and ask him to speak over the next couple of weeks.

 

We’ve had a busy few weeks here at BFPC with a significant number of events being run or hosted in the church. It is truly a privilege to act as a host to the wider community and my prayer is that as they come into the church, they will encounter something of the presence of God that start or continues a journey of faith.

 

Over the next few weeks, we have a number of things happening that I’d like to highlight to you.

 

We kick off the new year with a 10AM Service on 4th Jan – which will be like those we run over the summer, reflecting the breadth of our worship. I’ll take the time to outline some of what I think God is leading us into for the year ahead. So please do come along.

 

On the 11th Jan at 3pm Bishop Stephen is coming to license me as Rector of Blandford Forum and commission the church as a mission hub. Why does this matter? Being licensed as Rector isn’t really about me, but about the way the church has pulled together and engaged with the wider community in such a way that has led to significant growth. I was appointed on a temporary basis (as Priest in Charge) 4 years ago to give the church an opportunity to turn around, and that’s what we’ve done in partnership over the following years. This service is recognition of what God has done through us, and a commendation by the Bishop and the Diocese of the trajectory of travel and an endorsement of our role within the wider diocesan vision and strategy. It gives us an opportunity to tell the story of the past few years to the wider community, and declare that the church is alive, it’s growing and that God is at work in our midst. I’m hoping it can be a moment of celebration for us as a church.

 

And the week following we will have a Week of Prayer – where we commit all that we believe that God is calling us to do to him in Prayer. Prayer is foundational to God’s call on us as a church, and so I want to encourage everyone to come along to the various sessions over the week and to pray side by side with other church members. There’s something really powerful about us coming together to pray. It demonstrates unity, buy in to vision, and a belief that God is in control. 

 

On 18th Jan we will be saying farewell to a number of folks who’ve been significant in the life of the church. Obviously Will, Sophie and the girls will be saying farewell, but we’re also saying a formal goodbye to Philip Whitcomb and Rachel Baynes, both of whom are leaving us imminently. We will have a bring and share lunch at the Parish Centre after the 11am service. Please do come along and bring some food to share with you. We also would love to send all of them off with gifts. If you’d like to make a contribution you can do so via the church website or by donating via cash or cheques which are clearly marked for this purpose. You can give online here: www.bfpc.org.uk/give

 

Lastly, we’re starting the next Alpha Course on Tues 20th Jan. Alpha, as most of you are aware, is a brilliant opportunity to invite friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues to who are inquisitive about faith. We already have a number of people signed up, but there is still plenty of space left for other guests. Please do be praying and think about who you might invite to come along. Do also pick up some invitations at the back of church. You can sign up for the course here www.bfpc.org.uk/alpha

 

As we enter this new year, my prayer for all of us is that we go deeper in embodying our vision to be a people that are Devoted to Jesus, Formed by Jesus and Sent by Jesus, to be a Beacon of God’s Hope for Blandford and Beyond.

 

Many Blessings

 

Chris