February 2024 Monthly Message

Dear Church Family,

My apologies in the delay writing this update to you. I was ill last week on the day I intended to sit down and write it.

 

Vision Sunday

The year has started with many encouragements. We started with vision Sunday where I set out our four priorities for the year ahead:

Leadership – Increasing our capacity for mission.

Discipleship – Increasing our confidence in mission.

Children and Families – Reaching and discipling the next generations.

Seniors and The Vulnerable – Loving and caring for the older generations.

 

It was so encouraging to see how many came along to the week of prayer following that to pray into what had been presented. I truly believe that prayer is the foundation of all that we do, and that it gives God opportunity to be at work in what we place before him. I look forward to seeing what the Lord does in the coming year.

 

Financial Provision

On Sunday, Sara and Philip testified to God’s provision for us financially both regarding regular income and for the restoration project. We thank and praise God for what he has done for us in that area of church life. This isn’t however a reason to stop giving financially – we’re in this place because we have all been obedient to God’s call to give sacrificially. We can continue to invest more in mission and growth as we see giving increase. Thank you to everyone who is giving to church regularly. We hope this testimony will encourage continued generosity.

 

Alpha

Alpha has been a source of great encouragement, with quite a number of guests coming along who have little to no experience of church or faith. I have observed lately that people are more open and willing to engage with conversations about faith than I’ve ever experienced before. My prayer is that we will continue to see fruit from Alpha and more people coming to know Jesus for themselves.

 

Growth

As a church we are growing in numbers. We’re required to report attendance figures each January, and when Heidi was inputting the figures the system kept on asking her to check her numbers, as they were significantly different in a positive direction from those we submitted this time last year. Yet again we thanks and praise God for what he has been doing in growing his church over the last year. It’s so encouraging to see, and we pray that we will continue to grow over this next year.

 

Children and School’s Minister

I was able to share that we were hoping to appoint a Children and School’s Minister soon. Unfortunately, we were unable to interview this time round, but we still want to appoint someone and so we’ll cast out our nets again later in the year and hopefully find someone who feels called to join the team here at BFPC. Please do be praying that the right candidate will come along.

 

Explorers is moving!

In the meantime, we’re excited to be moving Explorers, our Sunday children’s ministry for children in Reception to Year 6, up to the Parish Centre starting this month, as it’s outgrown the small room next to the church lobby. This will also give us capacity for additional growth over the coming year. Yet again this is such good news for us as a church, and we thanks and praise God for all that he is doing in this area of church life. We have transformed the Old Explorer’s room back into a creche space which is available for those with younger children to use during services if they wish. There is a TV link, so you don’t miss anything going on in church.

 

Living in Love and Faith

The Church of England has been on a journey of conversations around human sexuality and same sex relationships over the last few years. Last December General Synod authorised the use of experimental prayers of blessing for same sex relationships to be used within a service. The provisos for use being that the incumbent has to agree to their use. Whilst these conversations were happening elsewhere I thought it unhelpful to engage with them whilst we still faced the challenges of growth and sustainability. 

Last Nov I presented a paper to the PCC outlining why I retain a traditional (and I believe biblically orthodox) view of marriage and human sexuality, and therefore cannot in good conscience adopt the prayers for use here in Blandford Forum. The PCC had an opportunity this month to express freely where they stood on this issue. I recognise that we will have a broad spectrum of beliefs about this particular topic as a church, but my hope is that unlike what we see in the world, we can love each other and be committed to one another despite disagreement. I will never insist on conformity of beliefs on this particular topic – everyone is welcome to worship here at BFPC and I hope is accepted and loved. I won’t however teach anything other than a traditional view of marriage.

 

I hope that in the time that I’ve been here I have modelled what it is to love one another despite disagreement and difference. I feel deeply the need to hold together as a diverse community of faith, but also the heavy responsibility before God of being faithful to his call to shepherd his sheep teaching them to do as he commanded. This is not a position I take lightly. In many ways my life would be so much simpler and much more comfortable if I conformed to the world around me, but I just can’t square that change of theological understanding in my reading of scripture. I remain fully confident that the gospel we have received down the centuries remains good news for all today. That is the gospel I have been preaching over the last 2 years, and the one I believe is bearing fruit!

 

As always, I am more than willing to discuss this with those that might have questions or concerns on this particular subject. Please do contact Tina in the office to arrange to do so. In the meantime, can I ask you to be praying that we as a community embody God’s purposes for us as a church in Blandford Forum?

 

Coming Up:

Lastly, there’s quite a few things coming up that we want you to be aware of.

Sun 11th Feb – Small Group Sunday – we’re inviting everyone to join a small group for Lent. Small groups are the fundamental building blocks of the church community, where we grow in our discipleship and develop deeper relationships with a few. As part of this I am starting a small group meeting on a Tuesday evening at 7.45pm in Church. If you’re interested in joining a group, speak to Debby, Will or Myself.

Weds 14th Feb 11am -1pm – Stay & Play – mosaic making in the church with other crafts and activities and lunch.

Weds 14th Feb – 7pm – Ash Wednesday Communion Service. Kick off the start of lent with this reflective communion service.

Sun 18th Feb – 6pm – New Wine Celebration – a regional gathering of worship, teaching and prayer ministry – hosted by BFPC.