July/August 2008

Dear Friends

 

At last the end is in sight!

 

Towards the end of July, it is expected that the contractors will hand over the new building completed!  Some of us enjoyed a tantalising moment in the new building when in June we fitted the time capsule into the wall, but it’s not long now until we get fully access to the finished building.  Yes, the end is in sight!  And perhaps for some the church text, with its promise of peace, will take on a new meaning!

 

However I need also to say that it’s only been twenty weeks or so in the making!  It really hasn’t taken that long!  And I am happy to say too that our contractors, under Stan the site manager from Nevilles, have been brilliant; they are so efficient and hard-working, and so well-planned, and have been so wonderfully accommodating of the ongoing life of the church – although they have also known that a monthly lunch at Meeting Point is well worth them making adjustments for!  Let there be nothing but compliments for the speed and the quality of the work, even if we are really looking forward to what the new space will offer us, and allow us to offer to others.

 

But it’s that sense of the future that really excites me, in other words not the end of the work to construct it, but the beginning of the new chapter in which we use it.  Perhaps the analogy of baptism as we understand and practise it is helpful here.

 

For anyone the moment of their baptism is a hugely significant occasion, and always very moving for all those others who are present.  It’s a special day, and one to remember and build upon always.  There is often a growing sense of anticipation and excitement, as in trust and openness we embrace God’s plan for our lives in a new way.  Our official opening on Saturday 6 September is surely a bit like that – and that too will be a moving occasion – don’t miss it!!

 

But there has been a whole journey of preparation up to such an occasion, to the act of baptism.  There is preparation, planning and prayer done in the company of others, but there is also a sense of journeying with God, as in his love he nurtures us, calls us, nudges us, challenges us, invites us to commit to him and to his people for the rest of our lives.  The establishing of foundations for a solid future in faith, the understanding of the will of God and the ways of his kingdom of justice and wholeness are all elements as our faith grows.  And in a similar way we have pursued the process of the building project in preparation, planning and prayer, with others and with each other, seeking to journey with God, to know his mind, to follow his leading.

 

But baptism is not the end of the path, or the top of the ladder, and so nor then is the completion of our new building.  Baptism is the beginning of rest of our life in Christ, our growing as disciples, our living as worshipping and witnessing people in exploration and discovery.  It’s less a point of arrival as a point of departure!  And let the same be true of our building project – we’re only just beginning, there’s so much more ahead!  And with a sense of faith in God’s goodness and a commitment to belong to God’s people, let us go on forwards.

 

With my love and prayers for all that this summer holds (including I trust for all at least some time for rest and refreshment!), and for all that we are yet led onto.

 

In Christ

 

 

Andrew