All sorts of things encourage me, but I think one of the most encouraging things for me as bishop (i.e. a person with particular worries and concerns - :) - about how some 54 ministry units in a diocese are doing at any one time) is news of (or first hand experience of) growth and development and/or new people joining our ministry units and/or strong ministry units continuing to be strong, if not growing from strength to strength.
Yesterday, I went to a service in one of our churches, arriving as morning tea between two services was being served. What a buzz there was. And, what a lot of new faces. The new faces are being noticed - parishioners told me about what they themselves are seeing as new people arrive week after week. There was a definite shout out by parishioners who talked to me to an emphasis through past months on the parish prayer meeting Encouragement number 1 for the day.
Encouragement number 2 came later in the day, with several reports of an excellent special youth-led service in another ministry unit. 25 young people present, 25 children present.
Praise the Lord! Thank you, God!
Yes, there is a lot going on around the Anglican world to discourage us (I am choosing not to link to various sad stories, but you can find them: thanks Google AI), or, looking more secularly, a lot in the general world this week to disturb us, measured in part by fuel prices zooming upwards again.
But how exciting to see that in the midst of toils and troubles, God is at work in people's hearts, and, in the mercy of God, some of those people being moved by God inwardly are finding themselves moving outwardly towards our ministry units.
Kororia ki Te Atua.
3 comments:
Wonderful! I'm feeling thankful after getting a lovely warm, fine afternoon here, one where I could get outside and actually ENJOY gardening. To read about these encouragements you've shared is the icing on the cake :) Now it's 6.23pm and it's so wild and rainy outside.. crazy spring weather!
Encouragement is always welcome!
I am finding encouragement at the moment in listening to a book called “The Familiar Stranger” by Tyler Staton, one of the Lectio 365 devotional contributors. It is discernment of the spiritual life, scriptural teaching, and personal experiences inter-twined… and in my case so far what he shares in many parts of the book resounds.
Liz in the book he has given particular attention to people who have come from a shall we say an evangelical background where parts of the outworking of ministry has been off-kilter and people have been burnt by it (for lack of a better word).
Thanks Jean! I've bookmarked his YouTube page. Cheers.
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