When I was a kid, family life was simple. There was mum, dad and my three brothers. We saw the grandparents and the cousins too, pretty regularly, until they moved away from Dapto (why would anyone do that!?).
But as families grow they get more complicated. At Christmas time now we travel between my family and Kate’s. There are more and more kids to include and consider each year. We have to make sure the diaries line up for the occasional birthday get together. It won’t be long before our children have their own events they want to be at and we have to consult their diaries too. It is truly wonderful to be part of a large and growing family, but sometimes I hark back to the simplicity of those earlier days.
I anticipate our Church might feel a bit like that as we grow. It becomes more and more difficult to know everyone’s name. We have to work harder and harder to make sure everyone feels included and cared for. We might have to implement systems and strategies because doing it ‘ad-hoc’ just doesn’t work anymore.
But isn’t it wonderful to see our family grow and flourish – as we strive to bring ‘Life, Growth and Love in Jesus Christ’ to as many people as possible.
Tag: growth
Phil turned to me after our Easter Sunday service at St Marks last week and declared, ‘This is an historic occasion!’ It was the first time he has seen the mezzanine at St Marks needing to be used on a Sunday. It is so exciting to see God at work gathering his people and building his Church in our midst. Both our Churches have seen significant growth in attendance already this year. All this is an answer to many faithful years of prayer for the growth of the gospel – let’s continue those prayers and continue the work of living for and proclaiming the good news of our Saviour Jesus.
Last Thursday a small subcommittee of our parish council began meeting to consider our options for future growth – focusing particularly on how to develop our Wilton Church site. Please be praying for wisdom and God’s leading in this process, we will endeavour to keep you informed and involved. If you have ideas or want to discuss this further please contact: Peter F, Glenn A, Milton L or myself.
Yours in Christ, Ben
