Our Minister

Phil writes (taken from our June 2003 newsletter) ...

Some people in our society today see 'The Church' as an irrelevance. Yet the bible teaches that God's whole plan for the human race, a plan decided before the beginning of time, comes to focus in the church. There is no picture or view of salvation (God's plan for getting people right with himself) that can ignore the church. In the old testament God called individuals, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah and Jeremiah, but they all operated within the framework of God's chosen nation Israel. Jesus did a similar thing. He didn't just work alone, he chose an inner circle of twelve followers, after he left and the spirit came, this little group began to grow fantastically, thousands being added to it's number. The church had been born. The new Testament tells us clearly that Jesus meant to start the church - it wasn't an invention by the first Christians. His church is a permanent feature of our world until Jesus returns to end all history. The church is a family, and all those who have been born again belong to one another. This is why the new Testament told the first Christians - and tells us - to welcome, to accept and to put up with one another. We are to love one another, forgive those who hurt us, carry each others burdens, encourage and build one another up. Nobody can do everything. God gives different gifts to different people. It is our responsibility to work as a team sharing what we've got. The spirit who gives these gifts expects everyone to be involved in the life and running of the church.

I love the church, and am not disheartened about the state of the church, as many are, for I see a great and wonderful future - BUT - there must be a vision for change. The church is not a people stuck in the past, but a people on the move; a pilgrim people, journeying with God. We must learn how to become a dynamic community which is constantly seeking the way ahead and looking for the next step. The church must constantly respond to the changing demands of the journey.

The coming together of two churches; Trinity Church Yateley and Sandhurst Methodist Church is a step in this direction. I believe that we have too many churches trying to do their own thing, stretching the limited resources of ministry to breaking point. I would like to see fewer churches, but those churches becoming centres of excellence. Buildings that are representative of the 21st century, not tired drab looking monuments. For me this has meant the removal of pews, making the church user friendly to people outside the church family. The challenge for myself and our new church this year is moving into multi media worship. Our worship has to change, and for me this will be more painful than anyone! But it must be done. Much of the institutional church will have to disappear to make way for the new church. A church without a sense of the past has no roots, but if it has no sense of tomorrow it will have no future. The church's task is to take hold of the past with one hand and the future with the other, and to shape its worship within the creative tension of the present. Good worship must be connected to real life.

And so a warm invitation goes out to you all, to make the weekend of the 7th and 8th of June really special. Here is an opportunity for a new beginning as we celebrate the relaunch of a new church and all that this will mean for us. The invitation goes out to High Cross who have already joined two communities and who must continue to face similar challenges in the year ahead.

Yours in Christ
Phil

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