🌟 Mothering Sunday and Venue News! 🌷🐰
This Sunday – Mothering Sunday
As you’ll be aware this Sunday is Mothering Sunday. For some this will be a day to celebrate and give thanks for the women in our lives (we will have a little treat for all the women/girls!). For others though, this will be a day of mixed emotions and for some great sadness for a number of reasons. In our service we are going to acknowledge and pray both sides of this, as Paul writes in Romans 12:15 - ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.’ We want to be a church real enough to hold both of those in tension because life contains both joys and sadness.
That being said, we all process grief, loss and pain differently. For some, being surrounded by those they love at church will be a blessing; finding comfort in the arms and prayers of others. Some will find that too raw and unhelpful in processing emotions and grief well. BOTH of those responses are valid and OK.
If you are at church and you’re not OK, that is OK! Please be real, reach out to those you know and trust for comfort and prayer.
If you need to not be at church this Sunday, that is OK too. Please do what is helpful for you. But know that we love you and are praying for you.
New Venue Update
On Sunday I shared that I have been pushing doors and continuing to seek what God is leading us into next as we look to move to a more central Island location. There is one opportunity that is looking quite promising as a place to rent for Sundays. It has a good space for the adult meeting and for youth, as well as a good couple of spaces for Kids groups which we could have for free (the other spaces we’d need to pay for!). One current challenge is the area of storage, so please pray that we find a good solution to that, or that we find it isn’t the right place and the door closes! We’d love some clarity.
The other thing I shared was that Mike and Katie Wigley are exploring hosting a fortnightly Sunday morning Small group, based in West Wight to continue gathering those who are passionate about meeting in and serving this community. It’s still early days, but this could be a great opportunity to continue to serve this community. So, if you are passionate about worshipping in, and finding ways to reach out to the community of West Wight, please come and chat to either myself, or Katie. We are looking to have lunch together after church on Sunday 14th April to chat vision and explore what it could look like. Let us know if you’re interested.
Just want to add my deep thanks to all of you who are praying into this are for us as a church – particularly grateful to the Prayer Small Group that Andrew and Bridget Hughes are running on Wednesday afternoons. I know we’re in a bit of a liminal space – between the decision and the move. But I believe this is often where God meets people most powerfully – when they are choosing to trust him, and I believe he will meet us here too. So please keep seeking Him, His plan and His glory. In and through it all. Because that is what is all for.
Let’s keep remembering and praying this:
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Photo by TOMOKO UJI on Unsplash