Spring is Springing
Spring is almost upon us. It has been lovely to start enjoying occasional days of sunshine and not wearing a coat…! What promises of God does it remind you of? How do you see his goodness in the changing seasons? Hit reply, and let me know how you feel God speaking to you through these things!
As I see the signs of new life coming up it reminds me, that they only came from a seed going being laid down, into the ground and effectively dying. In order to have fullness of life, new life in Jesus, I need to keep laying my life down, not trying to hold on to my own ways and preferences but seeking God's direction and his ways of doing things, even when they don't seem to make sense to me. Check out what Jesus says in John 12:24-25.
'I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.'
Romans Series
We've kicked off our Romans series, and I hope you've been enjoying it so far. You can catch up by listening to our Podcast, and have a look at the resources on our website: Kerith.church/romans. This Sunday we'll be hearing from Chris on Salvation – we're heading up the 'mountain of Romans' now! Looking forward to the view from the top at chapter 8!
As Simon said on Sunday, do get in touch with him (simon.benham@kerith.church) or myself (just hit reply to this email) if you'd like to chat through what we've been talking about, or if you have any questions.
Week of Prayer & Fasting
Thank you so much to all who took part in our week of prayer and fasting at the end of January. Whether you spent extra time in personal prayer, or joined with others in person or online, it is all part of going deeper into what God is calling us to. If there was anything specific that came out of that week for you, I'd love to hear it. If you found something helpful or challenging. If you had a go at fasting for the first time, or first time in a while. Or if you felt God speak to you about something for yourself or for us as a church. Please get in touch!
One thing you could continue to pray for is the West Wight Churches Youth Project that we are part of. Faye has made a prayer newsletter (which I've attached) so do read through it and spend time praying for the team and the great work that they do with young people in the area! They are looking for 40 new supporters this year, so if you love what they're doing and want to invest in the spiritual journeys of the young people in West Wight – this is a great way to do that. You can message Faye for more details: westwightyouth@gmail.com
Small Groups
Small groups are up and running this week. If you haven't signed up you still have a chance, but get in quick before you miss out! Head here: Kerith.church/smallgroups or give me a shout if you need help getting signed up!