November 2021 letter
Dear Friends
Life is not straightforward at the moment. We have been glad to resume all of our services in church, but the need to be careful has been heightened by the relatively high number of local Covid cases in recent weeks. So we take care. And we are busy planning.
One of our plans is to host the Knitted Bible Experience. In early February the interior of church will be adapted to exhibit 33 scenes from the Bible, made with knitted figures and scenery. We have invited the local primary schools, who will come class by class to enjoy the experience, finishing with a series of scenes from Easter. Now is the time to improve our working relationship with the schools, and to seek to build our children’s groups. Genesis leader Fiona Pullé has booked the Knitted Bible Experience, hoping it will put our church building on the map for many more of the youngsters in Holmes Chapel, as well as helping parents and schools in the shared task of introducing the Bible to the next generation.
Another of our plans is to resume our tradition of lively busy Christmas services. With an approaching lockdown 12 months ago severely reducing our Christmas numbers, last Christmas was a damp squib. So this year we plan to hold a good number of special services for all ages. Pencil in your diaries the Nativity and/or the Carol Service on Sunday 19th Dec. And be ready for our atmospheric Christmas Eve Christingle/Crib services, the Midnight, and a choice of celebration Christmas Day morning services.
We are also working with the Royal British Legion, the Parish Council and the Uniformed Organisations to enable a Remembrance Sunday with large participation. It would be all too easy to lose more momentum with much loved village institutions which have been important to many of us. As a church, we are keen to regain momentum and help our community forward. We need good markers in our community life. And we need to seek the Lord’s gracious hand over our lives.St Luke’s is making plans wisely because it is so easy for us to get out of the habit of coming to church. ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another….’
We are making plans because now is a time for growth. We have seen newcomers in church since September, some recently arrived in our new estates, others wanting to seek the living Lord God with the local people of God.
We are making plans because Jesus is someone who made plans. Jesus faced constraints and opposition but he knew his purpose and he had clear aims. Being saviour of the world was not something haphazard or last minute. Jesus followed through his plans to spread the gospel good news personally to every locality on his journey to Jerusalem. Even though life is far from straightforward, God has plans for our lives.
Yours in Christ,
Rob