Good evening my friends,

As I write this the house is filling up with young people, all intending to eat their way through the night, watching the election results. I’m undecided about joining them since losing sleep won’t affect the outcome so I could sleep well and wake up to exactly the same scenario as they stay awake for, but I do rather enjoy their company, so we shall see! There’s something energising and encouraging about being around young people who have opinions, aspirations, and hope. Our lot look after each other well too, and I like nothing better than to hear the stories of things they’ve done together, and how they are forging their own paths. Who do you like to spend time with? Who energises you and gives you hope? It’s important we spend time with those who build us up isn’t it?

Will has now left us for his sabbatical. He’s arrived safe at his mum’s and has already begun to write the book he has been planning – a book of prayers to use with the Anglican rosary. Let’s hope he gives us a good deal when he publishes!

Tuesday saw the third of our Leading Your Church Into Growth evenings. We are taking a break for the summer and restart on 3^rd September. The conversations were interesting and by the end of the evening there was a strong desire for us to explore how to make our services more accessible for those who are new to church or for those we might like to invite to church. We considered the need for our booklets to be easier to follow, how we might use technology, and whether a greater variety of service types might be possible, amongst other things. 

No concrete plans were made or promised, but all the above and more are possible and we have the resources and energy to explore them properly and actually make some changes. If you have any ideas and would like to be part of the conversation, then please let me know. Change can be hard if we don’t understand it, or feel it is foisted upon us, so please do join in, if you have time. It is worth saying too, that we have no intention of scrapping the wonderful worship that is already happening. It’s all about balance! 

And that just about sums up my week. Next week’s diary is bursting at the seams, so apologies if you email and I’m slow to respond. If it’s really urgent, please mark it as such and I will reply the same day if I can. Something else that is all about balance!

Please know that you are in my prayers, specifically or generally. If there is something specific you would like me to pray about, please let me know. It’s always my delight to pray for you.

With love as always,

Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.