Letter for September 2019

Dear Friends, Earlier in the month, when I went up to the church office, I sensed something different in the air- it felt as if summer was over, the weather was still lovely but there appeared to be more urgency in the traffic. Our road, and the more main road behind us, was well covered with parked cars – folks were back from holiday and at work. In the afternoon, I was in Wilmslow, and my sensing turned into reality, summer was over – everywhere was busier, families were buying school uniforms, the supermarkets were busy, and the pace of life was ramping up. But what is summer? Is it that long period from about May through to around September when the days get longer, the nights shorter and then the reverse begins to happen, as we are noticing now? Is it the plethora of Fairs, Fetes. and Music Festivals that have popped up all over the country? Or, is it the period when the schools break up and there are a few weeks of ease when timetables, routines, organisations and clubs take a break, or is summer the squeezing in of perhaps a two-week holiday somewhere different than being at home? The Chairman of our District, Rev.Dr.Andrew Lunn last year described Summer as the change of rhythm. For some, this time of summer has seen weather that has brought us to a realisation that climate change is most definitely on the agenda for nations and individuals alike; it has been a time of holidaying for some, yet for others a period of concern and anxiety over the health of family members, with the opportunity for a time away not a possibility at present – we know of several who are caring in such circumstances – and there have been those across the circuit who have undertaken visits and journeys which will have doubtless given in equal measure amazing memories and much thought for the future. A change of rhythm indeed. But summer also is a time for reflection, renewal, and to be restored. A time when we can look back over the year just passed, reflect on the good things as well as those that will have caused us worry and perhaps angst; it is also a period when we can be restored, because of that change of rhythm during the weeks of summer, whether that restoring is through a physical holiday or just an opportunity to lay down some of the routine of busyness that can consume our lives. The period we call summer is also a chance for renewal – a time when we can allow God to take us to a new starting point and to move forward, letting him speak to us, to listen to him, and to begin afresh, forgiving wrongs, seeking that mediation, relishing opportunity to work together and to move his kingdom forward with joy. May we each, as individuals, have experienced this summer moments of reflection, renewal and of being restored, and as a church family, at the beginning of this new Connexional Year, may we work together to take the church forward in the important decisions we have to undertake, as well as being a source of encouragement to one another. May this coming year echo for us Andrew Lunn’s invitation to experience that change of rhythm, not just in the summer season but through autumn, winter, and spring also. Judy Povey, Church Secretary