Dear Friends,
Wisdom
I have felt for a number of years that I ‘part fit’ local church ministry. Some aspect of ministry works really well for me whilst other aspects are a huge stretch. I also feel that I have more to bring to my vocation than I am able to bring to local church ministry.
I am passionate about teaching, leading and working with young people, but I do not feel that I need to be a church leader in order to use my passions and make a difference for others.
It became clear to me during life coaching sessions on sabbatical that I am on a journey from being ‘in power’ to being ‘empowered’.
Pressure
Like lots of churches we at Grace Church have been experiencing a challenging season. A sense of distance, pressures and reflection has given us all time to think and make changes. As a leadership we were looking at how we grow team and adapt our style to…
Dear Grace Church,
This autumn at Grace Church is all about reconnection. It has been 18 months since we were last able to gather and experience a sense of unity as a local church family. Wonderfully we are now free to begin to reconnect across the church.
To enable us to slowly reconnect we are now running some simple services as many of you will be aware. From October 3rd adults and children will be able to worship together at Isca School, adults will also be able to worship at the Hall in the evening and we will continue with our evening livestream.
As I have returned from sabbatical it has been very encouraging to see people working to make these initial gatherings possible. A massive thanks to hospitality teams, tech teams, worship teams and kids teams who are enabling us to take these first steps together.
We are aiming to keep our gatherings as simple as possible this term. This way of gathering is not an agreed…
This summer is all about refreshment. After a demanding year for many of us in lots of different ways, we have exciting opportunities for reconnecting in person as well as the summer season to enjoy together (the beach is calling!)Our Sunday Gathering opportunities will include excellent streamed teaching resources to be shared on big screens or small screens together in various settings. We are also looking at some unplugged worship and prayer opportunities as restrictions ease.
We are also encouraging everyone to ‘fellowship outside’ through park games, walks, golf, garden parties and beach trips as we enjoy re-connecting together in this beautiful part of the world.
Our Lead Pastor Stu Alred is taking a sabbatical June, July & August as he seeks rest and refreshment before bringing renewed leadership into the autumn term. Our summer leadership group chaired by Mick Taylor, including Dan Roach, Scott Pannell, Mike & Ann Banks and Julia Rice are…