PASTORAL MESSAGE

Pastoral Message for February
from Pat Oliver - one of our Elders

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"Hope in February"

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Hello to you all

At last the dark days of Winter are giving way to the lighter days of Spring ahead. Once the yellow buds of daffodils are showing in gardens and countryside and are for sale in the shops my heart and mood lifts. Hope for the future is set in motion even though we know there are bound to be challenges ahead.

 

Going forward as a church will be hard without our Minister, Penny, but will be even harder for her, maintaining the hope for better health. We pray for the "hope which is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls." - not only for Penny but for everyone.

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I have just read on the charity Christian Aid's site that "Hope is not just about waiting; it’s also about acting…… we must share the hope we’ve received with others….. whether through prayer, service, or advocacy, we can be a light of hope in the world, reflecting the love and compassion of God." 

Now there is a call we can and should respond to so beginning this February we have the opportunity on Racial Justice Sunday to reflect on the importance of racial justice, to give thanks for the gifts and beauty of human diversity, and to commit to end racism and acts of discrimination. Then let's think about what actions we might take as a church family.

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Our Muslim neighbours will be observing Ramadan with a month of fasting, communal praying, reflecting, and being community. Could you speak to them to find out more? Fasting is often broken by eating dates and as a Fair Trade church the Fairtrade Foundation is asking us to only buy those grown by the Palestinian farmers they support. If you want to know where to buy them please ask me.

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Then we have our own time to reflect during Lent, the weeks running up to Easter and the hope we find in that story shared together. 

Yours in hope

Pat Oliver​