Minister's Letter - February 2025

“‘For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”’

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe we are already a month into 2025! I wonder how you are feeling?

Without wanting to sound negative, I think it’s not an easy time of year. We’ve had the hope and excitement in the build-up to Christmas, then the celebration mixed with stress of it happening, followed by that strange couple of weeks when no-one knows what day it is, what shops are open or when the bins are collected!

Then the hype of new year, where expectations for hope and a whole new start are raised, but which in reality for a lot of us, are more about fighting colds, catching up and this year, getting snowed in!

Dare we hope that the best days are yet before us?

Well based on much of our experience, sometimes it’s hard to imagine. But then we have these powerful and hopeful words God spoke through Jeremiah. These are words which keep coming back to me it seems, wherever I go. They are for me a rock, which especially at times of doubt and disillusionment, remind me that we are who we are and we do what we do because God is who He is, and does what He does. He is our goal and our purpose, and our lives are about responding to His extraordinary love and grace – which shows itself in words such as in those in Jeremiah.

As the hymn says, ‘We’ll praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that’s to come.’

In our own lives – and in the life of our Church and Circuit, God knows it all, and has plans for us to prosper – if we dare to trust Him and let Him take the lead.

I continue to pray for you, for our Church, and for the year ahead, that we will have courage to put our hand into His and see some of those plans come to fruition.

God bless you,

Adrian