Minister's Letter - October 2025

Dear friends

We have entered my favourite season of the year!

Apart from remembering days out collecting conkers, wrapping up warm to go and watch fireworks, eating home-cooked comfort food and enjoying a nice cuppa by the fire, we are blessed by the stunning colours of leaves as they change and fall.

Things don’t stay the same. Life moves on from one season to another. Life in our Churches is never meant to stay the same. Our relationship with God is never meant to stay the same. In the words of St. Paul, “We….are being transformed from one degree of glory to another”.

The falling of leaves does not mean the end of the tree….but after a time of bareness and rest, there will again be a time of new growth and flourishing.

The same applies to our life with God.

Here at St. John’s – and The Exchange Project - I think we are in a season of Change…a time of questions and wondering. If we think about our congregation and membership, it might sometimes feel like a tree that’s shedding leaves, but with little signs of growth. And it’s easy to feel despondent and anxious. But the falling of leaves does not necessarily mean the end of the tree.

So what does it mean?

On Sunday 19 October following the morning service we will be holding a general Church meeting for anyone involved in the life of the Church and the Exchange Project (EP)

The purpose of this meeting is to update you on conversations and potential developments for the EP, and to discuss how God might be leading us forward.

I will circulate some more detailed thoughts to consider nearer to the meeting, but in the meantime please pray for discernment and guidance.

And remember…

…“the falling of leaves does not necessarily mean the end of the tree”. We are being:

“Changed from glory into glory, ‘til in heaven we take our place,

‘til we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love and praise!”

(Charles Wesley)