News

150 YEARS OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS 

In response to several requests, this year’s Lent course will be slightly different. For four weeks, we will be meeting weekly in home groups and groups are encouraged to be creative and make those four weeks extra special in some way.

The subject of our Lent course is God’s faithfulness and our call to be faithful. Each home group study will be based around a different person or couple from St Mark. These will be people of different ages and life experiences who have experienced God’s faithfulness, in various ways, over the years.

Using Biblical passages that have been important to each person, the group will explore how that person experienced God’s faithfulness and how they responded. Groups will use the person’s story and Bible passages that are significant to them as a stimulus for exploring how we experience and respond to God’s faithfulness in our own lives.

The timings are as follows:

Study 1 - week beginning 27th February
Study 2 - week beginning 5th March
Study 3 - week beginning 12th March
Study 4 - week beginning 19th March
Celebration in the church hall 28th March

SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

Last weekend, the World Economic Forum met at Davos, the ski resort tucked away in the Swiss Alps. The meeting brought together economic and political leaders to discuss issues facing the world. One newspaper headline commented on the 800 bottles of champagne that were consumed! But what caught my eye was an amazing confession by the founder of the Forum, Laus Schwab, a deep believer in the power of free markets. He said, ‘We have sinned’. Such language had never been heard before at Davos and it set me thinking about what we learn from the Old Testament about the crisis that affects the nations.

When we look for God at work, we tend to think of Him intervening in our lives and the lives of the people we pray for. But in the Old Testament, the great prophets thought as much about nations as individuals. We all sense that the global recession is a sign that the nations of the world have turned from God’s ways. But human beings are not noted for confessing their sins today. So do pray that those words from Davos signify a change of heart that will touch people throughout the world. After all, the key moment in the parable of the Prodigal Son is when he came to his senses and left one way of life for another. It can happen to individuals. It can happen to nations. Remember how it happened at Nineveh after Jonah preached there. Pray that it will happen in our day!
         Every blessing
         Stephen

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Since coming to St Mark in late November, I’ve felt very much as if I’ve been on a bit of a rollercoaster! There are so many people to meet, so much information to take in and so much to learn. But all the time I am forming impressions, and it is good to share with you some of my early thoughts about how I see God leading us forward.

There are many wonderful things happening at St Mark that we can celebrate. But I am always keen for us to move forward as a church and follow God’s leading. My vision for the church is always that we will work together –

· to celebrate God's love and worship Him,
· to proclaim the good news of Jesus
· to care for each other
· to encourage spiritual growth
· to serve people in our community.  

The challenge of course is always how to turn that vision into action!  I have lots of ideas for developing our worship, our life of prayer, sharing our faith, and for our church building, but they will all benefit from the insight of others. So I am meeting with the Core leadership team over the coming weeks to listen to God and to one another so that later this year we can share with you our vision for the future.

Everyone has a part to play, so may this be a year in which we all work creatively and prayerfully together to seek God’s will.  

                        every blessing 
                        Stephen