APCM Address

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

 

We have done a whole series on this, so I don’t want to repeat myself, but I do what to use it as a springboard to talk about the growth of Church, the renewal of the church rooms and personal discipleship as a encouragement and challenge to us and to be expectant for what God wants to do in Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit at work in us!

 

In these verses, we find a powerful reminder to trust in God's guidance wholeheartedly. As we embark on a journey of continued growth for our church community, both in numbers and in spiritual depth, for instance last year over 35 people attended welcome brunches held quarterly, the next one is this Saturday!

 

We are at a crucial time and I want to press you on what it means to attend regularly, we are averaging around 150 adults on a Sunday but if everyone came we would be around 200adults! Its not all about numbers but it is a helpful metric to look towards the future and trust God for where he is calling us. And how we need to function, we all need to play our part, welcoming, having conversations and being prepared to do things differently. Church will be different to how we functioned in previous years, we may not know everyone, but that’s ok, and maybe that is a spur to conversation – otsok to ask are you new?

 

 

let us lean not on our own understanding but on God's infinite wisdom and providence.

 

 

Our vision for growth encompasses not only numerical expansion but also a deepening of personal discipleship. Just as the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, let us commit ourselves to the study of God's Word and the nurturing of authentic relationships within our church family. Small groups need to be the back bone and I want to commend to you to be involved, this is where pastoral care happens first. Our own personal discipleship is key and we must take responsibility in this. We also need to be patient and aware of the worldly pull of does it make me feel good, instead does it challenge me to live differently or to put some work in to discover what God might be saying in a particular part of my life. After all there was someone who said to the vicar after church one Sunday, that they didn’t enjoy worship as they got nothing out of it!

 

To which the response was, that’s good because we weren’t worshipping that individual but Jesus!

 

Moreover, as we look ahead to the redevelopment plans for our churchrooms, we approach with faith-filled hearts, knowing that God is not only the master architect but also the orchestrator of divine opportunities.

 

The church rooms currently make it look like we don’t care about our part of town. They speak that we don’t value the people. When we introduced the benches outside, people started coming in and sitting down, having conversations, grateful for a place and space to sit.

When Breakfast and Lunch on the go started people noticed we were here, in this part of town.

 

Part of the renovation of the church rooms is to say loudly that the people in this part of town matter, and they nmatter to us and as important they matter to God!

 

Members of the team have had significant conversations in shops when buying bread for Breakfast, people ask what are you doing, they are interested and they are definitely interested in the outworking.

 

When we listen to gods voice in everything we do, ot means that running a toddler group everyday, means young parents can find a space to sit and chat, where they made friends from Begin well pre birth, where we encourage listening and hearing the stories of Jesus, where that child grow s up goes to school and meets the open the book team, where they get fed on their way to school.

Where Mum and Dad choose to engage with Alpha as they say faith in action, where the spirit stirs something within them and so they send theor child to FUSIOn after school when they hear more about this life changing radical Jesus Christ.

 

In th heard times they discover Kintsugi hope a Christian course designed to build resilience in the difficulties of life, where love, laughter and hospitality is served up in bucket loads by the church members in the centre. Where a listening ear turns into friendship, maybe almost surrogate parents and grandparents in the faith. Where the high school CU connects children across the town and job clubs, counselling courses, community meals build a crescendo of voices that say look how much the the people love us, Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

 

 

It is our love for  people,  Let us seek His guidance at every step, listening intently for His voice amidst the noise of planning and construction.

 

Our church rooms transform people thro 

Trusting, Listening & Showing Jesus to all in West Exe and the wider community of TIverton

 

In the midst of uncertainty and challenges, let us remember that God is faithful. He is the one who keeps us on track, who steadies our steps and illuminates our path. Therefore, let us surrender our doubts, fears, and limitations to Him, trusting that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

 

Together, let us run to God with open hearts, seeking His will and direction for the growth of our church and the transformation of our lives. And as we run toward Him, let us flee from all that hinders our journey of faith, embracing the call to holiness and righteousness in every aspect of our lives.

 

May God's grace abound in our midst as we press forward in faith, With hearts full of hope and anticipation, let us continue this journey of faith together, trusting in the God who holds our future in His hands.