Dear Friends at Northwood Hills & St Andrew’s

I normally find myself drifting into Advent and Christmas and being taken by complete surprise to discover that we are moving towards the close of another year so soon. This year is different. Advent, the time of reflection and preparation; and Christmas, the time of the birth of hope, are both assuming a new relevance for me.

We have now had our Church Meetings and agreed that we will embark on a new journey together. From this point on we will begin to explore the principle of becoming ‘One Church’ and what better time could there be to take this momentous leap than with Advent on the horizon. This year, as we walk through Advent, we have a real sense of purpose as well as a specific focus for our prayers and our waiting. So much that was positive came out of our discussions during our Church Meetings, but for me, perhaps the most precious aspect of all is the obvious friendship and goodwill that each congregation has for the other. This shows the love of God moving amongst us and with that we can move mountains! So this Advent let us make an explicit commitment to care for each other; to listen to each other and to value each other.

We have some exciting times ahead and this is a good time to remember that the biggest responsibility that we accept on becoming church members is to attend Church Meetings where we believe we are called together by Christ to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. These Meetings now take on a renewed relevance and importance as we ask the following questions:

· In what ways can we use our churches to best serve God?

· In what ways can our churches best serve God’s mission?

We have made a huge commitment to each other and in tune with the liturgical season of Advent, now is the perfect time to pause for breath, to quietly pray, reflect and to wait with joyful expectation for Christmas and the New Year when we will be on the move again.

The quest to be the Church of God never remains static for long, it moves on and the church that opens itself up to the Holy Spirit will be forever evolving. We are in that exciting place as we explore how to become one Church together. God has challenged us and stirred us up. We could have put our heads in the sand but we didn’t. We have chosen the more courageous way.

I believe that in embarking on this process we are responding to God’s promptings but I am also aware that the challenge of change can unsettle and unsteady us. We can even feel that we are loosing our security and our anchor. That is the price we pay for being on a journey with our all-loving but risk-taking God.

For those of you who are feeling this way I would like to assure you that I am on the journey with you. We will work this out together. My role is to care for you, to guide you, to encourage you and to love you. And I will do all of those things to the best of my ability.

It is through the Incarnation that God has committed himself to live in solidarity with us and shares our joys and worries as he travels alongside us.

As we wait expectantly for our new future, let us prepare to welcome the vulnerable Christ child into our hearts, our lives and our church and with him beside us, to move forward into the next exciting stage of our journey. Doug, Andrew, Beccy, Sarah and Jon join me as I say, ‘May the peace, joy and hope of Christmas be with each one of you’.

With my love

Liz xx

© St.Andrew’s URC Eastcote 2012 Charity number: 1144034 Last updated: 26th January 2012 Website contact