In April the Circuit Leadership Team (CLT) gathered together to spend a day sharing in prayer and conversation about the life of our Circuit. This included Circuit Stewards, ordained and lay staff, and other representatives of certain areas of Circuit life.
This was to continue something which has been ongoing since the two Circuits came together and allowed us to spend some time, both in preparation before the day and during the day, to pray about the future of our Circuit and what God is calling us to do.
Since that day in April a lot of work has been done to develop a new Mission Statement for the Circuit and a strategy document to deliver our Mission.
This work will have been shared in more detail with the church representatives at the Circuit Meeting on 16th June and they will be able to talk with their churches about it following that meeting.
Our main calling, as Christians, is to follow the commandments of Jesus which is to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbour. For us within the Coventry & Nuneaton Circuit we aim to do that primarily within the organisation of the Methodist Church. It is in this structure that our goals and our strategy’s have to be focussed and often this is done in partnership with ecumenical friends where the richness of our different traditions offers a much wider canvas on which our faith story can be painted.
As we all know, in our own personal life, we reach points when our resources are limited and we have to think about what our priorities are as we can no longer do everything we have in the past. For our Circuit these resources include people, finance and buildings and it is the responsibility of the Circuit to share with folk in our churches what, and how, our resources can be shared. This is part of the work the CLT have been doing and what will be shared, over the coming months and years, with all of you through the Circuit Meeting, your Ministers and Stewards.
It is possible that the picture which is painted is seen as a very gloomy picture with little hope of the future. But the reverse is also true because the picture that is painted can be one full of colour and vibrancy. A picture which tells others of our faith in a God who is loving and caring towards His people. Our God is one who offers us hope through His Son Jesus Christ and who offers us new life through His Spirit. Hope and new life are what brings colour and vibrancy to the picture which can be painted of our Circuit.
Please do pray for our Circuit as the CLT prays for all of you. I know that in the future we may have to face tough questions and make hard decisions and there is nothing in our Christian faith which says we are to be immune from that. What I can share with you is that we will do that together and always in prayer and love for one another.
I thank God for the privilege of sharing this journey with all of you and I know that there will be times of laughter, of sadness, of joy and challenge as we hear God’s call and journey on together.
Every blessing,
Page updated: 9 Jun, 2010