Minister's Letter: October & November, 2016

Dear Friends,

Naomi, Matthew and Sophie join me in thanking you all for all of the time, gifts, cards and messages that you have sent to us to welcome us to our home here in Frodsham. We’re grateful also to our District Chair, Rev’d Peter Barber and our Superintendent, Rev’d Neil Stacey and to all those who shared in the welcome service on 30th August. We were welcomed, but we also celebrated our shared ministry. We did so in the context of the worship of the living God who we know in Jesus. It is Jesus who I believe has called us together and who calls each one of us, not just to come to him but to follow him. It’s good to be amongst you and I ask for your patience as I take time to get to know you all.

One of the things that moving to a new station does is to give the opportunity to take stock and to reflect on my ministry to this point. I will try to learn from the mistakes I made on the Isle of Man and try not to make too many all-new mistakes as we journey on together. All I can do is ask for your grace and your prayers! Perhaps those of you reading this letter might also like to take the opportunity to pause and reflect. Could this be a time for you to respond in a new way to God’s call and claim upon your life?

• Do any of you have a sense deep down that God is calling you to something new but perhaps you’ve been putting it off? To you may I suggest, from my own experience, God will not go away! (Psalm 139:7)
• Do any of you have a sense that God is calling you but you feel that somehow you are not qualified? To you may I suggest that God seems to get a kick out of calling numpties (I offer myself as a case in point). If you think about it, so many of the characters in the bible were too young or too old or their face “didn’t fit”. It has been my experience that if God calls, he also equips. ( 1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
• Are any of you reading this newsletter at home and for whatever reason coming to church is no longer part of your routine? To you may I say that you will always be welcome, not because we need people to fill rotas, but because like you we all need God and because we need you. You are always welcome.
• Are you reading this newsletter at home but are not able to be with us because of infirmity, ill-health or because of other commitments? I would love the opportunity to talk to you about how we can come alongside of you in your life.
• Are you feeling that you want to know more about the faith, about Jesus, about the bible or you want to “go deeper”? Please be assured that even those of us who have been Christians for donkey’s years often find that we want a refresher or would like to step back and see the big picture of the Bible.
• Have you been amongst us for years and you’ve never taken the step of becoming a church member? Could this be the time when you say “Yes”, not to some institutional church but to God’s offer to join his universe-wide movement?

If any of you ever want to talk about any aspect of our faith, of being a disciple, of following Jesus, of your sense of call and vocation, please know that there is nothing I love to do more and that I am never too busy for a black coffee with no sugar!

It’s my privilege to join you as together we explore God’s plan for our life together.

Grace and peace.

Andrew M. Emison
​Minister, Frodsham Methodist Church