April Letter from the Vicarage

 Dear friends -   Lent has given us much to think about, and as April opens of course we haven’t finished with it yet this year. But as we do the annual spring clean of our lives and seek to start afresh, I wonder what we may have learned about ourselves at this time? Those of us who have been engaged in our Lent Course have been exploring how life is a journey, and discovering that often the important part of it is the travelling and learning and developing as we go, and not necessarily the destination we may reach. We are not the same people we were last year when we worked through Lent. We will not be the same people next year. And as we change, so the groups we are a part of also change and develop, as new people arrive and others leave, and all of us move on in our lives.

COGS is a place with a vibrant history of the Spirit working its way in the midst of things. We may not have such a long history as St Mary’s or St Nicolas here in Shoreham, but plenty has gone on over the past 100 years that people have worshipped here. And as COGS develops there will be new ways in which we can or want to be. The identity that we now discover within us – the purpose we feel we have to be here and the values we bring to all that we do - these may have changed over the years. We might need to re-affirm some aspects, but also perhaps discover new things. We need to discover who we are and what our distinct identity is. Why do we exist? And how do we think God wants us to be and to do around here?

If we can work out some answers to those questions, then this will inevitably lead us to think about that which God sees for us in the future and how we move forward from here. Having explored those ideas, then there are some hard and practical questions to ask about how we achieve what we believe God wants of us. We need to plan sensibly and smartly for the future. All this can be applied to each one of us individually, and to the Church of the Good Shepherd as a whole.

This summer, I’d like to invite you to come along on a journey of exploration with your leadership team on a Parish Awayday.We’ve booked a place to go on Saturday 2^nd July, and we’ve invited someone along to help us in the morning to think about how we want to be and what we think God has in store for us. Then we’ll share some lunch, and spend a bit more time in the afternoon working together on a Plan for the next few years. There’ll be plenty to think about, yes, but I hope also lots of laughter and inspiration. Planning for a church’s future doesn’t have to be hard graft and serious faces – it should be about joy and jokes and relaxation too. Just getting away together for the day might help us to gain some perspective on life, and should also help us to get to know each other better. So, please put the date in your diary. The day is for everyone in the Parish – not just the PCC or the leaders of groups, but each and every one of you (old and young, new arrivals and old hands) who make up this wonderful thing that is this Church.

But for now, let’s just enjoy our Easter celebrations together and feel the sun start to warm our backs and bring out the fresh promise of a great summer to come. Happy Easter everyone!

With love and best wishes -Gail