The first Sunday in May will see our Confirmation Service. This is when people make a public commitment to follow Christ, and receive a special prayer from our Bishop. I am thrilled that this year there will be 10 people standing up to do this.  It is encouraging and fascinating to hear about each person’s journey of faith.  For some this year, a key factor has been through being a parent and thinking about what is best for their children.  As they have thought about asking for God’s blessing and having their child baptised, it has encouraged them to think about their own faith.  As they have come to explore what they believe and experience worship, they have discovered the living God, who can enrich our every day lives.

It has been interesting to follow some of the debate about whether we are a Christian country or not.  What has emerged is a clear picture that our society is based on Christian values and laws.  While it is true that only a small proportion of our society go to church regularly, a very high proportion identify themselves as Christian.  This is  particularly true of the village of Stanley. It is of course important to emphasise the value of tolerance of other points of view without losing confidence in our own faith.

I believe that there are many people who are being nudged into thinking about what they believe about God and wondering about  coming to church. Let me encourage you to stop putting it off and come along. We are not perfect but are friendly and would love to meet you.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the first World War.  While we do not celebrate war, we do remember those who have given their lives fighting for our nation.  The day I am writing this letter, is the day we have been planting poppy seeds in three places in the village; near the Church Centre, at St Peter’s school and at Stanley Grove School.  This has been happening throughout the diocese. We said prayers that the poppies would help us remember people who had lost their lives.  We will watch as the plants grow and witness the amazing transformation of a tiny seed into a beautiful flower.

It is still very strange driving around Stanley without the old church as a landmark and reference.  It is going to be a while before we get used to its absence.  The Easter story reminds us of the possibility for New Life out of death: that painful loss can lead to a future with hope.

Plans are still being formulated for the site of the old church.  We will be looking at what can be done with the stone we are left with and ideas will be on display for peoples comment.

Looking to the future, there is the opportunity and challenge to continue to develop a place of worship in Stanley.  From the outside, architecturally, the church centre is clearly a school and is set back from the street so lacks visibility.  We are looking for ways to transform its identity so that it is clearly a place of Christian worship as well as a place to serve the community in other ways.

This is an opportunity to think about what is important for us, as we meet together to worship and perhaps looking at different ways from those we have used before. The church is not a building, but the people from the community who follow Christ.  We are the church when we gather to worship, and we are also the church when we scatter to our homes and places of work. We have rich symbols to aid our worship, the cross, water, lit candles, bread and wine, the bible and many more.  There is a challenge in using these symbols well to help our understanding of the living God.

The challenge of developing the Centre is for the whole community.  We want to develop a plan that will be inspiring and be one that people want to support. We will need to work with the council over getting long term security for the site. Then of course the resources to make the plans a reality. Please pray with us as we take these next steps in our life together and look forward to a future of new life and hope.