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.

For the last few years, the March magazine has been published as we begin Lent.  Once again we have an opportunity to use this month as a preparation for the great festival of Easter, with the powerful theme of death and resurrection.  A theme that we see in life around us.

We have seen the dismantling of the old church, with the main part of the building coming down very quickly.  I would like to say thank you to those who came to the outdoor service on February 9th, despite the appalling weather.  A number of people have asked for copies of the service and these are available at the church centre.  As people shared memories, we heard of a couple who had to get married in the crypt because an air raid was going on.  I later got a letter from someone who was married in 1945, but was only discharged from hospital the night before, and had to report to hospital in Blackpool on his honeymoon.  We would like to keep a record of peoples memories and photos and have some of them exhibited in church.

As the old church is taken down we are breathing new life into the church centre.  We have just been able to lay new flooring, due to the support of local funders, and the effect is a dramatic improvement. As I said in last months letter, we are looking for ways to transform its identity from a school so that it is clearly a place of Christian worship as well as a place to serve the community in other ways.  This is another opportunity for the community to work together and achieve something that we can be proud of and serve future generations.

Death and resurrection is a theme we see in nature, partly through the changing seasons, but also through cultivation.  Cutting back plants is a way of encouraging growth, as is digging out weeds and spreading fertiliser.  In our spiritual life there are many ways of applying these principles.  Cutting back can give us a positive reason for giving things up. Jesus was particularly good at spending time in prayer so he knew what to say no to.  The digging up of weeds can also be a picture of cutting out things in our life that are not helpful.

Let this Lent be a time for growth, as we ask the Holy Spirit to make us restless till we change, and prepare for the glorious celebration of Easter.

Rev Bill Henderson