Month: February 2025

How deep are your roots?

Dear friends, greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to March 2025.

In February, the ministers from Northwest District and I went on retreat at Rydal Hall, Cumbria. As a few of us arrived a bit earlier, we decided to go for a walk at waterfalls, in Ambleside.  While walking we saw a very tall fallen tree on the ground. We wondered how this tree managed to grow so tall, but when the strong wind came, this tree felt on the ground because its roots weren’t deep, and they were disconnected from the life-giving soil and water. My friend asked me very challenging questions which I will continue to reflect on for a long time and I would like to share them with you: 

Where are you placing your roots? How deep are they? While I was still thinking about what to answer her, she continued: do you think sometimes we place our roots in superficial values, expectations, achievements, and pursuits of the world’s success and surface things that will pass away? Or should our roots be deepened in God’s word, nurturing, shaping and transforming us, so that we can live out the values of God’s Kingdom? 

When our roots are based in the Lord and His Word, we grow deeper in faith and trust in Him for and in everything we are and have, grounded in His love and guidance. Like the tree planted by the water, our roots are nourished by His presence, so they stay firm and unshaken, even in storm, and difficult times of our daily lives. 

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3:16-19 ‘

May the Holy Spirit of the Living God help and guide us in our mission of making the disciples and spending time with them through the servanthood ministry.’ 

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Marcianne Uwimana

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts forms one
body, so it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

Dear Friends, greetings in the name of Jesus Christ; our Lord and Saviour.
Welcome to February 2025. Many of us have started 2025, with some
New Year’s resolutions, plans, projects, goals, missions, visions and
dreams-these are very important to us all as they inspire and encourage
us to focus on targets at the appropriate time.

Last month church leaders from across Rochdale and Littleborough met
to learn about an exciting project, “Hope 2025”, funded by someone who
is passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone
around the town of Rochdale. The project is about encouraging all church
leaders to keep talking about “Hope 2025” to their congregations and
build up to Easter Sunday when all of the churches who have signed up
to take part in this project will preach their own messages to their own
congregations, in their own churches, under the “Hope has a Name” banner.
It is obvious that the name is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

A church member and I were privileged to attend this meeting. As I sat
there, watching, listening and I saw many leaders arriving, introducing
themselves, seating and talking to each other, making connections, praying
together, eating breakfast together, and asking questions about the purpose
of “Hope 2025” project. I could see and hear the heartfelt voices of men
and women who are passionate and determined to share the Good News
with everyone.

The sharing of this Good News is the one uniting factor
for the Body of Christ. As one participant mentioned: “We have been
placed in this town…. for such a time as this” for a divine purpose.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as members of the body of Christ, I would
like to encourage each one of us to speak about this event: “Hope has a
name.” May I suggest that we encourage our church congregations to
attend a Joint Churches Launch Event on March 9th. We also need to
invite our neighbours, friends and family to our Easter Sunday Service on
April 20th. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, the sharing of the Good
News of the Gospel is the one uniting factor for the Body of Christ.

Yours in His service,

Deacon Marcianne Uwimana.