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Dear Friends,

Greeting in the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Lent is a season when I profoundly reflect on what Jesus said and did for humanity before he was crucified. It’s a season of reflection on the sacrificial servant ministry, and what it takes to follow His example. Sometimes, I reflect on this topic through conversations with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

A recent conversation was with an incredible long serving Church Steward, who has been sacrificially serving God’s people from ‘the back of the church’. During our conversation, I asked if she would be interested in taking a centre stage and sharing her experience of her servant ministry in the church, where she got married 69 years ago. Her answer was simple but very powerful: “I don’t think that is my calling, I believe that actions speak louder than words; quietly serving others in humility following Jesus’ example, and behind the closed doors, is what I know to be my calling.” This conversation reminded me of an act of spiritual service and humility by Jesus. ’The washing of His disciples’ feet’ was a simple but significant example of the soul-cleansing that takes place when we follow Jesus Christ. By reaching down to His disciples’ feet, Jesus showed us that there is no task too low or too undignified for a leader who is ready to help and lead others for God’s glory.

Easter is not a story of popularity. Easter is a true story of the sacrificial servant ministry of Jesus Christ, who wholeheartedly and humbly served others to the point of death on the cross for the redemption of all. It is a true story of His victory and presence in and through each one of us, as His followers, whether from behind closed doors or from the front, the servant ministry starts from the heart in the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Happy Easter to you all.

Probationer Minister, Deacon Marcianne Uwimana

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In February I joined a craft group at Syke Methodist Church; after learning how to decorate a bottle with light in it, I was ready to come home as I had another meeting in the afternoon. Before I left, one of our regular friends entered the church building and we started talking about our Sunday ‘meet, share and eat’ Fellowship. I asked him if he would be joining us in the morning worship. His answer was simple but so powerful. He said: “I am not interested in Church’s hierarchies and stuff; my spiritual life is about my personal relationship with Jesus.” He continued and said: “Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness; however, Jesus helped me through it, and I am still here, standing and healthy. When I wake up every morning, I say, ‘good morning, Jesus,’ thanking God for another day to live.”

His words reminded me of one of my favourite songs that I sing every morning: “I am alive today; it is by your Grace” by Big Brain (you tube) based on Psalm 92:2 “…proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night….” Hearing these words from someone who doesn’t currently go to church was a powerful encounter with God at work in the hearts of his people. It was simply uplifting seeing and hearing people being aware of his presence in their lives, we can greet him with grateful hearts, as our closest friend and say: ‘good morning, Jesus’. The truth of this encounter is that someone else, somewhere along the way, shared the good news of the Gospel with my new friend, and that is how he came to know Jesus and developed a personal relationship with him.  

As we start this Lent season, may the Holy Spirit help us to share our faith stories with those we meet daily. Although we might not know how the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts, we can confidently trust His power. It might take a long time to see the fruits of the seeds we planted daily; we are called to continue planting them faithfully. Even if those we share with choose a different path and don’t join the worship in our physical church buildings, with patience we are to continue: ‘one step at a time.’ The most important thing worth mentioning here is that when we look for an action which might transform our lives and the lives of others, we are also helping them to discover how close God often comes to us. I encourage you to know that he is within us, around us, underneath us, above us, actively and creatively making us new every day. So, we can intimately sing: “Good morning, Jesus. Good morning, Lord, Good morning Holy Spirit, we are alive today”! 

Deacon Marcianne

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“……more than gifts: Gift Giver….”

Dear friends,
Greetings in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

December is the last and busiest month of the year, while January is a month of new beginnings. They are not only months in which friends, families and relatives get together to look back and celebrate what they have accomplished, but they are also months that people use to think about new opportunities, new choices, and decisions.

It is also important to remember those who do not have anyone to celebrate with. A time we remember that although we have plenty, there the people who have nothing. Some will be enduring their first Christmas having buried a loved one or their first Christmas since fleeing a war-torn country. Christmas is a wonderful time for some and equally a traumatic time for others.

This is a time for gratitude. From families that are welcoming new-born blessings into the world, to patients who are finally pain-free after long bouts of treatment. All can sit and give thanks to our Creator at this time of year. Give thanks for our abilities and celebrate God’s given gifts (our health, wealth, friends, families, talents, abilities, intelligence, security, freedom, nature, etc..) to humanity.

While, at times, Christmas has become a season of buying, giving, and receiving materials gifts, Christianity encourages us to put our focus on the true Spirit and Heart of Christmas: “The Gift-Giver, Jesus Christ” in our personal lives. As we leave 2022 and enter 2023, may the Gift-Giver bless us all together, with Him, in Him and through Him, we shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”