Dear Friends,

It was a daunting thought when Louise (Kingsway Manager) informed me before Christmas that the interior of the building was to be redecorated in the new year. This was to freshen it up after seven years, yes the seven years we have now been worshipping in this complex.

It was to be just a like for like, no major change of colour and I guess some of you have not even particularly noticed it’s been done. The church was easy as we just needed to pile the furniture in the middle and when it was covered over the decorators got on with the job.  But the office was totally different. Everything to be moved out and my goodness had we (l) accumulated some stuff.

That’s when some form of Lenten discipline came to the fore. This time only things that were possibly going to be of use in the future were to be returned and anything else to be distributed elsewhere or dumped! That meant everything from each individual book to boxes put in cupboards when we moved in and never looked at again. it took quite a few hours over a couple of days to do it, but when completed thought to be a job well done.

No sooner had i finished it than within hours I had some pre-planned decorating done at home and decided to work by the same principal. i can tell you it is not easy chucking stuff out when by nature you want to keep it for the time it may come in handy!

What l did find fascinating was the discovery of a box containing audio tapes. . Many were those i had purchased pre C.D. era and some were recordings of various services including my first Sunday at BRS. i listened to it the other evening and will perhaps play a bit of it one Sunday soon. it is certainly nostalgic. The singing is very enthusiastic and especially “Sound the battle cryl See, the foe is nigh, raise the standard high for the Lord’. Timeless words for even today.

The sermon was quite short about fifteen minutes and on the theme of worship and the importance of worship in the Christian church. it’s a simple message spoken with clarity, although I am sure i was quite nervous on that occasion the new boy on day one if ‘I preached it one coming Sunday word for word it would still have a pertinent message because above and beyond everything else the church remains the worshipping community of God’s people. We gather each week to offer our worship to the God who in Christ is the object of our being.

We quite a few more tapes to listen too yet. Who knows what treasure of music and word i will discover and possibly inflict upon you!

Every Blessing,

Alan