Dear Friends
We do not have a permanent city in this world: rather we look to a city that is yet to come …. You will be richly welcomed into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. [Hebrews 13:14; 2 Peter 1:11]
A few of you, no doubt, will have taken advantage of the special offers which various hotels have advertised in recent days in an effort to recoup lost revenue over the last 18 months or so – certainly the Stone family has. Whether as a short ‘staycation’ or to visit family and friends, if we have been able to book and pay in advance, we have been able to stay at far less than the premium rates. The rooms have not been luxurious but they are clean and comfortable, ideally suited for breaking a journey or making a flying visit to a particular area. I probably wouldn’t want to stay in one for long, and certainly not for an extended holiday but they were not designed for that – they are aimed fair and square at travellers passing through.
There is a lesson for us here in terms of faith. We should never be those who settle down spiritually in one place, feeling that we have reached our destination; instead, we should be engaged in a journey of discipleship, an ongoing pilgrimage leading to ever-new horizons, and finding fresh expressions of God’s love for us. Whatever age you are, there is always more to see and explore, and perhaps teach, for, as the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, in this life we are merely passing through. Our destination is not on Earth but in Heaven.
In our possible new journey together as West Orchard and Warwick Road URCs, we have set up various working groups to look at our joint Worship, Buildings, Administration, Communications and Finance; hopefully, you will be willing to join one or other of these groups. Don’t wait to be asked – pray and see what God is calling you to. There will also be talks about social activities, special causes and many more things that we need to think about in the days to come. There will be special Church Meetings to keep you informed and, as these are still talks, there will be a Church Meeting for each church towards the end of November / early December for you to make the final decision about a merger of the two churches.
Please get involved, even if it is just thinking up a new name for the joint congregation based at the Baginton Road site. So far, I have heard “South Coventry URC” (boring!) or “Baginton Road URC” (still boring but at least gives an indication of where the church will be). Everyone can have a say, young and old. What would you like this exciting new Church to be called? Let either myself or Pete have your ideas!
God bless,
Yvonne