Friends   Warmer hearts... and Greater resources

 I recently attended a regular ministers’ meeting, which ended with a colleague of mine praying the words “Lord we don’t ask for greater resources, we ask for warmer hearts”.  Well today I am writing to you about both, greater resources and the need for warmer hearts.

 As I hope now all of you will be aware, we have finally completed the vacant possession sale of the former Cheadle Hulme manse at Wyngate Rd, and churches should be receiving the funds very soon into respective accounts.  Cheadle Hulme will be investing some of the funds into a 1/3 ownership of the manse at Delfur Rd.  But greater resources are not necessarily the answer to a problem – as I was reminded, we also need warmer hearts.

 At Bramhall, the release of funds coincides with illnesses within our fellowship which have caused me to pause and ask questions.  We had earmarked some of the funds for a part time outreach worker, but will there be enough support from within the church to make the post feasible?  If we don’t carry on any outreach, what will the future hold for us?  It is time for us I think to review the extent of what we regularly do as a church, and what resources we have available.  We are a busy church, but we rely heavily on a few volunteers to carry out much of what we do.  Perhaps we need a new way of working.

 At Cheadle Hulme, in many ways the task is bigger.  The church needs much physical improvement, and though we are well into a scheme which has seen Alison Smith work one day a week as our outreach worker for almost a year now, and the formation of a Community Interest Company for the transfer of the existing pre-school and staff,  we start a work programme already heavy.   It is alright having the money available – but that is by no means the full story.

 The next handful of years will be critical in the stories of both churches, and will determine whether we stay open for new generations to come into our walls, or whether we go the way of so many churches and close gracefully.  Money alone will not keep churches open, we need wisdom, we need willing hands, and above all else we need warm hearts to stand alongside people in their troubled times.

 As one of our hymns says:

 “I will hold the Christ-light for you   Brother, sister let me serve you.
In the night time of your fear.  Let me be as Christ to you.
I will hold my hand out to you;  Pray that I might have the grace
Speak the peace you long to hear.  To let you be my servant, too”

 The Christian life is about being Christ to each other, and allowing others to do the same for us.

                                                                                                                                                                         God Bless,  Alan