HUB MAY / JUNE 2021 ISSUE 039
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES | JOBS CONFERENCES | TRAINING | EVENTS EVENTS
LOVE YOUR CHURCH! As the country continues to emerge from lockdown, churches everywhere are beginning the process of restarting services and ministries. And while some church members can’t wait to throw themselves back into things, others are feeling much more hesitant, for all sorts of reasons. Some are anxious after over a year of shielding and social distancing. Some are reluctant, having enjoyed the break from stacking chairs, making coffee or volunteering in creche. And some have disengaged, perhaps tuning in to online services from churches elsewhere in the world or taking a break from church altogether. Many of us have been blessed by books, podcasts, livestreams and YouTube videos over the past year, not to mention virtual meetings and catch-ups via video-conferencing platforms, and encouragements on social media. But the Bible is clear that being a committed member of a local church is the best way to be encouraged and challenged, as well as to serve others and be a witness to friends and neighbours in our community. As the writer to the Hebrews puts it: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 Noone knows quite how quickly churches will be able to return to something approaching normality. But one thing is sure: it’s going to take time, creativity and commitment to encourage and inspire the wider church family to get back to being involved in the various activities that have been put on hold over the past year but which all contribute to a healthy and vibrant local church.
0333 123 0880
Which is why we’re thrilled to be launching Love Your Church, a timely new book by Tony Merida, which explores what church is, why being part of it is so exciting, and why it’s worthy of our love and commitment. It is just the right book to read together as a church family as you remind each other to love your church (not just attend), and to see your local church as your church, a place where uniquely you can grow in your faith, serve your brothers and sisters in Christ and reach out with the gospel. As Angus MacLeay of St Nicholas, Sevenoaks puts it in his commendation, “Emerging from this period, many recognise the need to recalibrate our church life according to the teaching of the New Testament. This accessible book provides a wonderfully helpful tool in that process of rethinking and evaluating our priorities.” In short, it is a brilliant resource to realign everyone’s thinking and help all church members to throw themselves back into church life. Here are a couple of suggestions for how you might use this resource in your church: 1) Read Love Your Church as a congregation now as you start gathering again with the aim of having a big church celebration/relaunch of all activities on Sunday 12th September. You could even call it Love Your Church Sunday! Tony is producing a range of support-
ing materials, including videos, discussion guides and worksheets. These will help you to apply the book’s concepts in your church context and are ideal for small groups. If this is something you are interested in, please register your interest at thegoodbook.co.uk/ lovechurch and we will email you all the materials. 2) O r you could do things the other way around and use Love Your Church Sunday to launch this small-group material alongside your other church ministries and activities. It could be a great way to enthuse and inspire people as you get things going again in the autumn term. But however you use it, our hope and prayer is that this will be a valuable resource as you work together to relaunch the full programme of church activities that you’ve built up under God over many years; and that you enjoy the return to in-person teaching, fellowship and (we dare to hope) even singing! By James Burstow, Commercial Director.
Single copy £6.79 50 copies £4.80 each 100 copies £4.40 each
thegoodbook.co.uk/the-hub