Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Hey everyone!

Well, what an incredible month we have just had – full of faith and expectation – and it has prepared us well for this month’s theme: “Gifted? Empowered to Serve.” You see, faith has sometimes been defined as “truth in action” – since we believe great truths about God, we demonstrate this belief by our actions. In other words, faith includes both truth and trust – both conviction and conduct – both what we believe and what we do. And one of the great truths about the Christian faith is that when God transforms our lives, his Holy Spirit brings empowerment and gifting to bring blessing to others – to serve others. Throughout this month we will be unpacking all of the ways in which faith is lived out for the benefit of others.

To help us do that, this month we are thrilled to welcome two great friends of our church as guest speakers. Ash Barker, along with his wife Anji and two children, live and serve Jesus Christ in the largest slum in Bangkok – known as Klong Toey slum. Ash’s stories will not only move us but they will motivate us never to forget the poor of this world and that each one of us can make a difference. Later in the month, Paul McGee – known as the SUMO guy (“Shut Up and Move On”) – will be with here bringing his unique blend of humour and insight to our theme. Both are simply wonderful speakers who will speak inspiration and challenge to us all (with an great deal of humour thrown in!), and of course, our own preaching team are praying and working hard now so that God may bring insight and inspiration to us all.

So, let me encourage you to be here – ready for God to speak to you and willing to go where he points.

Warmly,

Haydn.