Church - A Family?

This coming Sunday at Amersham Free Church we are really looking forward to welcoming friends from St John's Methodist and St Michael's Anglican churches as they join us for a service of Holy Communion - especially as our heating has now been fixed!  Hooray!!

These three congregations are in 'covenant' with each other and collectively we make up COTHA - Churches on The Hill Amersham and twice a year we hold united morning service.

Our preacher on Sunday is The Revd Sharon Roberts, an assistant priest from St Michael's - my colleague Erna helpfully pointed out, as she proof read the draft order of service, that I had put down 'Our preacher this morning is Sharon Stone'!! I do get my Hollywood actresses and vicars mixed up occasionally!

Churches share many of the same characteristics of family - whether that's the relationships in a local congregation or between a collection of congregations. Like any family the dynamic in and between churches goes up and down.  The important thing is never to loose sight of the intrinsic relationship between us in that we are all God's children and brothers and sisters to each other.

I love this drawing of a church because it emphasises that we are made up of people - and we all come in different shapes and sizes with different personalities and preferences. Yet St Paul refers to us as 'The Household of Faith' - his way of saying 'we are family and community'.

Our three communities have ebbed and flowed since last we met.  At St Michael's a much loved Vicar, Diana retired after ten years of much appreciated service amongst us and on March 15th her successor, The Revd Debbie will be welcomed.  At St John's David moved on to pastures new in Romford and The Revd Anne now serves as Superintendent Minister. In all of this we seek to prayerfully support each other and lend a hand whenever possible.

I came across this quote about family and community life this week which I rather like:
Family isn't always blood.  It's the people in your life who want you in theirs.  The ones who accept you for who you are.  The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what.
I've met people in both my family and the church family who care for me just like that.

On Sunday we celebrate COTHA and what it means for our three churches to be in covenant together.

I think Mother Theresa put it rather well when she said: What can you do to promote world peace?  Go home and love your family.

With best wishes,

Ian