Dear Friends,

When you read this letter the school children and their teachers will be doing their final preparations before going back to school.  Before the teachers who read this complain too loudly I do realise that they will have been back to school on several occasions during the holiday.  My point is that early in September school life starts again.  For some there are big changes such as starting or changing school or for the older ones starting at college.  At this time we remember all those involved in education in our prayers.

For us in the Methodist Church September feels like the start of a new year.  For ministers who have moved they will begin in their new circuits on the 1^st September and again I would ask you to pray for them.  Thankfully this year we have had no changes in staff but may I gently encourage you to pray for my colleagues and me.

September also feels like the start of term for us because the meetings seem to start up again. Often over the summer there has been a bit of a lull as people take holidays but now we are back and the meetings such as the District Synod, Circuit meeting and Church Council will soon be upon us.  Please pray that the decisions made at these meetings will be in the best interests of the Methodist Church.

The Methodist Conference recognised “the challenges and changes facing every community in these islands and the urgent call of God on the Methodist people to share the love of God in Jesus Christ in word and action”.  It called on every local church to launch the new Methodist year with a day of prayer and fasting as a way of seeking Gods help and guidance for the church.  We in this circuit will hold such a day later on in the year.  However, that should not stop us as individuals praying about the church’s future and our role in that future.  You might even ask about what role God might be asking you to play in showing God’s love to the people of this area.

So, as the children and teachers go back to school and the pace of church life gathers again, I ask you to spend some time in prayer, praying especially for God’s help and guidance as we seek to serve God in this place.

God Bless,