Dear Friends,

Hello! I’m Sarah, your new minister!!

In case you cannot tell from my overuse of exclamation marks, I am excited to be here. I joined the Sutton Park Circuit on 1^st September and have the privilege of serving you here at Falcon Lodge Methodist alongside South Parade, Streetly and Blackwood Methodist Churches. So far, I have enjoyed getting to know you, and getting a feel for how things run here. I see a lot of commitment and passion for the Church and for the community here. It’s great to work alongside my deacon colleague, Jenny. So far I have seen a Lodge Lunch, the Falcon Lodge Forum Community Information Event, Messy Church and Harvest.

As I have pondered on my journey so far, and my new start here, I find myself returning to the first few verses of Psalm 40: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”

Sometimes I wish God would make life easy, but that’s not how things work. Instead, we have a God who rescues us. Life is not always easy, and sometimes it is hard and downright painful. Yet God is with us, leading and guiding us. We can put our trust in the God who loves us more than we can know. There may be times we feel stuck in a pit, but God doesn’t leave us there. Once more, our feet can and will be steadied.

This leads us to sing new songs as we see God at work in our lives. We may be in part of a faith that sprung up around 2000 years ago, but the messages of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are not static. Over time we notice new facets, deeper meanings and make new connections, especially as we experience a life following Jesus. There are so many different beautiful songs of praise we could sing of God.

I think that at present many churches feel they are sinking under the pressures of maintaining buildings and finances with fewer members in a country that seems increasingly divided. We remember that we are not called to have all of the answers. We are called to have faith and prayerfully follow Jesus together. We may find ourselves surprised at where we end up and surprised at the songs we find ourselves singing.

I look forward to seeing how God is next at work here in Falcon Lodge, and getting to know you all better as we seek to serve God here. I wonder what songs we will find ourselves singing…                                                                                 

Sarah