A time of new formation.
Jesus immediately said to them “ take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 14: 27
Welcome to our church website! It is great that you have dropped in. Please do explore, and get in touch if you have any questions. We would love to get to know you better.
The last two years have been deeply challenging. The pandemic and its consequences - uncertainty, isolation, job loss, illness and bereavement has caused us to radically change our patterns of life. In the midst of all this, God’s love has been unchanging. He is full of compassion for us, and sees our struggles, and desires to guide and support us on our life’s journey.
For us as a church family, our hearts are sore, for many of our loved ones have passed away. Yet we have also seen people pray, phone and encourage and support one another in courageous and beautiful ways. God is still at work, and His spirit has brought consolation in the midst of unpredictable times.
In 2022, we have a new challenge ahead, for Knightswood St Margaret’s church and Temple Anniesland church are joining to form a new church Knightswood Anniesland Trinity church. We are also forming a parish grouping with St David’s Knightswood church, and were have a deferred union with our friends there in 2024.
We all have mixed feelings, for it is hard to leave behind all the memories from the past and things that are familiar, and to embrace what it new. There are many things that are unknown - which buildings will be kept, how we will work out new teams, and encourage everyone to know that they are valued.
Yet in the midst of this, we feel the call of God. When the disciples were in the boat, and it was the middle of the night in the storm, Jesus told them not to be afraid, but to have courage. He even called them to step out of the boat. When Peter tried to get out, he was empowered to keep going when his eyes were fixed on Jesus. This enabled him to keep going.
These might still be days of uncertainty, but Jesus calls us to continue to walk with him. We are prayerful for the people to get to know one another, and to build new friendships. We pray that we might work together, to care for one another, and build up the church family, and to share our Christian faith with others. This might mean some difficult decisions, but we hope to support one another in the midst of this.
“ If we are growing, then we are always going to be out with our comfort zone.”
John C Maxwell
This is a time for us to grow - to grow together, to grow in faith, to try new things. Some ideas might fail, but we won’t know till we try. We pray for God to bless us, as we seek to honour the name of Jesus Christ, and to share His love with others. We are grateful to have a vision that the three churches have agreed to, and we pray for the holy spirit to guide us, as we seek a new path forward.
May we pray:
Eternal God, Father, Son and Holy spirit,
We praise Your name, for You are Good and Loving and Wise
And You have a good plan for this world.
Father God, forgive us for the times that we sabotage this
Through our selfishness and greed.
Help us to be sorry, and to want to work for a better world.
Lord Jesus Christ, You taught people about Your Father,
In the teaching of the beatitudes, in the healing of the person with leprosy,
By inviting everyone to your table, by challenging all that was corrupt.
Out of love, You were willing to lay down your life,
So that all can be offered forgiveness for our faults,
And find cleansing and peace.
We confess that we need that forgiveness,
And we pray for a new beginning.
Lord Jesus, please grow your church,
As a community of light and love.
As individuals, may we let go our fears and resentments,
And may we open to the formation of your holy spirit,
Enabling the fruit of the spirit to be grown:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.
Teach us to work well together, not to be scared,
To be willing to get out that boat,
And to fix our eyes on our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ,
The one who will not drop us,
And who will walk with us all the days of our lives.
Inspire us we pray, when we get it wrong, forgive,
And help us seek to do Your will, in loving and creative ways,
As we get to know others around us,
And seek to love them, as You have loved us,
For Jesus’ sake,
Amen
Amen
Our agreed vision.
1. To receive God’s love and to share it with others,
2. Convictions about our orthodox faith in the incarnate and Risen Jesus Christ,
3. To look after everyone in the church family and community by getting to know one another by listening and showing patience and care.,
4. A desire that our church family be a place of acceptance, belonging and healing,
5. To build trained teams to assist in future ministry and outreach,
6. A desire to be intergenerational, and for each age group to be cared for and to learn from each other,
7. To support our frailer members, and also our children and families;
8. A desire to be open to learn more about our Christian faith through prayer and Bible study,
9. Where we have different opinions, to seek to be respectful of other viewpoints,
10. To be creative in our ways of connecting with God, and deepening our faith through, for example, spiritual retreats, contemplative prayer, art etc.
11. To share our faith with others in the community in relevant, loving and innovative ways.
reflection video.
