Dear Friends,
I recently had a service on the car and as part of that process I was sent a video from the garage. It was called a vehicle health check and the mechanic discussed the overall state of the car. He pointed out a few
significant things. The thread on one of the front tyres was dangerously thin and needed to be replaced and he was able to show that the brake pads would need renewing after another 3,000-4,000 miles.

Car services are becoming increasingly sophisticated as are any recent dealings I have had with garages. When I was considering changing the car
about a year ago I went online and enquired about a few cars that seemed suitable. Within about 12 hours I had a phone call from a salesman who
had identified cars that he thought might meet our needs and he subsequently sent videos and invited me over to test drive them. It was a very speedy response. In this instance I was grateful for the call from the service manager highlighting my need to get a new tyre in order to stay safe.

I wonder what sort of conclusions an expert might make if our church was sent in for its annual service? There are things that are encouraging and positive. There seems to be a wholehearted engagement with worship and
often visitors remark on the atmosphere of prayer they feel when they enter the church. People speak warmly of the welcome they receive and
appreciate the pastoral care they receive from fellow parishioners as they journey through some of life’s very challenging experiences.

There are difficult things we notice too. There is an absence of young people and young families. Is this because the worship we offer is not engaging
them or is it because they are busy on Sunday mornings with other activities? We have a sporting son and some of his activities have started to occur on Sunday mornings which is tricky to navigate when you want
faith to be a family activity, something we practice all
together.

Unfortunately I don’t think there is a quick fix to this issue. It’s not quite as straightforward as going to a tyre centre and replacing like for like and then you are good to go for another period.

Over recent years we have been trying different approaches with mixed levels of success. We notice a good response to one-off outreach events like community fun days, a specific invitation Sunday, outreaches for various
seasons like Christmas or Easter, but these don’t translate into regular attendance at worship.

I recently took a call from someone who was going through a very difficult time. They had struggles with their mental health, their finances were in a difficult place and the presenting issue was that they had no food, the cupboards were bare. They had no connection with the church but knew instinctively that the church might be a good place to look to for help. It was
possible to make an immediate response and bring in some groceries and food vouchers and point the person to a local food bank and some activities
in the church where they might find some community and connection in their isolation.

It was possible to pray into the immediate situation but there was also a sense that something ongoing would need to happen if that situation was
going to change.

In leadership, you recognise that you don’t always have all the answers and that solutions may take some time to take effect. There are times when we feel discouraged, disheartened and frustrated that our solutions are not
working as we would hope them to be.

In recent months we had been trying to establish a youth group in church to encourage our teenagers in the faith. It has been hard to get volunteers to help with that and we understand how challenging it can feel to engage with those in their teens if we are considerably older than that ourselves. Andy, who was trying to lead that response, has himself left for a new
calling so maybe we need to explore getting external help or paid help for this area of our church life. Its sense of importance is highlighted when
parents ask if there is anything the church can provide to nurture their teenager or child in the faith.

What about our personal faith if we were to get it examined under a health
check? Have we been through sickness or depression or circumstances that have caused us to question God’s presence or his goodness? Have we struggled with things we always found strength from like Bible reading, prayer and going to church?

As this magazine goes to print I hope to attend the biannual clergy conference. The Bishop brings the clergy away for 3 days for a time of teaching and worship and prayer as we try to think about God’s call to reach out to the world around us with His hope and His love. I hope there will be inspiration and encouragement to be found there.

As we enter soon the season of Lent, perhaps it will give to each of us opportunities to do a spiritual health check and to attend to those things that might be in urgent need of our attention.

With very best wishes.

Jonathan Pierce (Rector)

Telephone 02890 793822