WELCOME  to  ST. PAUL'S

 Spring 2012 

Hello everyone,

Spring is here at last !  After the long cold dark winter the sun should be appearing a little more frequently (I hope) and the days will be brighter and longer as we saw the clocks go forward at the end of March.

People are beginning to brave the gardening after the winter. We see a surge in the sale of pansies and violas as we adorn our houses with some colour to cheer us up.

We have also Mothering Sunday and of course Easter Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Saviour and Redeemer of the world.

We also celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.

Our wedding season began in March this year with Keren and Joseph, and many couples will be taking their vows over this summer.  I urge you to pray for these couples.

Marriage is one of the most life changing events which you can go through, and after the glitz and glamour of the day has died down, these couples face a lifetime of getting to know each other. Sometimes they will face it with love in their hearts and understanding on their minds, but for those of you already married, or have been married, I don’t have to tell you how difficult it can be.

So I urge you to pray for the couples and help them out when they hit a bumpy part of their married life together. Reassure them that it is merely a blip as they journey together, and to remember

their special day when they each said ‘I will’.

We have lots going on in the months to come but we are still in Lent as I write this.

A time of reflection, not just of our spiritual lives but of our lives in general. Who are we? What do we achieve? What motivates us?   These are questions not just for the church but for us personally.

Scary questions! Not many people like to examine themselves in this much detail. Generally pushing negative associations to the side; being thought too near the bone to deal with.

I am urging you though to look deep into who you are and you will be pleasantly surprised.

You are a child of God whether you believe this or not.

You are made in the image of God, again whether you believe this or not.

 And you are loved by God, believe it or not.

You are precious in the Father’s eyes; he thinks you are special, so why do you doubt yourself?

Many things to think about over the coming months.

Yours in Christ

Rev’d Helen Scanlan