Dear Friends
I went for my six-monthly pacemaker check recently. Everything was fine. However it set me thinking. Many of us have regular health check-ups and the doctor or consultant might tweak our medication, change our tablets or make suggestions regarding diet, exercise or lifestyle in order to give us a better quality of life or to prolong our life. So what about our spiritual health, as individuals and as a church. How often do we have a spiritual healthcheck? If we believe that the spiritual dimension of our life is as important as the physical dimension then the benefits of a spiritual check up are as obvious as a medical check up.
Just as don’t ask just anyone to review our medication or perform medical procedures so it is with a spiritual health check up. We seek help from an expert and there are many helpful resouces available for a spiritual healthcheck. Two examples are included later in this newsletter for you to work on at home or with a trusted friend.
However just as regular exercise and a balanced diet help our physical well-being so there are certain things that help our spiritual well-being. These things include regular attendance at worship, regular reading of the Bible and regular prayer,
Thinking of prayer leads me on to another point that came up recently which may well help our church. When Sally Willet (Evangelism & Renewal Advocate) met the Elders recently she offered a session on Listening Prayer. I am aware that a lot of prayer goes on in this church and that many of our congregation have deep prayer lives that have sustained them through thick and thin. However, it is true that we are weak on corporate prayer. We devote a lot of time to business meetings and structures, both of which are very important for the life of a church, but I do wonder whether spending more time in prayer together may benefit the church. In ‘prayer together’ I don’t just mean praying for healing and cure of the sick, praying for local, national and global issues and thanking God for His goodness towards us. I mean time in prayer listening to God, tuning in to Him and discerning His plans for us and our church. This is where Listening Prayer comes in and a guide to Listening Prayer is included in this Newsletter.
Sally also talked about the welcome that visitors receive. This is a difficult area. Some people are gregarious and like to be involved in conversation others are more reserved and like to be left on their own. Unfortunately we can’t tell a persons preference simply by looking at them. Personal contact was mentioned as important, particularly for follow up. Perhaps visitors should be invited to sit with a regular worshipper. They should certainly be given a notice sheet and have the format of worship explained to them briefly. After worship someone should invite them to stay of tea or coffee and whatever the answer that person should ask them if they want to be kept in touch with what is going on at the Beacon. If the answer is yes then the person who has asked the question should take contact details and do the follow up themselves.
Ian Ring
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