Ministers page

May 2012

Dear friends,

How wonderful it has been to celebrate another Easter Day of Resurrection within the church family!   The sanctuary was beautifully decorated with baskets and vases of flowers, and the Sunday School’s Calvary and Easter Garden with its empty tomb added to the inspiration around us on this highest festival day of our faith.  There was an Easter tree in the vestibule to signal to those who entered that this was no ordinary Sunday – as if any Sunday should ever be ordinary!

On that day of rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead it was wonderful to see the church filling up with regular worshippers, visitors from amongst our own circle of family and friends, and visitors who were joining us for the Sacrament of Baptism.  What a wonderful witness to the importance of Easter Day that there was standing room only in our church!

As we welcomed baby Ava, brought by her parents for baptism, we prayed that she along with her family and friends would be touched by the joy of our Easter-based faith.

In the early days of the Church Easter Day was the Day when new converts were welcomed into the fellowship through baptism.  Although we now baptise infants who as yet cannot make their own profession of faith, we pray that they will be nurtured into a personal expression of love for God in Jesus Christ through the witness of people of faith around them.

It is a blessing and privilege to be called to baptise and to nurture people in faith – whatever their age.  Although in our tradition it is the ordained minister who is called to baptise, all of us share in the responsibility of Christian nurture.   As part of our congregation’s commitment to this nurturing in faith we provide a Sunday School for our youngsters, and it is always a delight to see our children at the heart of our family Sunday worship.  It was very appropriate then that, with my broken foot, I could call upon our Sunday School leader, Janet Mackellar, to carry the baby round the sanctuary on my behalf.

On behalf of the whole church I am sure you would like me to express our thanks to all those who teach and care for our children in the Sunday School, and also to express our support for the commitment of parents and grandparents who bring their children with them to worship.  We are so delighted that you are part of our church family and we pray God’s blessings on you all.

Like all families, the church will have its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, but let us thank God that He has given us such a family of faith to belong to.

With every blessing,

Sarah Nicol.