The United Reformed Church Chesham

Dear Friends

What a summer! I wonder when we come to look back, how we will remember it. Jubilee Celebrations, Olympics in London, cold wet weather, or the start of a new phase in our local church life as we move out for the building redevelopment. Yes we can now confirm that the work will start the last week in August and we will need to vacate our premises for about 6 months. A letter explaining our plans for this time of transition is included later in this newsletter and will be sent to everyone connected with the church.

Exciting times, but times of transition can also bring challenges. We will need to be patient, to trust in God’s guidance and to keep focused on planning to fulfil our hope that our refreshed buildings will speak of welcome; welcoming people to worship, to our regular activities and offering community groups a good venue to meet. A building alive and active speaking of God’s love.

A grain of seed must be buried in the ground before it can bring forth new life. Jesus told the disciples to wait quietly until the Holy Spirit would come and enable them to work for God. There must be times of waiting and preparation and stillness as we seek guidance for the future.

Each September all our Elders usually meet to look at our local church’s vision and to set goals for the coming year and also further ahead. These goals help us to look at every aspect of church life and the Church Meeting then discusses them and we all agree a vision document. This September we are holding a special Vision Planning afternoon for everyone to discuss the coming year’s goals, which will include how to best use our ‘new’ buildings. This is on 30th September and we have invited Revd Anne Sardeson, the Synod Training Officer, to lead us. Anne will lead the morning worship and then we will share lunch together before an afternoon looking at our vision. (Details later.) We hope as many people as possible will join us for this important time of planning.

This is a busy time of packing up and many of you will be packing for holidays at this time. I hope you will all find time away or time of a change of routine will bring refreshment. As we have a change of routine, I pray it may be a time of refreshment too. The angels climb to heaven on the front of Bath Abbey to remind us of Jacob’s dream. May we dream as Jacob did and know God with us:

Jacob dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; … and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." Genesis 28:11f