The United Reformed Church Chesham

Dear Friends,

Hey ho! don’t you know*? This year, once again, the churches in Chesham will be joining together to put on Backpackers – a holiday club providing a positive Christian experience for children from 31st July to 3rd August 2018.

Chesham has a lot of churches. This abundance brings with it a variety of ways to worship and to share God’s love with those around us. Different buildings, different locations, different people. Different musical styles, different liturgical styles. Something to suit everyone, you’d hope. But one God. One exciting, powerising, c-colossal, humongous-mongous God*!

I count myself blessed to have grown up in Chesham, a town where I could see people overcoming their different expressions of faith in order to work together to produce something far bigger, something that truly achieved synergy. A celebration of diversity, an acceptance that it’s ok to hold different views, friendships born out of a love of God because Zip bam boo zama lama la boo, there’s freedom in Jesus Christ*.

Everyone can contribute to Backpackers: Leading groups of children, performing centre stage, or quietly supporting behind the scenes as well as a multitude of roles in between. It’s clichéd but each is essential, the many parts do make up the whole.

Of course, it’s not all plain sailing, differences take energy and effort to overcome, to reach a compromise, and in doing so, we are often challenged. But that challenge can make us grow stronger, to help us identify the essential elements of our faith, and those which we like, but which we can do without.

If you haven’t already signed up to help, and are able to, please visit: http://www.backpackers-online.org.uk/ or speak to someone in our church family for further details.

With love,
Naomi

Almighty God,
Thank you for Backpackers,
for all those adults, young people and children who have participated over the years;
for all who have been touched by you and whose lives have been transformed as a result.
We pray for this year's Backpackers,
that your love may be shared, your light shown, and your power known.
Make it - once again - a positive and life-changing experience for all those involved.
Amen.

*The words in italics are all quotes from songs sung at Backpackers.