Minister's letter for September
Dear friend
It used to be easy to start a letter. You began with 'Dear ....' and carried on with what you wanted to say. Today, with so many ways of communicating in writing (email, text messages, instant messaging...) it is difficult to know how to begin appropriately. I receive emails that begin 'Hi', or 'Greetings', and often that have no apparent beginning and simply launch into the reason for writing. Text messages on my mobile phone are similar. As I begin my ministry with you in Colchester and have prepared this letter I wondered how I should begin: formal, informal or launch straight in? As you see I decided to opt for the formal 'Dear Friend'.
Our time together at this church also has a formal beginning - the Induction service. In the service we affirm together our faith in Christ, express our commitment to each other and to serve the people of this town in practical ways as well as by sharing the Good News of Jesus with words. The words we will use come from the BU book Gathering For Worship and the introduction to the section on Inductions reads:
"The act of induction of a minister to the pastoral leadership of a congregation, or other forms of ministry, marks a new beginning for the church and is an opportunity for both minister and church to renew their commitment to God and God’s mission in the world."
After the echoes of the formal words that we will use in the Induction Service have long-since died away, I pray that we will put into practice what we have said. I pray that together our faith in Christ will be reaffirmed and strengthened by the work of God’s Spirit in our lives and by our support for each other. I pray that we will grow closer together as a community of believers united in our love of God and desire to follow Jesus at home, at work and in our leisure. I pray that we will to serve the needs of people in the town
– our friends and neighbours. I pray that we will be people who are experienced as good news by those around us, and who naturally share the Good News of Jesus. And all of this should have the same aim that Paul wrote at the start of his letter to the church in Philippi: "...to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:11)
Of course, now I have the problem of how to end this letter! I have decided to close in the same way CH Spurgeon used to sign off his letters. Through it he expressed an abundance of blessing, goodwill and joy to those to whom he was writing. I express the same to you.
Yours heartily
Nick