Focus on Jesus amidst change

All Souls is on the brink of new opportunities! We have just returned to in-person services after 40 weeks of closed buildings in the past 20 months. Today, a new Parish Council will be appointed at our Annual Meeting. Our new Mission Action Plan is nearing completion, to be launched in 2022 as we look to put the plan into action.

But we also face many challenges. Church members feel disconnected and uncertain after six lockdowns and the continued presence of COVID. Our congregation has continued to age, with several servants stepping back from previous commitments. Our property resources are becoming increasingly complex to manage, with our Op Shop struggling to reopen and several roofs, fences and tenancy arrangements needing immediate attention. And  our society continues to become increasingly secular, diverse and pluralistic.

Yet the Bible teaches that the biggest challenge we face is sin and our inability to trust and follow God. We can make all sorts of wise plans and strategies, but left unchecked, human wisdom leads to ruin. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?’ (Jer 17:9).

​We give thanks to God for the many godly people amongst us at All Souls, yet we must be vigilant in our reliance on God, offering ourselves as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2), and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2). As we enter a new season for our church, let’s put first things first by focusing on Jesus.