Southern Community
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Feed Your SoulIn 2009 we will encourage people in the midst of their busyness and their recreation, their stresses and their joys, to pay attention to their soul! As life gets busier and more demanding (and 2009 will be a year with particular pressures and challenges for our society) we want to affirm that all is not lost – that as people of faith we live with hope, drawing upon the resources of God in facing whatever challenges may come our way. Our ability to deal constructively with those challenges is dependent upon the strength of our soul and the depth of our relationship with God, the Creator. In 2009 we will offer pathways for people to feed their soul, to nurture their relationship with God, so that they will be well-placed to respond to life. But there’s more. Not all of life is struggle and challenge. Creation is a beautiful thing and people are delightful. Appropriate nurture of the soul helps to cultivate an awareness of the beauty – the spark of God’s Spirit – that is planted deep within every aspect of creation. To live out of our soul – that deep place of peace and joy within us – sensitises us to ‘notice’ God and celebrate the good things, even in the midst of the struggle and hardship and injustice that seem always at hand. Together we will learn to ‘enjoy deeply’ every moment of life, irrespective of the momentary circumstances. We have a strong sense of ‘timeliness’ about this theme, not just in regard to the state of society, but also in regard to the ‘kairos’ moment in church life. We believe that 2009 will be a very significant year for us, that God is presenting us with diverse opportunities for mission and ministry, and that to grasp those opportunities will lead us into an exciting future. There is great vitality amongst our Ministry Area convenors and groups, we have excellent leadership in the Church Board, the Strategic Planning Task Group is developing a tantalising vision for our church community, and there is a high level of energy within the Ministry Team. We look forward to all that God will do in us, with us and through us in 2009. |
