The taking of life 

It was a hard week last week as some of us sat with Rai & Zaneta at the funeral of their son and others went to Hazel’s funeral too. I’ve also been watching the Charlie Gard story unfold and it forced me to do some hard thinking about the “taking of life”. You can read some of my reflections in my blog at www.pastorflowers.me.

One of my conclusions is that the world is a broken place and that God chooses to fix it through us. And that is what fuels the passion of the people of the Vineyard for the STEPS2017 campaign as we seek to buy Vineyard House. Wonderfully, you have pledged £280,000 so far. Wow! Thank you! The team will contact you in due course to advise you about how to make your gift. It won’t be before September. Of course we are still welcoming pledges – don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of this million pound miracle project. You’re going to be part of God’s plan to bring healing of brokenness in Headingley and beyond! You can keep up with progress on the Vineyard House blog.

This coming Sunday we will be praying into all this – but not at weekly worship. Remember, there is no morning service on Sunday but there is the Engine Room in the evening (7.30pm-9.00pm at Headingley Methodist Church). During the day we will be going to each others’ homes to “bring-and-share” lunch. Send us your photos!

I know that many of you are heading off on holidays over the next 6 weeks. A big group of us will be at Ashburnham, others are going to New Wine, Soul Survivor and off on their own holidays. I pray that you travel safe, keep well and that your hearts and souls are restored through rest and recreation and by experiencing the presence of God in new and vital ways!

Interestingly, if the last few years are any guide, we will see an increase in visitors and guests on Sundays over the summer – just at a time when many are away! So please could I ask those of you who are around (and if you have been three times or more that means you!) to keep your eyes open for any help needed at weekly worship and also make an extra effort to welcome new people. Say hullo, offer to pray for them, even invite them back for lunch.

And then we’ll all gather back together at the beginning of September for an exciting new term. The new small group programme will be released in early September – I’ve seen it, it’s fantastic. We will have a baptism service on 10 September (let us know if you would like to be baptised), we will be commissioning Bradford Vineyard at the end of the year.  I’m delighted that Daniel McGinniss (founding director of the Leeds School of Theology and Vice Principal at St Hild Theological College based in Sheffield) and Krish Kandiah (founding director, Home for Good, and many other things!) will be coming to preach too.

The dormouse has been complaining that it’s nearly Christmas. That’s not true, we’re about as far from Christmas as you can get on the calendar, but you may still like to mark your diary for Sunday December 17 which will be our main Christmas service.

Have a great summer,

Peace

David
P.S. Alison is known as the dormouse on account of her fondness for sleep.