Highlight
In mid-January our Engage leaders had the great privilege of spending a few days away together in Canoelands to plan this year’s youth program! Please thank God for the time we had in getting to know each other and the team’s service in generating so many fruitful ideas to care for the youth. It was a deeply encouraging time for myself seeing the energy, passion and commitment that everyone possessed which has personally been a huge blessing! Engage has kicked off and it was awesome to see the energy and excitement coming from the leaders and students, we are keen to see how God works over this term as we go through the idea of ‘fruit’ in the Bible and Genesis.
One key focus of this year is also for our team to partner with parents effectively, please pray that we might cooperate together in God’s work in growing disciples of Jesus! Thank you so much to those who are supporting us in this gospel work, it’s much appreciated!
Learning
A key heart struggle that God had exposed was the ‘have to’ attitude rather than the ‘want to’ attitude of service. I think being in a position of vocational ministry caused me to place certain expectations of myself to always be the one having fruitful conversations, to always volunteer to do hard/boring tasks, to always have the right answers for people when they have questions. Whilst these aren’t necessarily sinful things, I could sense a loss of joy and my own heart becoming almost ‘Pharasaical’ in needing to do things for the approval of others in serving which is an attitude I needed to repent of. A helpful reminder has been from Mark 10:45 on the nature of sacrifice and how Jesus, the great Son of Man came not to be served but to serve by laying down His own life. Seeing the One who has joyfully gone before me, this has encouraged me to continue finding service as a privilege, rather than a ‘job’!
Prayer
- for Victor that he might have wisdom on time management, that he would use his time in a way that honors God and serves His people, particularly with learning how to rest well
The Marsden Fund 