What a Joy!

What a joy it was to worship together last week. It was a special time of wonderful and uplifting worship and fellowship.

It was three years ago on the first Sunday of September that I had my first real encounter with All Souls. Having been appointed to start on 1 October 2022. I visited and conducted the two services as a way to prepare for my new season of Ministry. I thank God for bringing me here. I so look forward to the year ahead and what we are going to do together.In my first parish after three years, I said to the council - "If I haven't done it yet, I probably am not going to do it;" but here I feel that we have just begun and there is so much that we are going to do in our future together. We have so much potential to serve God together here, and I am excited about what I feel God is calling us to.

Yesterday's (Thursday 4th September 2025) Colossians reading was very apt, and I have adapted it to make it personal to us.

"Andrew, a Priest in the Church of God and a servant of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Lara, by divine institution, my wife,

To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters of All Souls:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have experienced your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints- the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

For this reason, since the day we began to serve you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light."

So let us not waver in our devotion to Christ. As we see God adding, daily, to our numbers and as we experience his healing hand, protection, compassion, comfort, and salvation; as we experience all of life together, upholding one another in prayer and action, growing in love for God and each other.

May God continue to draw us closer to him and send us further into this world to share the love that we have received and to love the world back to God, in Christ, with Christ and through Christ.

Peace and all good

Rector

Venerable Andrew Manning