Dear friends,

So… this is a somewhat surreal message to write! As we come to the end of our time in ministry here, and prepare for retirement (whatever that might look like) and for our return to our home in Sunningdale, we have so many mixed emotions.

First and foremost, we have a deep sense of gratitude to God for leading us on this journey with you over the last 15 years. We are so grateful for the things that he has done amongst us as we’ve sought to follow his lead, and we are particularly grateful for the way in which you have embraced – and in some cases initiated – those areas of church life and ministry that have been significant.

So, to those who kept Noah’s Ark going through some lean years to pave the way for its growth over the last ten years – thank you for your faithful service. To those who responded to God’s call to build on our relationships with Noah’s Ark families by establishing our Messy Church congregation, thank you for your obedience. To those who teamed up to establish Windsor Foodshare, know that your willingness to go the extra mile has drawn many other volunteers into our building since then and had helped many hundreds of neighbours at risk of food poverty over the last twelve years. To those with a heart for people’s well-being, thank you for your time in ensuring that the WellSpring offers a safe place where ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ every week. And to those who have served in various roles, often in the background, as trustees, children’s workers, stewards, service leaders, preachers, musicians, technicians, Home Group leaders, pastoral visitors and more… thank you for all that you have done – and continue to do – to help church be church.

Perhaps inevitably, we leave with a sense of unfinished business – there is still so much more to do! And that is good and right, because it is a sign that there is still the hope and promise of future life to come. After all, Jesus left his disciples just as things started to get really interesting for the early Church! Our prayer for you all is that things will start to get really interesting for DGBC – in the best possible sense, of course – as you continue to serve God together under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

You will remain very much in our thoughts and prayers as you enter this new season of pastoral vacancy, and we look forward to hearing news from Dedworth from time to time, even as we explore God’s future call on our own lives.

So, a heartfelt thank you from both of us to all of you. May you know God’s strength and leading for the months and years ahead, and may he continue to make you a rich blessing to the community that you serve, as you partner him in his mission to the world.

With our love and prayers, always
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

In chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiastes, the author recognises just some of the many different changes that occur throughout life, stating that ‘To everything there is a season, [and] a time for every purpose under heaven.’

Those of you who use the evening prayers in Lectio365, or who attend the closing prayer time at The WellSpring, will be familiar with the prayer of ‘examen’ that helps us reflect on the day, or on the time that we’ve had.

Examen is an ancient prayer discipline which is designed to help us reflect on a period of time and ask ourselves the following questions: –

‘For what am I most grateful today? Where did I find life and light and energy?’ – with the aim of giving God thanks, and writing it into our story!

And ‘For what am I least grateful today? What has caused me the most concern or distress?’ – in order to give it over to God in prayer.

Although typically used at the end of the day, it can be used to reflect on any period of time that we may choose.

As we enter the final month of our ministry at Dedworth, we are approaching the end of one season and the beginning of a new one. It seems an appropriate time to apply these questions to the last 14½ years, and we encourage you to do so. We will then find ways of weaving our reflections and prayers into our worship together as we look back on our time together on 27^th April, when we hope you will be able to join us, as we celebrate the many ways in which God has been working through the relationships and ministries of the church.

In the meantime, we look forward to celebrating Easter together, when we remember that whatever changes we face in life, God is in the business of renewal. May that eternal truth hold us firm in our relationships with God and with one another throughout this season of transition.

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

On Monday, we collected the keys to our house in Sunningdale so that we can start to prepare it for our return. It seemed strange going back, and we quickly realised how much work we would have to do! Some of the fixtures and fittings have become rather tired-looking during the last 15 years. We need to freshen the place up, replace a few things and get some new furniture and fittings to turn it back into our home, rather than someone else’s!

It reminded us that the Bible sometimes uses the analogy of home as a way of talking about our relationship with God.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul challenges the church in Corinth about some of their standards of behaviour: – ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.’

It’s like saying ‘Your body is like a home that is not your own – so remember who it really belongs to, and treat it and use it in ways that are to the taste of the owner, because he wants to live there with you!

Now, we’re sure our tenants would have complained if we had turned up one day and said ‘this is our house – we’re moving in now and want to live with you, so can you change this and that to our taste rather than yours?’ …but all analogies break down after a point!

But isn’t it amazing that God by his Spirit wants to make his home with us? That’s why it’s always worth challenging ourselves about whether we’re ‘decorating’ these mortal bodies of ours to the owner and maker’s taste. Are we using them for the purposes of love, joy and peace? Are we characterised by attitudes of patience, kindness and gentleness? And do we adopt the healthy disciplines of faithfulness, goodness and self-control? Or are we prone to trashing God’s home with harsh words, with deep-seated hatred and with the darker side of human nature which we all suffer from all too easily?

Perhaps thinking of ourselves as God’s home in this life is one way of disciplining ourselves to live more like Jesus and preparing ourselves to live in the home that he’s getting ready for us in the life to come?

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

The tinsel is down and the tree has been hauled away, but the bitter cold of winter is still with us and many people are struggling with post-Christmas gloom. So much for wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  It’s the same story every year, as the anticipation of December gives way to the sharp reality that life is still much the same in January, so New Year resolutions rarely make it past the middle of the month. It’s just as well that the Bible has things to say about present realities and future hope, with promises which far outweigh anything we might otherwise turn to, in vain attempts to ‘do better this year’.

In the book of Proverbs, we read this advice: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). This means that we weary Christians, wondering what the coming year will bring, can trust that God has things in his control. It is far better to lean on him, in submission and faith, than it is to lean on our own very limited perspectives and wisdom. But we are offered here far more than just a therapeutic pat on the head, as God has promised us that when we fully acknowledge our need for him in every facet of our lives, he will give us a clear direction, so that we are no longer wandering aimlessly with only our fears for company.

Unfortunately, even straight roads have obstacles and we often let them get in our way. King David understood this, but still did not despair. He wrote in Psalm 37: The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though they may stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord upholds them with his hand. Let’s hold on tightly to God’s hand this year and keep walking along his straight paths, secure in the knowledge that he will not let us fall, even on the darkest and most dangerous stretches of the road.

With one final nod to Christmas, let’s end with a quote from the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem, remembering again the truth that God sent his son Jesus to save us: Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight.

With our love and prayers for 2025,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

As we approach Christmas once more, many of us will be planning to travel to visit friends and family – or alternatively preparing our homes to welcome visitors from other parts of the country.

Some things never change – it occurs to us that, even though it’s set in a world totally lacking in planes or trains, buses, cars, or even bikes, the Christmas story is remarkably full of journeys.

We find the angel Gabriel being sent to both Mary and Joseph in turn, to explain their part in God’s plan to save the world.

Upon receiving the news of her unexpected pregnancy, Mary hurried off to visit her country cousin Elizabeth, no doubt for a bit of moral support, but also to recognise the part that Elizabeth’s son would play in God’s plans.

Mary and Joseph then journeyed up from their home in Nazareth to Joseph’s ancestral home in Bethlehem, where their child would be born.

Shepherds walked down from the hillside to greet the new-born Saviour. Wise men travelled hundreds of miles from the East to worship the King of kings. Herod’s murderous threats to baby boys forced the young family to take refuge in Egypt for a while.

But the most important journey was made by Jesus himself, who left the incalculable riches of heaven to become the Light of the world – to illuminate our own journeys through life, to help us make sense of things and to put us right with God. His life became one long journey through the towns and villages of Judaea as he healed and taught, until a journey up onto a hillside just outside Jerusalem took him to a place of unimaginable cruelty.

Yet incredibly that was not the end of his journey. Three days later, as his friends struggled to comprehend rumours that he had defeated death, he joined two of them walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus. As they walked and talked, he helped them to make sense of his life and of theirs.

This Christmas, and in the year ahead, may you too know the presence of Jesus, Light of the world, drawing alongside you to illuminate your path through life.

With our love and prayers for a peaceful and happy Christmas
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Once again, on Thursday evening, we used Halloween as an opportunity to share God’s love and remind people that Jesus is the light of the world as we shared drinks, treats and literature with passing families. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Halloween is an abbreviation of the Church calendar event of ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ – the day before All Saints’ Day – and that therefore the day’s title refers to holiness rather than the darkness that is celebrated. Think of the way that the Lord’s Prayer acknowledges God’s holiness with the words ‘Hallowed be your Name’.

That was the title of a sermon on God’s holiness that the two of us listened to some while back – a sermon which drove home a spiritual truth with fresh impact. The speaker based their message on a rather obscure text – Ezekiel 36:22-23 – one that reminded Israel that they had dishonoured God’s holy Name. It was a serious rebuke, suggesting that God had every reason to disown them.

But then they were offered this gem of hope. Not for their sake, but for the sake of His own name, God promised that ‘…the nations will know that I am the Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.’ It is a hope that is shared by God’s people down the ages, even by you and me today. For the sake of His reputation, God makes His holiness known to the world, not just through awesome signs and wonders; not just through the beauty of creation; not even just through the sacrificial love of Jesus – but in and through you and me!

Do you feel ready for the task? No? Nor do we! We probably find it easier to identify with Paul when he claimed to be the ‘chief of sinners’. Yet the promise still holds true. God can – and will – make His holiness known through His people.

How can that be? The Bible tells us that as we allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives, He grows fruit in us that is unique to Him, showing the world that we belong to Him – fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These qualities sharpen God’s image in our lives, making us more like Him. We might reasonably call this fruit ‘holiness’.

The thought that God makes His holiness known through us is at the same time an affirming hope, a wonderful promise… and a demanding challenge for us all, as He calls us to let Him work in our lives.

May God continue to reveal himself to us – and through us – in the coming weeks.

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

One of the daily devotionals in Lectio365 a few days ago caught our attention. In it, Jill Weber invited us to reflect on the opening words of Hebrews chapter 13: – ‘Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Hebrews 13:1-2)

Commenting on the importance of hospitality, Jill asked the question, ‘What differentiates the Biblical practice of hospitality from simply entertaining friends and family?’ and she observed that ‘Christine Pohl, in her book Making Room, writes:

One of the key Greek words for hospitality, philoxenia, combines the general word for love or affection for people who are connected by kinship or faith (phileo), and the word for stranger (xenos).’ *

We are far more familiar with the use of the word ‘xenos’ in a solely negative manner, as a root of the word ‘xenophobia’, meaning the fear or dislike of anything perceived as foreign or strange – and so often used to describe the sort of nationalism or racism that lies behind so many wars and so much hate crime.

How refreshing it was to read of it being used in a positive way – philoxenia, the love of the stranger. The use of the word for love or affection for people connected by kinship or faith (phileo) means that this composite word literally means that, in God’s eyes, the stranger is our brother or our sister. To put it another way, in the words of a recent sermon, it means showing love and hospitality to ‘people, like us’ – i.e. friends and strangers alike – rather than just to those friends and family who we might think of as ‘people like us’.

It won’t always be easy (after all, it isn’t always easy getting on with friends and family, let alone strangers). It means embracing those who don’t share the same background or life experiences as us, and who may think differently on a hundred subjects. But the promise of Hebrews 13:2 is that, in offering hospitality to the stranger – as we so often find ourselves doing – our lives will be enriched as they bring some message or blessing from God with them, which after all is the role of an angel.

Let’s keep this call to exercise philoxenia uppermost in our minds, as we encounter those from all walks of life in the course of our daily lives and ministry.

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline

* Lectio365, Wednesday 25^th September

Dear friends,
A few weeks ago, Pauline was summoned for jury service, so with some trepidation, she set off to the Crown Court, wondering what was in store. The answer was soon apparent – lots of sitting around and waiting. She was armed with a good book, which was just as well, because by the end of the week, she still hadn’t been called on to a jury, and at last received an apologetic email to say that her service, though appreciated, was now finished. It would have been easy to write the experience off as a waste of time, but on one of those frustrating mornings sitting in the jurors’ lounge, she was suddenly reminded of the words, ‘They also serve who only stand and wait’. Researching them later, we discovered that they were written by John Milton, the great 17^th century poet who lost his sight in his early forties, at the peak of his powers. He longed to be busy in God’s service as others were, and as he had once been, but realised that God was calling him to other forms of activity – the exercise of patience, standing still and waiting, and actively choosing to submit.

Jurors are chosen and called, even if they are required only to wait – and refusing to turn up is not an option. The writer of this week’s’ Lectio 365 reflections reminded us that God says, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’ It is so easy to interpret this scripture as a call to physical activity, but might we see waiting also as service? Patience as endeavor? Submitting to enforced inactivity as our essential contribution to God’s cause? In a season of waiting, we can and must hold on to the promise that God is still using us to bear fruit which will last, and that He will always respond when we call on His name, because prayer is never wasted. Jurors who sit and wait are essential, as there must always be enough jurors present to cover a case should it become necessary. They might never be used in the way they expected, but the court can’t function effectively without them. It’s the same in any field of Christian life and service, because, as Milton knew,

God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best…
They also serve who only stand and wait.

With our love and prayers, as you wait on Him,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

As we write this message, the nation is going to the polls to elect a new government. As in any democracy, the result depends on the decisions made by those who choose to exercise their right to vote. If we choose not to vote, we have no right to complain if we don’t like the result!

There are similarities and differences with the decision-making process typical of Baptist churches. As a non-hierarchical organisation in which the responsibility for making key decisions – ranging from choosing chairs to calling a minister – lies with church members, some people mistakenly think that we too are a democracy. In fact, that is only partly true. The Baptist Union’s Declaration of Principle states that ‘…our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ… is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and… each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.’ In other words, the responsibility of the Church Members’ Meeting is to prayerfully seek God’s guidance in our decision-making. We are a theocracy, rather than a democracy! Perhaps the best biblical example of this approach occurred at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, where Jewish Christians considered whether Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus needed to adhere to Jewish practices. They arrived at a conclusion based on what ‘…seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…’ (verse 28).

If you are committed to supporting the life and ministry of DGBC and would like to know more about becoming a church member as a practical expression of your faith in Jesus, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch, and ask for a copy of the Baptist Basics leaflet on Church Membership (or look it up here: – https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/464303/Baptist_Basics_4.aspx), and feel free to attend our Church Members’ meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 17^th July as an observer.

Meanwhile, as our new government settles in to office, we pray for them in the words of the BU’s post-election day prayer: –

God of all nations, we lift up to you our newly elected leaders and government officials. Grant them wisdom, integrity, and a spirit of service as they undertake their duties. May they be guided by a commitment to the common good, justice, and the welfare of all citizens.

May they govern with compassion, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility towards the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Our break last week was a much-needed opportunity for a physical and mental  ‘re-set’ as we spent time staying with our son and daughter-in-law at the Northumbria Community, where they live and work.

Amongst other things, we took the opportunity to fulfil one of Pauline’s ‘bucket-list’ ambitions of taking a cruise to visit the Farne Islands to see the puffin colonies there. As we set out, the skipper of the boat warned us in a slightly understated way that ‘the sea’s got a bit of a swell on today’. Thankfully, we didn’t get (too) seasick, and were rewarded when we arrived with close-up encounters with hundreds of puffins and other sea birds on the island cliff-tops.

The choppy waters of the North Sea are not what normally comes to mind when we think of King David’s familiar words in Psalm 23:2, and so whilst they helped us to fulfil an ambition, they were not exactly ‘restorative’ in nature.

On our journey home, however, we spent a day in the Peak District, which included a walk alongside a gentle stream punctuated by several quiet fishponds. We have learnt over the years that this sort of easy walk is one of the ways in which God restores our souls, as we enjoy the surrounding wildlife, take some moderate exercise, and reflect together on life. We imagine these to be the sorts of waters that David had in mind when he wrote Psalm 23 in which the words that we translate as ‘still waters’ literally mean ‘waters of rest’ in the original Hebrew.

Whether or not you have any sort of break planned for the summer, it is important to identify and visit the settings in which you find that God restores your soul. It may not be a babbling brook – it might be a particular viewpoint, or just a favourite chair. Either way, visit these places often. Allow God to restore your soul as he leads you beside ‘waters of rest’ – metaphorical or otherwise – and so to return you to the world better equipped to serve him in the rest of your life.

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

A few days ago, Pauline was talking to someone who was going through a tough time. She asked them what support was available for them, and they replied that they never asked for help, as they didn’t feel comfortable doing so. They both agreed that if the situation was reversed, and they were the ones being asked to assist, they would immediately drop what they were doing and go to support their friend in need. It seems that asking for help yourself, when you are the one who is usually strong enough to do the helping, can be almost impossible, either because it seems like a sign of weakness, but more often because we simply don’t want to inconvenience the person we might have asked – in other words, we are willing to shoulder the burdens of others but feel our own burdens are just too heavy (or unimportant) for others to share.

Thinking about this conversation later, we were reminded of the lovely verses in the song ‘Brother, sister, let me serve you’:

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

The writer of the song is right: allowing others to serve us requires grace. It is far too easy to assume that we can and should do it all ourselves, but doing so means that we deny others the gracious gift of service, as well as preventing them from fulfilling the law of Christ in this regard (Galatians 6:2). The day after this conversation, we happened to mention to a young friend that we had a task we were finding difficult to fulfil when they piped up, ‘I can help with that! It would give me a purpose too!’ We had not asked them to help us because we had assumed it would be too much for them, so it was humbling to realise that they were eager for the opportunity this simple thing had given them, and that, through our own weakness, God was giving us a chance to strengthen them.

So let us not be wary of asking for help when we need it, because God will use it to bless the one who is allowed to serve us. We might even experience His grace ourselves, when we accept that we cannot do it all.

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,
Last month we told you about our visit to Lindisfarne, which was once the
home of the great Celtic saint Cuthbert. The Farne Islands are places of silence
and solitude (except for the presence of thousands of shrieking sea birds),
and there are wonderful stories of Cuthbert’s life there, not least that otters
would come and dry his wet feet with their fur! He was a man who craved
time alone with God, though his retreat was frequently interrupted by the
needs of others who would sail over to see him to benefit from his ministry.

Since our return, Pauline has been reconnecting with another medieval mind
by reading a novel based on the life of Dame Julian of Norwich, who was the
subject of one of her essays when we were at Spurgeon’s College. We know
very little about this remarkable woman who, in May 1373, at about the age
of 30, contracted a near fatal illness, during which she experienced visions of
Christ on the cross. These changed the course of her life and gave her an
understanding of God’s own longings for his people which she later wrote
about in her book Revelations of Divine Love. She described herself as ‘a
woman, ignorant, weak and frail’, ‘a simple, uneducated creature’, but when
she became a solitary ‘anchorite’ – living permanently in one small room built
into the wall of the Church of St Julian, just outside Norwich – she became
not only a great spiritual writer, but also gave spiritual direction through the
window of her ‘anchorhold’ or retreat. God’s presence reassured her that ‘all
shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well’, and
her insights have been blessing and challenging her readers ever since.
It strikes us that these great figures of their time, living surrounded by the sea
or behind brick walls, living apparently unproductive lives, were completely
unlike the sort of influencers we hear about today. They would probably have
been horrified by the notion of social media, and yet without any desire to
promote themselves, their influence is still felt centuries later. What an
encouragement to all of us who feel that our days of action are over – it seems
that simply being in the presence of God enlarges us and makes us fruitful,
able to share his love with all those who come our way, and to be blessed in
return.

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

A couple of weeks ago we were on holiday in beautiful Northumberland, where we caught up with our son and daughter-in-law who are now working at a Christian retreat centre there. As usual, when we visit this wild and frequently deserted coastline, we headed over the causeway to Lindisfarne, as this island is one of our favourite places in the region. We visit it to try to capture the peace of this famous retreat, where generations of monks once attempted to escape from the world, and it wasn’t long before we were walking on the hill above the ruins of the priory, with only the sea birds for company. We were particularly blessed to see a small, but perfectly formed, starling murmuration swooping over the castle on the headland, something we always look out for in that sort of landscape – but rarely see!

The experience made us wonder again what Aidan and Cuthbert, seventh century Christian evangelists to pagan Northumbria, would have made of the vague attempts of modern visitors to try to experience in just one day what they spent a lifetime of prayer and physical endurance achieving – the lived experience of being alone with God. Lindisfarne is also known as Holy Island, which means that it was set apart for prayer and contemplation, and to many people it is still a ‘thin’ place, where we meet God more readily and in a different way from our normal everyday experience of Him. It is vital that there are times and places where we can sit, reflect and listen carefully to God’s voice, so we hope that those who, like us, were pilgrims just as much as tourists, were able to find some of the peace and heartfelt rest that Aidan and Cuthbert knew all those years ago, and to hear God’s voice in the silence.

The writer of the reflection given on Lectio365 last Thursday, made a similar comment when he asked how often we stop to rest and think before we embark on yet another Christian adventure. He prayed that the God of the wilderness would lead us to where we are lost and found again, as we listen for His word in the wild. The good news is that we don’t always have to travel to the remote places of the world to do it – just resting in His presence is enough, in whatever wild circumstances you find yourself.

With our love and prayers,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear Friends,

Friday marked the feast of Candlemas in many Christian traditions, when the Church remembers Jesus’ presentation at the temple in Jerusalem. It fulfilled the demands of Jewish law that required a mother to bring the priest a lamb and a dove for a burnt offering 40 days after the birth of a son. It’s a custom that we are not very familiar with!

Luke’s account of Mary’s presentation of Jesus is interesting in two respects.

Firstly, instead of focusing on the act of purification conducted by the priest, Luke highlights the encounter between two ageing individuals, Simeon and Anna, and the infant Jesus.

Simeon was old enough for the sight of Jesus to be the very last thing on his bucket list. God had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen God’s Messiah. As far as Simeon was concerned, this baby, Jesus, was the one he had been waiting for; he was now ready to die in peace – his life’s mission had been accomplished!

Anna was at least 84, with a prophetic ministry confined to the temple grounds. God had also given her special insights about who Jesus was. Like Simeon, she recognised that Jesus was the rescuer promised by God to Israel.

Two elderly people. At first sight, there seems to be nothing special about them. Luke simply describes Simeon as ‘a man in Jerusalem’. But as far as God was concerned, they were important enough for Luke to include them by name in his account, and for their story to take up more space than that of the shepherds earlier in the chapter.

The second interesting aspect of Luke’s account? The fact that he describes Mary and Joseph bringing an offering of ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’, rather than the normal offering of a lamb and a dove. It meant that Mary and Joseph were not at all wealthy.

In God’s eyes, Mary and Joseph’s poverty, and Simeon and Anna’s age were of no concern to him – they weren’t a barrier at all to their involvement in the story of Jesus’ birth. I wonder how often we dismiss either ourselves or others as being of no value for any reason? Instead, we are each so precious to Jesus that he was willing to give his life for us, and invites us to take our place in his rescue mission to the world.

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline

Dear Friends,

One of our best-loved Christmas carols reminds us that Jesus Christ came to bring light and life to us all. Light to prevent us from stumbling as we walk through life; and life to renew and restore us when our spirits are low.

Our life together as a church community involves joining God in his work of bringing light and life into people’s lives, especially during those seasons of the year, and seasons of life, when darkness has descended or life seems hard. Our church text card for 2024 highlights one of the main ways that we can partner God in bringing his light and life to others, in the words of Hebrews 13:1-2: – ‘Let mutual love continue… [and] show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.’

The foundation of this exhortation is the continuation of an existing mutual love – the love of Christian believers for one another which Jesus says is what tells people that we follow him (John 13:34-35). The outworking of this gentle command takes place in the heart and in the home, as we welcome others into our lives and serve them in whatever way we can. The consequence of obeying God in this way is not just a one-way street, but can be a two-way blessing, as those who are served turn out in some way or another to be ‘angels’, or ‘messengers from God’, sent to enrich our lives as much as we, hopefully, enrich theirs.

Our prayer is that the various ministries and outreach activities of this church will continue to be a significant way of showing God’s love as we welcome each other and our neighbours. So this year, please pray that the WellSpring will continue to offer a warm welcome to those most in need of a safe space; that Noah’s Ark and Messy Church will remain effective in their ministry to young families; that Windsor Foodshare will continue to have all that it requires to minimize food poverty in our town; that the messaging in our church building will speak to the outside groups using it of God’s love and welcome for them; and that our regular services and group meetings as a church will fuel the love between us that enables us to offer God’s welcome to all these friends. Oh – and be ready to welcome those whom God sends in answer to our ongoing prayer that he will send workers into his harvest field here!

With our love and prayers for God’s blessing in 2024,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Here’s a question for you…do you wish it could be Christmas every day? Over the course of November, we have seen a trickle of TV festive adverts become a deluge, and each one seems to feature smiling children, beautifully decorated tidy houses and dining tables positively groaning with fabulous food. In other words, the message is clear… of course you wish it could be Christmas every day! Why wouldn’t you?

The only problem is that hardly anyone we’ve spoken to recently seems to agree. They’ve complained that the whole tinselly nonsense starts way too soon; that the Christmas cards have started arriving far too early; and frankly nobody’s in the mood anyway as the world is broken and full of hate. Noddy Holder has been singing ‘so here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody’s having fun’ for fifty years, and we still think he’s mistaken.

Oh dear… where did we go wrong? How could the beautiful story of God becoming a helpless infant and living amongst us, be so lost in this homage to commerce which causes so much anxiety? Have we really forgotten that the angels told the shepherds not to be afraid, because they brought good news which would bring joy to everyone and hold out the promise of peace on earth? When the wise men saw the star rising in the east, they didn’t sigh and complain about the state of the roads, but were instead overjoyed and hurried off to find the child who was born to be king. Where has our joy gone – and do we really mean it when we say we’ll be glad when Christmas is over?

We cannot be naive here… Christmas is never going to be stress free, regardless of our circumstances, but we can and must engage with the truth of the story if we are to recapture the ground we have lost. God the Son has lived amongst us, died for us and rose again to bring salvation to us. Through His church He wants to show His love for the world He longs to embrace and to give hope to all those in despair. Believing that, we cannot fail to sing, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord, and living in this hope, to be glad it really can be Christmas every day.

With our love and prayers this Christmas,
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Last Saturday, we had the privilege of supporting Isaac and Sarah on their wedding day, and we’re sure that those of us who watched the service, either in person or online, would agree that it was a wonderfully joyful occasion! We also spent some time at the Baptist church in which they were married, getting to know some of the leadership team there, and enjoying worshipping with them on Sunday morning. It is a large church with a vibrant youth work, and we happened to visit on a day when they had an all-age service, followed by lunch, so the worship area was humming with life the whole time we were there.

We confess that we felt a little in awe of the very gifted team leading the service, and their youthful energy made us rather envious. In fact, we felt (as not-so-young members of a small church) rather insignificant in comparison with the many talents displayed through their hospitality, technical know-how, music and pastoral care. As a result, we had expected to say our goodbyes and leave straight after the service, but instead God surprised us with conversations which were both humbling and uplifting.

We shared stories and very soon made connections; we were prayed for, and in our turn we prayed for them, accepting that the challenges we each faced were not so far removed from each other, regardless of the size of the church or the average age of its members. We were all in the business of taking the gospel to our communities, feeding the hungry, caring for the vulnerable, rejoicing and mourning, insecure and seeking God’s guidance, and we left them feeling affirmed and strengthened and aware that they felt the same. We realised again that God places us where He wants us, and that sometimes He allows us to be instrumental in the lives of others in ways we had never anticipated, but which bless us just as much as our words and actions bless them.

We were hugely encouraged by these conversations, which grew out of being part of God’s wider church, and pray that all of us will be drawn into God-given connections which demonstrate just how necessary we are to each other in the work He needs us to do.

With our love and prayers

Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of redeeming a gift voucher from our children, which entitled us to enjoy afternoon tea for two at a local establishment just outside Windsor Castle.

It reminded us that the Bible speaks of God’s gift to us in various ways. The Holy Spirit (Acts 8:20); Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15); righteousness (Romans 5:17); eternal life (Romans 6:23); and salvation (Ephesians 2:8), amongst other things, are all described as ‘the gift of God’. And we were also reminded that gifts not only need to be accepted (we’ve had our gift voucher for eleven months) – they need to be used (it would have expired if we hadn’t used it by the end of October!)

Elsewhere in the Bible, both David and John describe God’s gift of eternal life in terms of hospitality: – ‘You prepare a table before me… and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (David, in the familiar words of Psalm 23:5-6); and ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ (John, in Revelation 19:9)

Our voucher entitled us to the free gift of a 90-minute afternoon tea just outside the residence of the King. We were, of course, delighted to use it!

The Good News of the Christian Gospel is that through Jesus, God offers us far more than a brief meal in the town centre. He offers us the free gift of an ‘eternal feast’ in the ‘house of the Lord’ – the residence of the King of kings. Surely it’s a ‘no-brainer’ to accept this amazing gift and to use it to inform the way that we live and love others? And surely it’s a gift that we will want to pass on to others, so that they too can enjoy the prospect of God’s hospitality and love forever!

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,

Our strapline, ‘building friendship… building faith’ sums up what we feel church is about. Building faith in Jesus by showing God’s love through our friendships with each other and with our neighbours. Church is a place where we build a sense of community which, at its heart, is a community of faith in Jesus – a place where we can find a safe haven, or a refuge, in relationship with God who loves us and cares for us.

It’s not just about our weekly service of worship – although of course, this is the heartbeat of our life together. It’s about how we engage with each other and with our neighbours through other services such as Messy Church, and throughout the week in our home groups, prayer meetings and church members’ meetings. It’s about how we serve our community through The WellSpring, Noah’s Ark, in hosting Windsor Foodshare and in enabling other community groups to use our building for their gatherings. All of these are expressions of God’s love and hospitality towards the world – signs of friendship that point them towards faith.

That’s why, on Saturday 16^th September, from 2.00 – 5.00pm, we will be holding a family-friendly Open Day at the church, inviting our neighbours and members of the various groups that use our building to come and see what else goes on here, and to discover more about who we are and what we do together as we seek to follow Jesus.

You are invited too! So please come if you can – and bring a friend! Have fun discovering your inner child with a Messy Church craft; relaxing with one of The WellSpring’s activities; learning more about the work of Noah’s Ark or Windsor Foodshare; understanding the mysteries of baptism and communion through informative displays – or simply chatting and building friendships over tea and cake. All of these – and more – are ways that we can follow Jesus’ twin commands to ‘love God… and love others’ as we aim to work out our faith in practice in our part of God’s beautiful but needy world.

We look forward to seeing you and your friends there.

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline

Dear friends,
Matthew visited our good friend Stan recently, who shared one of the lessons that he felt God had taught him in life.

Stan described how, as an engineer serving in the merchant navy, his ship was buffeted by a violent storm outside Singapore to such an extent that the ship’s funnel was damaged and leaning over at a 45-degree angle, and all the lifeboats were swept away. Sounds scary! Thankfully, despite the damage, the ship made it safely into harbour, where the port authorities carried out the necessary repairs while Stan and his colleagues continued with their own duties.

As he has reflected on that experience over the years, Stan has realised that storms can be a metaphor for some of the challenges that we face in life, such as ill-health, loss and relational difficulties. But, he says, the harbour is also a valuable metaphor for the help we get in the middle of those storms. The Bible is full of examples of people facing the storms of life, and finding in God a safe harbour or refuge to protect them, even though the storm may still be raging. King David spoke of God as ‘my rock, in whom I take refuge’ (2 Samuel 22:3, and numerous Psalms). The disciples went to Jesus as a storm threatened to overwhelm their small boat, and found in him the authority to calm the wind and waves (Matthew 8:23-27). And the apostle Paul knew his fair share of storms, both literal and metaphorical. He often faced the storm of opposition to the Gospel message he proclaimed, and on one such occasion God reassured him with the words “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no-one will lay a hand on you to harm you…” (Acts 18:9-10).

When we encounter the storms of life, it is vital to seek safe refuge in God through prayer. As we spoke, Stan felt that some of us reading this message who are facing the inevitable storms of life may need to hear the words ‘Fear not… for I am with you… even in the middle of the storm.’

We pray that his encouragement will strengthen and protect you as you seek shelter with God in difficult times.

With our love and prayers
Matthew and Pauline (and Stan Bevan)