A Rather Warm Summer
As
I
write
this
in
AUG,
much
of
the
UK
has
experienced
its
third
heatwave
of
the
summer.
We
still
might
have
more.
For
many
people,
a
spell
of
sunshine
is
something
to
enjoy.
Gardens
flourish,
children
play
outdoors,
and parks and beaches fill with families. Yet this year, as in recent years,
these
prolonged
periods
of
intense
heat
also
bring
concern.
We
hear
of
dried-up
rivers,
stressed
crops,
increased
risk
of
wildfires,
and
warnings
for
older
people
and
those
with
health
conditions
to
stay
cool
and
hydrated.
No
single
heatwave
can
be
blamed
entirely
on
climate
change,
but
scientists
continue
to
tell
us
that
a
warming
climate
makes
such
extreme
weather
more
frequent
and
more
intense.
Around
the
world,
people
are
living
with
the
consequences:
floods,
droughts,
rising
sea
levels
and
changing
weather
patterns
that
threaten
homes,
livelihoods
and
food
supplies.
For
Christians,
climate
change
is
not
simply
an
environmental
issue.
It
is
also
a
spiritual
and
moral
one.
The
opening
chapters
of
Genesis
remind
us
that
the
earth
belongs
to
God.
We
are
not
its
owners
but
its
caretakers.
In
Genesis
2:15
we
read:"The
Lord
God
took
the
man
and
put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it."
Those two simple
words,
till
and
keep,
speak
of
both
using
creation
wisely
and
protecting
it
faithfully.
The
Psalms
also
remind
us
that
"The
earth
is
the
Lord's
and
all
that
is
in
it"
(Psalm
24:1).
If
the
world
belongs
to
God,
then
caring
for
it
becomes
an
act
ofworship.
We
honour
the
Creator
by
treating
creation
with respect rather than carelessness.
Sometimes
the
scale
of
the
climate
crisis
can
feel
overwhelming.
It
is
easy
to
wonder
whether
anything
we
do
could
possibly
make
a
difference.
Yet
the Christian life has never been about waiting until we can do everything
before
doing
anything.
Jesus
spoke
often
about
faithfulness
in
small
things. Small acts, multiplied across many lives, become significant.
Perhaps
that
means
reducing
waste,
thinking
more
carefully
about
our
energy
use,
planting
flowers
for
pollinators,
supporting
conservation
projects,
or
encouraging
those
in
authority
to
make
wise
and
courageous
decisions.
As
a
church,
it
also
means
praying
for
our
world
and
remembering
that
the
poorest
communities
are
often
those
who
suffer
most
from
environmental change despite contributing least to it.
Hope
is
central
to
our
faith.
Christians
are
not
people
of
despair
but
of
resurrection.
We
believe
in
the
God
who
is
making
"all
things
new"
(Revelation
21:5).
That
hope
does
not
excuse
us
from
responsibility;
rather,
it
inspires
us
to
live
today as faithful stewards of God's wonderful creation.
May
this
summer's
unusual
heat
remind
us
not
only
of
the
challenges
before
us
but
also
of
our
calling
to
cherish,
protect
and
give
thanks
for
the
beautiful
world
that
God
has
entrusted
to our care.
Blessings, David
Minister’s Letter
Minister’s Letter
Whose Church Is It Anyway?
“And
he
has
put
all
things
under
his
feet
and
has
made
him
the
head
over
all
things
for
the
church,
which
is
his
body,
the
fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23 NRSVA)
A
church
put
up
a
new
noticeboard
outside
its
building.
The
first
Sunday
after
it
appeared,
one
member
stood
admiring
it
and
said,
"Well,
now
everyone
will
know
this
is
our
church."
An
elderly
lady
standing
nearby
quietly
replied,
"I
hope
they'll
know it's Christ's church."
That
gentle
correction
gets
to
the
heart
of
an
important
question.
We
often
talk
about
"our
church".
We
love
it,
serve
in
it
and
care
deeply
about
it.
We
have
memories
tied
up
with
it
and
friendships
that
mean
the
world
to
us.
There
is
nothing
wrong
with
that.
But
there
is
a
danger
if
we
begin
to
think
the
church
somehow
belongs
to us.
I
n
Ephesians
1:22-23,
Paul
tells
us
that
God
"placed
all
things
under
his
feet
and
appointed
him
to
be
head
over
everything
for
the
church,
which
is
his
body."
The
church
belongs
to
Christ
because Christ is its head.
That
truth
is
wonderfully
liberating.
If
the
church
belongs
to
Christ,
then
its
future
does
not
finally
depend
on
us.
We
are
not
carrying
the
church
on
our
shoulders.
We
are
servants
and
stewards,
called
to
be
faithful,
prayerful
and
obedient.
The
church
rests
in
far
safer
hands than ours.
It
is
also
a
humbling
truth.
Churches
can
easily
become
attached
to
personalities,
traditions
and
preferences.
We
may
begin
to
think
the
church
exists
to
preserve
our
favourite
way
of
doing
things.
Yet
the
church
was
here
before
us
and,
by
God's
grace,
it
will
continue
after
us.
We
are
transient
caretakers
of
something
that
belongs
to
another.
In
our
non-conformist
tradition,
we
have
always
cherished
the
conviction
that
Christ
alone
is
head
of
the
church.
No
minister,
bishop,
denomination
or
committee
can
claim
that
place.
The
church
must
always
listen
afresh
to
its
true
Head
and
submit
to
his
Word. The church is never ours to control; it is his to direct.
And
that
should
fill
us
with
hope.
Christ
loves
his
church
more
than
we
ever
could.
He
gave
himself
for
her.
He
knows
her
weaknesses
and
failings,
yet
he
has
not
abandoned
her.
The
church's
future
depends not on our cleverness or our plans but on his faithfulness.
So
by
all
means
say,
"This
is
my
church,"
if
by
that
you
mean,
"This
is
the
fellowship
where
I
worship
and
serve."
But
never
forget
the
deeper
reality.
Before
it
is
ours
in
any
sense
at
all,
it
is
his.
The
church
is
Christ's
church.
We
have
the
privilege
of
belonging
to
it
because, first of all, we belong to him.
Revd Adam
