Pastor Nigel's Welcome
Hello friends
It seems fitting for us to begin a new season of life, worship, and ministry together, just a few days into a new climatic season. Winter speaks to me of retreating somewhere cosy, spending time with one another around hot soup and warm conversation. Winter is a time of rest, restoration, and preparation for new growth. The old is stripped away, making way for new and fresh and colourful. Winter is a good metaphor for my first few months as your new Vicar.
A few years ago, I lived in a part of town with several tree-lined streets. I enjoyed my early morning walks in autumn, kicking the piles of orange, yellow, and brown leaves, and feeling the first snaps of cold in the air. As winter descended, those walks grew colder, darker, and quieter, as less people were prepared to brave the plummeting temperatures so early in the day. Then, as winter drew to a close, I’d watch for the first green shoots in the trees, signs of colour and life emerging from the grey. Before long, the front yards would be dotted with various blossoms, the trees replete with fresh, verdant leaves, and my favourite flowers - daffodils - would begin to bloom along the fencelines.
The change of seasons always reminds me of the steadfast faithfulness of our God. He knows precisely how long to leave us in every season of the soul, before bringing change. His goal for each of us, of course, is ever-increasing Christlikeness and a deepening relationship with Him. Every season does its vital work as we walk alongside the Maker and Lover of our souls.
In coming to Blenheim, I recognise that St. Christopher’s has journeyed through the end of a season. Goodbyes are hard, interregnum is often uncertain and unsettling, and new beginnings can feel like equal-parts excitement and unease, skipping hand-in-hand. What will this new season bring? What will change? What will we miss? What will we gain?
My sense is that my first few months with you are about those warm conversations while winter prepares us for new growth. I am looking forward to getting to know you; hearing about what makes your collective hearts beat, what you love about St. Christopher’s, what you hear the Lord saying, and where you see Him moving. I am excited to join you in discerning the mind of Christ and dreaming together of all He might do through us, to see His Kingdom come in Redwoodtown.
I’m embarking on a new season of ministry after a winter of my own. I’ve learned much in these colder nights of the soul, and I’ve been conscious of the Lord’s work, preparing me for fresh, green shoots to emerge. I’m very much looking forward to all that He has prepared for us together - in life, worship, and ministry.
I am filled with expectancy and hope - and I pray that’s your sense as well. I very much enjoyed my time with you in April and I’m so looking forward to making Blenheim - and St. Christopher’s in particular - my new home.
I leave you for now with these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans - my prayer for you in this change of season:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15: 13)
Grace and peace
Nigel