Thought for May 2009     By Richard Burningham.

On the first Sunday of the month, (May 3rd) we will conduct our NCD survey at both services.

We would like as many people as possible to take part and anyone who cannot is invited to take the questionnaire away, do it at home and return to Richard as soon as possible. The more we have the more representative the result.

The survey will measure what you think are our strengths and weaknesses as a church.

NCD barrel graphic The barrel to the right represents our church. There are 6 staves to this barrel (C). Each stave stands for one of the 6 characteristics (see box below). These have been found to be important for church growth.

NCD characteristics graphic The level of the water in the barrel (A) shows the level of the quality of our church life. We want this to grow. The level will be determined by the height of the lowest stave (B).

When we send the results of our questionnaires to the NCD head-quarters they will tell us what our weakest characteristic is. They will also tell us what our strongest characteristic is. The idea is that as a church we will think of ways of using our strongest quality to help us improve our weakest quality. This way we hope to lift the level of the lowest stave and in that way improve the general level of the quality of church life.

We hope you will enjoy being an important part of helping our church to be healthy and grow. Of course, as we have already discovered, it is not us but God who makes the church grow, but he can use us to water, weed and feed his church.

baptism graphic On the last Sunday of the month (May 31st) we will, for the first time to my knowledge, have the opportunity to renew our baptism vows by immersion. That means you will be dipped fully into a baptistery pool (borrowed from Bitterne church). It is the way we think adults were baptised in the early church and is a powerful sign of the truth that as Christians the old, sinful self has been put to death and we have been clothed with new life in Christ. This is another way we as individuals and as a church can grow. Please let Richard know if you would like to do this.

Have a great May.

RB



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