During March all three congregations in this pastorate – Ingatestone,

Brentwood and Billericay – will be holding their Annual Church Meetings. One will occur on a weeknight evening and two will take place on Sundays. In one church we will be re-arranging all of the chairs in the church to worship together, café-style, meet together and eat lunch together (in that order). In another church we will conclude the meeting with Night Prayer, using subdued lighting, sitting in semi-circle, following (more or less) a set liturgy. In the third congregation we’ll get the “official business” over with quickly in order to have focused discussion on evangelism and how we might get on with doing some. All three meetings, different in form and focus as they are, share a common three-fold structure. We will spend some time looking back, some time considering where we are now and some time looking to the future.

 This is given a poetic form by the hymn writer Fred Kaan, a URC Minister who died during this past year: We pause to give thanksand focus our thoughton how far our Godhis people has brought.We pause for affirmingour ‘Yes’ to his call,pursuing his future:life’s fullness for all. The future is hereas Christ sets us free;we reach out in hopefor all that will be.We go where he leads us,to time’s furthest ends,to share in his missionas partners and friends.