Dear
Southcity
What
an incredible God we love! Last week as I was sitting writing a letter to you,
I was looking forward with eager anticipation for the deposit God was going to
place in us through Rigby Wallace. Now I write this letter to you trying to contain
myself with all that God has fanned into flame.
Scripture
teaches us in Ephesians chapter 4, that gifts are given to the body for our
strengthening, encouraging, and maturing. Well, I trust you feel the same way I
do today - strengthened, encouraged and matured!
I
believe the visit by Rigby and his team came at a God orchestrated time as we
as Southcity have been feeling the stirrings of more. Not more for our sake,
but more in the sense that the gospel has to penetrate deeper into our
communities. More in the sense that we have to be reaching more than the couple
hundred of us that gather on a Sunday and in each others homes during the week.
More in the sense that we have to be demonstrating the life-changing,
life-transforming power of the gospel in our lives more boldly and fully. And
more in the sense that God is just bigger then we can know or imagine, and
therefore there has to be more!
Thank
you friends for taking the opportunity God gave us and for being a part of the
various meetings that took place these past few days. My prayer is that the
'bigness' that God showed us this weekend would not be swamped by the detail of
our lives, but that increasingly, our lives would be shaped around the bigness
of our God.
This
past weekend has highlighted the incredible people that many of you are as you
served Southcity and the city by making every event what it was and I want to
celebrate your kindness to us by thanking you. And although I run the risk of
leaving names out, and knowing that there are many who do the unseen things,
please allow me to thank Ursula and Brett who work in the office and held so
much of the administrative detail in place. Heidi and your team for the
catering of the men's evening. Nadia and your team for the catering, decorating
and coordinating of the ladies time on Saturday morning. For the car guards,
coffee servers, and kids facilitators on Sunday evening. For Sarah and your
teams on worship and the choir. For Gert and Lu on the technical side of every
event. And I do reserve my deepest thanks to Daine and Clif for the incredible
servant hearts they displayed in giving to Southcity in every event their
utmost, in order that we may benefit from the ministry and the occasion.
I am
so looking forward to teaching out of Ephesians 5 on Sunday on the back of this
platform, as we tackle a much debated global topic today of the church, Jesus
and the Holy Spirit and their relationship to each other.
So
see you during the week at your connect groups, on Thursday evening at 5:30pm
as we pray together and then on Sunday as we gather to exalt our Father and our
Saviour and show this city of ours the glory of our God.
Much
love to you Southcity
Richard
