Letter from the Manse July & August 2026

Letter from the Manse July and August 2026
Greetings from the manse in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I hope you are all keeping hydrated and cool.
Jesus said “…and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” ( Mathew 16:18). These words are a result of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of the living God. Jesus assured His disciples of His involvement in the building of the Church and sustaining it after Peter had a revelation of who Jesus really was. Sometimes we carry the responsibility of building and sustaining the Church on our own shoulders forgetting that it is He, Jesus who builds the church and we are to look to Him for guidance, inspiration and strength in building the Church. The life of the Church is dependent on our understanding of who the Chief builder is and our role in His mission. We are not called to be Jesus but to partner with Him and listen to His guidance and laying down the burdens of the work of ministry on Jesus’ feet.
Jesus is available to us all the time to encourage us in our struggles of serving in His team at whatever capacity and responsibility we are called to. We must not take our eyes off the Chief builder and Cornerstone of the Church. Sometimes we feel or are meant to feel like the building of the Church is up to us, when we are actually called to look to Him, “who has begun a good work in us and He who will finish it” (Philippians 1:6). We are called to depend on Him and not in our own abilities and strengths.
My encouragement for us is to continue listening to God through the word and words through each other and joining in where God is calling us to as a Church. I hope the opportunities we have through the worship evenings at church will enhance our abilities to hear what God is saying to us concerning the future of the church in particular, Plume Avenue Church. What is God calling us to do in this season and what part can I play in the building of the church as an individual? What skills and gifts can I deploy in the life of the church? What ideas and thoughts are God laying upon my heart concerning the building of Plume Avenue Church? I call us to continue seeking the mind of Christ on how best we can be church to each other and community.
God is not calling us to be what we are not or deploying the gifts we have not been given to deploy. God is calling us to lean on His understanding and strength in our service in the Kingdom.
I am looking forward to my annual leave in Zimbabwe and hopefully God willing coming back reenergised to serve alongside you the Chosen people of God with God leading us through Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Andrew