Dear Friends,
I always look forward to September with a mix of emotions, on the one hand, it is one of the busiest months of the year for me, with a string of meetings, several of them quite heavyweight. I also find it quite depressing as the evenings start to draw in. On the other hand, I find it quite an exciting month as things get moving again after the summer break and there is an optimistic feeling of new life.
The whole theme of new beginnings is relevant to so many people, September is the month when children move up into new classes at school and for some, this September will bring a move to a new school. Some teenagers will be setting off to university for fresh adventures in new places, and in a similar way to what we experience in January, we feel ready to embark on a new year.
The Methodist Church begins its new year in September, ministers move to new appointments during August and take up their new roles at the beginning of September. We are welcoming two new ministers to the Ipswich Methodist Circuit, one serving the four Churches in Felixstowe and another, serving the six Churches to the north of the circuit in the Woodbridge, Framlingham, Saxmundham, and Leiston area.
September may also be a month of great concern for a lot of people, I am shocked at the huge rise in the cost of living, far outstripping what most people can afford to pay, for some, that is a pinch, for many it is devastating and is not a concern people feel willing to share easily. I get tired of hearing the worn-out phrase “people are faced with a choice to heat or to eat” but this is a real issue, and we must be concerned once again for the most vulnerable in society.
I look forward to working with you all in the Autumn as we begin our journey through the Christian year again, facing all the familiar milestones along the way. Given all that has happened during the last two years, we maybe face this journey with a little more certainty than we have before.
With best wishes.
Derek