With the year now well under way, this week felt quite busy in the office, full of many tasks. Though as I came to the end of the week feeling a little drained, God met me so powerfully! He redirected my thinking and refreshed me and encouraged me, as I fixed my eyes not just on the tasks that needed to be done, but on all that He was doing!

On Thursday afternoon, I received the following encouraging note from Meryl, who co-leads the Creative Crafters group with Lynette. It read:

11 people gathered for our first daytime Creative Crafters group on Monday morning.  It was great to hear lots of chatting and encouraging to see new people in the group.  There was joy in the room as people spent time catching up in a relaxed way. This is a good opportunity to develop new friendships as we share our craft ideas and help one another to learn new skills.  We look forward to welcoming more people as time goes on!

The table tennis ministry also meets on Monday mornings, and it was heartwarming to hear that the building was filled with joy, friendship, and laughter! 

I’m also thrilled to share that our Women’s Ministry is planning our first event! We will host a Prayer and Worship Night on Saturday 15 March from 7pm in the auditorium. This will be a special evening where we can come together as women of all ages, lift our voices in praise, and seek God’s presence. As we prayed together about this event on Thursday evening, we felt led to focus on the vision God gave us as a Women’s Ministry in 2023, Isaiah 58:11 “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.” What a beautiful promise! I can’t wait for us to invite many and gather in worship and prayer. Stay tuned for details in the Newsletter next week, we hope to see you there!

As we celebrate women, I want to express my gratitude to God for bringing Emma and Jade to our staff team! You can find more about their appointments in the Newsletter, but I am truly thankful for God’s perfect timing, as well as for Emma and Jade’s servant hearts and the unique gifts God has given them.

As we celebrate these wonderful updates, I am reminded of Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” 

It is so incredible that God is at work in us and through us, ready to do more than we can imagine. As the Saturday Summit approaches, let’s keep our hearts open to all God wants to do in our lives and in our neighbourhood. We are all part of this beautiful 

tapestry God is weaving at The Grove, and I’m so grateful for each of you 

and the unique gifts you bring to our church family. Let’s continue to lift 

each other up and praise God for all He is doing!

Mel