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Isaiah 43:18,19
‘Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah reminds the people of Israel that God was with them in their past when they wandered in the desert. The wilderness has been conquered before and because they know that God has done it before they know he can do it again. It is the Lord who makes the way in the desert.
We’ve been in a desert over these last 10 months but God has new things in store for us. The past can teach and illustrate what God can do but it must not be allowed to bind us. We can be the witnesses God has created us to be by going forward with God and trusting that the God who revealed himself in the past has even greater things in store for us if we trust him whole heartedly.
We want everything that we do in COGS to have the same aim: to release the Kingdom of God in this place.
We don’t want to be doing anything the Lord is not already working in. He is the head, we are the body, He leads, we follow. And we do that through our Up, In, Out vision
As we go back into church, albeit gradually, Covid-19 has offered us an almost clean sheet. This is an opportunity to grow together a to Build Back Better and to expect great things to happen.
Our Prayer for Crookhorn states.
“Let us be a people who will rebuild this area on the foundation of love, grace, mercy and truth.”
These are the foundations upon which we Build Back Better by tying them to our vision.
The purpose of these priorities is for the church of the Good Shepherd to grow
Whatever activity we’re doing we need to know how it fits in with our vision to Build Back Better
We will seek to welcome people betond the initial meeting. Our desire is to provide a welcome that enables people to quickly feel at home, form meaningful relationships, and find their place in CoGS ministry.
We will serve our community’s needs before our own preferences, ensuring that as we do, we share the Good News of Jesus with Crookhorn
We will develop a culture of discipleship, where people of all stages of their faith are drawing nearer to God. Specifically we will create a culture of servant-heartedness, where people currently sitting on th efringe of the church are encouraged and enabled to take the next step in theor faith as committed church members.
We believe in a God who hears and answers prayer. We see prayer as the activity which undergirds and weaves its way through every aspect of life and faith.
