Blog November 2024

Over the last 12 years working at St Mark’s Church, we have seen God change lives. People who have followed God for ten, twenty, thirty years plus, or families who in that moment it’s the first time they have encountered God’s amazing love, and their journey with God has just begun.

I started working at St Mark’s church, newly married and newly graduated, as the Children and Family Worker. As the years went by, my role changed to Children and Family Outreach Worker, the world changed as it navigated its way through a global pandemic, and my personal life changed as I moved house and welcomed two new Smiths; but with all these changes and challenges we as a church continued to witness God move.

Now, God may not have parted the River Dee (though He frequently causes puddles on the church floor!) but every week at toddlers He has fed every child – even when we only had 12 watermelon slices for the twenty children. Or when we have fed 70 families at Messy church and everyone has still got second puddings! Or when extra children turn up on a Sunday morning and somehow, they all get a sheet to fill in even though a smaller number had been photocopied.  God has been with hundreds of children in Assemblies as they learn Bible stories and as they begin to understand how God is with them. God’s been with us; in a field with donkeys, with facepaints and the splendid hog roast. He has been present celebrating as families grow and offering us comfort and love as we come together to remember those who have gone to Heaven before us.

God has been so faithful to our church; and I have been privileged to witness that love and faith reflected powerfully by the congregations and families. Such as seeing children and families welcomed into church, particularly those who might struggle to access worship, and for our children’s teams and wider church to be so welcoming and supportive to these families. It brings me joy to know that there are members of our church who have prayed and supported our children and families and that they will continue to do so. And the faithful, servant-hearted people who will continue to fix the building, cook, tidy, grow flowers, cut grass, and care for our local community.

God has been amazing. He has been faithful. He has provided. He has loved. And He will continue to do so – so keep listening, keep loving, keep being the amazing people of God you are and most importantly, keep the upstairs room tidy!

At the Light Project we used to sing as a blessing 2 Thessalonians:

May the Lord of Peace Himself, give you Peace in all times and always. May the Lord be with all of You.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!

Nikki