Revisiting 'Enough' in Easter
Pastoral Letter for May 2025
I’ve been sending these monthly pastoral letters out via email through the churches. That will still happen, but in addition I’ll start publishing these here, too!
Dear Church,
Easter is the season of resurrection. Resurrection doesn’t mean ‘everything gets back to normal again.’ Nope. When Christ is resurrected, he is changed. Still present, but he bears the wounds of his ordeal. He also ceases to do the work for the disciples, sending the Spirit in his stead. They must develop worshipping communities which build up the people and continue to share the Good News, without a physical Jesus leading the way for them. With the Spirit’s help they did it, and we are the result of their work. We also are ones who are called to carry it forward. Do we feel as if we are enough to do that? Probably not always. But here’s the good news: we are!
Back in February—not that long ago—I wrote about two points from Sam Wells’ Nazareth Manifesto, summarised by Fr Richard Carter, that spoke of ‘enough’:
—3—
Our first awareness is the abundance of God and our own scarcity—together with our gratitude that we have been given so many ways to transform our scarcity into God’s abundance.
and:
—5—
A community seeking regeneration has already within it most of what it needs for its own transformation.
I invited us to be ‘Apostles of Enough.’ Here’s what I wrote then: ‘What this means is that, with Christ, we are enough. You are enough, together. Together with God, we already have what we need to be God’s disciples in this time and this place. Too often we hear the world’s call of scarcity: you are missing this, too young for that, too old to do that, not pretty enough, not rich enough (or ‘well resourced’ in church-speak), and so forth. But perhaps in this new year, our call is to be “Apostles of Enough.”’
I’ve been meditating a lot more on ‘enough’, particularly as I read the brilliant book, Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World, by Gil Rendle. He notes that one of the challenges in leading churches today is that we were formed in a certain time and place, which most of us can remember. We learned how to do ‘church’ in that context, and it’s the measure by which we expect things to work (such as a ‘healthy church’ has high attendance on Sunday). The problem now, however, is that our old assumptions no longer fit, especially in an individualistic-focussed world. Because we operate with these old assumptions, we often think we are lacking the resources, programmes, or energy to do ministry. We look for that which is missing (so often I hear, ‘young people’).
What if instead we start with an assumption that we are enough right now to follow God into what God is doing? Starting with that assumption, our questions change. We stop asking, what is missing, and instead ask, what is working around here? Our ‘here’ is not limited to the local church. Our ‘here’ is the wider community. What is getting our friends and neighbours excited? What are they talking about? What are they doing? How can we be part of that? That’s why we’re in the midst of a listening campaign across our churches—to help us better understand the answers to those questions.
Under the old assumptions, we thought of our churches as service providers: find a need, then meet it. And in some ways we remain such—across the pastorate, we offer affordable, well-maintained and friendly venue space for activities that build up the community. We provide worship every Sunday. Yet in this new time, we are invited to become a participant as well. Once we know what our community is up to, we can ask ourselves and our community how we can help build those things up. How can we get involved? We may not be at the centre as a church, but we can be certain God is at the centre. Perhaps by participating alongside our communities, we’re able to better help people experience the love of God in the ways God is already working!
Accountability. In April I will have conducted 20 pastoral visits, attended or chaired two community meetings or events, and participated in 14 church-related meetings. I have led worship on all Sundays in April, including participating in Taizé at Jesmond, and Twilight and Uplift services at St James’s. I have led our Lent studies through lent on Forgiveness. I have accepted a nomination to represent Northern Synod to General Assembly 2025.
God is with us, and we are with God. Thanks be to God.
Ryan
UPCOMING EVENTS ACROSS THE PASTORATE
May
Thu 1 2.30pm Crafternoon at St Andrew’s (every fortnight)
Sat 3 10.30am Veterans Hub at St Andrew’s URC
Tue 6 12.30pm Lunch Club at West End URC
Wed 7 5.30-6.15pm Uplift Mid-week Praise at St James’s URC
New format: Bring yourself, an instrument if you’re inclined, and
we’ll make music together, study scripture, and if you’ve time, enjoy
a meal afterward!
Fri 9 11am St James’s Elders’ Meeting
Sun 11 12.15pm Church Meeting at Jesmond URC following worship
Tue 13 2pm St Andrew’s Elders’ Meeting
7pm Jesmond URC Elders’ Meeting
Wed 14 4pm Discover Jesmond 1888 Committee Meeting
Thu 15 2.30pm Crafternoon at St Andrew’s (every fortnight)
Sat 17 10.30am Official Launch of the Veteran’s Hub at St Andrew’s URC
Mon 19-Thu 22 Ministers’ May School – Rev Ryan away
Wed 21 2pm Wednesday Meeting at Jesmond URC
7pm West End URC Elders’ Meeting
Mon 26-Fri 30 Minister on annual leave
Tue 27 6-7pm Drop-in Taizé Service at Jesmond URC
Wed 28 5-6.30pm Twilight Church at St James’s
Thu 29 2.30pm Crafternoon at St Andrew’s (every fortnight)
June
Wed 4 5.30-6.15pm Uplift Mid-week Praise at St James’s URC
Thu 5-Sat 7 Fenham Players present: ‘Who killed the headmaster?’
***Featuring members of many pastorate churches***
Thurs & Fri 7.30pm; Sat 2pm
Fri 6 11am St James’s Elders’ Meeting
Sun 8 10.45am Joint Pastorate Pentecost Worship Service
Bring and share luncheon to follow
at Jesmond URC
Tue 10 7pm Jesmond URC Elders’ Meeting
Wed 11 4pm Discover Jesmond 1888 Meeting
Thu 12 2.30pm Crafternoon at St Andrew’s (every fortnight)
Tue 17 6-7pm Drop-in Taizé Service at Jesmond URC
Wed 18 2pm Wednesday Meeting at Jesmond URC
7pm West End URC Elders’ Meeting
Sun 22 4pm Open Air Churches Together in Fenham Service at West End URC
Wed 25 5-6.30pm Twilight Church at St James’s
Thu 26 2.30pm Crafternoon at St Andrew’s (every fortnight)
Sat 28 10am-1pm West End URC Garden Party
Nb: URC General Assembly, 4-7 July
Repair Café at Jesmond URC, 5 July