January 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our Teaching from Epiphany to Easter
As I write we’ve just started a series on the book of Ezra.
Ezra, set about 500 years before Christ, is the account of the people of God’s return from a 70-year exile abroad. When they arrive home, everything is in ruins, the locals are hostile, and of course there is always their own propensity for sin. But Ezra reveals the big picture of a God who is faithful to His own people, sovereign over His enemies, and thus how revival is possible, even in the ruins.
By an auspicious piece of timing, we’ll be reaching the half-way point in the book around Eater and, in Ezra, this is the point where they celebrate the Passover meal for the first time. The Passover reminded them of an earlier point in history, when they had been overwhelmed, outgunned, and alone. Yet God had intervened to rescue them and establish them in the Promised Land, marking them out for life through the sacrificial blood of an innocent lamb.
From Easter to the Summer Break
As Christians, we know that Christ is the true Passover Lamb who was slain for our redemption. So, after Easter, we’ll be exploring how Ezra points ahead to our need for a greater revival still.
Ultimately the loose ends of this old book are fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone who revives us and our faith in every way. Ezra is a great book for us today because no matter what challenges we are facing in 2026, we can be sure that God is for us and that revival is always God’s plan for our lives,
Buildings, Budgets, & Real Life
I’m pleased to say that 2025 was a good year for us in all sorts of measurable ways. We grew in attendance, competed a renovation of the Parish Hall, constructed a new Children’s Ministry space, and finished the year with a healthy surplus which the Vestry plans to use to invest or use to address more deferred maintenance.
At our annual meeting (February 15) we will (or will have—depending on when you are reading this) examine some of these numbers and the vision for the next construction phase, which is to renovate the Sanctuary, starting in the Balcony this year. But the meeting will also be an opportunity to look at some of the much more exciting things going on here in our small groups, mission field, and two new ministries that were launched last year.
I love our church and it is this desire to give, serve, love, care, and worship together so much that gives me great certainty that revival is taking place in our own midst, as it has so many times before.
Love in Christ,
Rev’d Alex
