Dear Church Family The service times are changing after Easter. It is a joy and privilege to be part of the church family - to worship together and encourage each other. Local churches are called to be faithful and fruitful as they look to Jesus. Troublingly, the direction of travel, since at least 1986, has been consistent decline in the Church of England. I read recently that the median average for a parish in the Church of England is less than one person under 18! This decline is not how the Bible speaks of how the church should be. The church should be about growth and transforming lives of all ages. We would never want St Wilfrid’s to be a declining church but in all our services be about growing and reaching people; making disciples, as our strapline says: Knowing Christ and making Him known. To help our overall all age growth the 9:30am Classic Service is moving to 10am. And the 11am All Age Service is moving earlier to 9am (with a sharp finish by 9:45am). We will have refreshments after the 10am Service. All of this starts from April 7th, with Easter Sunday being the last Sunday of our present pattern. I am conscious this change in time may be frustrating for some, but thank you for your flexibility and I ask please for your patience and kindness in blessing it as we attempt to see all ages more in our church family. I am especially grateful for the generosity of people willing to work with moving the 9:30am to 10am. This then gives us the space to move the 11am to 9am which will hopefully then help more families and others attend that service. We hope this helps as many people as possible join in as we gather together in our services. Please pray as the new times settle in. And let’s always be encouraging each other and spurring each other on in the Faith. If anyone has any questions please don’t hesitate to let me know. Lots of love,Rob
