Living Faith Article for 25th June 2026By Karen Gopsill, Reader at St George’s Church. Glascote<br>‘I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry,’ – Psalm 40. I found that these words reflected my experience of waiting. Waiting, when in pain from a broken leg, in the middle of nowhere. Waiting for help that seemed to take an eternity. Waiting for relief, waiting for hope. There was a helplessness about this time of waiting: for me, it seemed that there was no way to find the peace and the way forward through the agony of the moment.It wasn’t until my recovery was complete, that I found these words from Psalm 40. Here, I found the comfort I had been seeking. Here, God seemed to let me know that He had been with me in those moments of waiting, in those moments that lasted forever. The words let me know that I had not been left alone, and that God seemed to experience my pain and the waiting alongside me all along.This recognition that God had been beside me, reminded me of the words of Jesus to his friends in his own moment of waiting in agony, when he asked them to ‘Watch and pray.’Currently, at St George’s Church, we have been waiting for a new vicar to arrive. It has been two years since the previous one left, and this time of waiting has been a challenge for us. The work of being church has been faced by all members of the fellowship together. We have demonstrated that we aren’t waiting and doing nothing, we aren’t sitting there twiddling our thumbs. On the contrary, we have pulled together, supported each other, and helped each other with all of the endeavours and groups that function to keep the church going.Our time of waiting has been focussed firstly on prayer, and secondly on action. Of course, there have been difficulties. In Psalm 42 we hear: ‘Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.’Waiting can be hard: life still happens. Yet how we wait, how we ‘watch and pray’ can be the difference between ending up with frustration or emerging with deeper peace. Times of waiting happen for us all: waiting for exam results, a diagnosis, difficult news or even no news at all. These times challenge us greatly. Waiting can bring out the worst in us.After the questions, the wrestling in our souls, after the anger, frustration and helplessness where do we go to in our hearts?Can we allow God to call us into our own hearts? - ‘Deep calls to deep.’ (Psalm 42)Can we use our time of waiting - to let God in?I find great comfort in waiting for God to shine a light in my heart: to watch and pray. My prayer for you is that you seek God’s comfort and peace in your own time of waiting, and that you allow God’s love to find you, today.
A Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group offers a safe, inclusive space where participants can find a community that offers support and practical tools that promote emotional and mental wellbeing. These groups provide a structured yet adaptable series of facilitated conversations, blending group discussions with individual activities that empower participants to embrace their unique selves, recognise their inherent worth, and build a more resilient, hope-filled future.
There will be No Holy Communion Service taking place this Wednesday as interviews will be taking place inside the church. Let us pray for everyone involved on the day 🙏🏻
Spring is springing! The dark, damp days of winter are finally fading away. Those flowering bulbs have survived being buried in the cold, hidden depths of the earth. The promise of their glory to come is starting to unfold before our eyes.For Christians, we have begun our journey into the dark days of Lent- where we remember the forty days of fasting in the wilderness that Jesus endured. We emerge at the other end to celebrate the chocolate frenzy of Easter - but not before experiencing being in the dark places of our souls in the desert of these six weeks.The self-reflection and self-denial of Lent goes very much against the culture of the day. How do we stop in the middle of the scroll, the rush, the ticking of the clock? Why do we need to put a halt to life, when it moves so fast? Isn’t there a shortcut or a way out of the pondering, the stillness we are invited to observe for ourselves?For myself, I find great value in stopping, in being still, in prioritising a moment of quietness before the madness of the day can take a hold of me and my time. I find that the moment to stop – before the day starts- helps to ground me and still the noises that can overwhelm me, helping me to face the tasks that pile up.Lent is a way to stop. To be still and to just ‘Be’. It can be a way to ground yourself, to remember that Jesus needed those weeks alone in the wilderness, without food, without anything familiar or comforting, in order to emerge; grounded in himself, ready to face serious challenges to his identity and his calling.When we emerge from the desert experience of lent, we hope for ourselves, that we too are more able to face the challenges of this world. And just like those spring bulbs that have been hidden in the dark, we pray that we too may be able to unfurl our wings and turn our faces towards the light of the ‘Sun of Righteousness’. (Malachi 4:2) Our strength, our vision, our sense of purpose can be renewed and re-energised by our self-denial during lent. The challenge to you, the challenge to me is to be able to stop and be still for a moment. Jesus challenged his friends in this way on the night before he died, when he had a moment of agony in the garden. He said: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26: 38)And so, I ask you as well: Will you stay still and keep watch with me? - You may just find strength in the silence. Jesus is waiting for you in the stillness: whenever you are ready to find him, he is still there for you.
