This is the time of year when I write what we call at King’s our High Level Objectives paper. The idea for this came from Rich Nathan, founding father of the Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio, during a very helpful visit to us in 2013. Rich had suggested we needed a paper which would aid us in our planning process and ensure that the different departments or ministries of the church were kept on the same page.

I had been writing a High Level Objectives paper each April for the last six or seven years until last year, when the pandemic hit. It was very difficult to set mid-term goals for us as a church or staff team when the year ahead was so unclear. Instead, like most churches, our focus was on quickly adapting to a fast-changing situation and on pastoring a church through a very challenging season. However, as the Covid situation begins to improve in this nation and we are starting to open things up again, I felt it was appropriate to write a High Level Objectives paper again. Historically, I have sent this to the team before we all go away to France for a few days to discuss it. This has always been an annual highlight for us a team, with a great mixture of prayerful discussion, shared meals and lots of fun together. This year, we may not be in France but we have had the exciting experience of meeting in our offices for the first time in over a year!

As we sat in our (widely-spaced) circle on Tuesday, I presented a very different Higher Level Objectives paper to those I have presented in the past – more key themes than specific goals, given that the season we are in is still full of uncertainties. I have called the paper Changing Times, and one of the main emphases is on how we regather as a community in the coming year. Our discussions over the last few days have been fruitful. After a difficult year it is great to be taking these small steps back to normality.

I encourage you to join us again this Sunday, either in-person or online, as Andrew Wilson opens up our new teaching series, The King and His Kingdom, which takes us through the first half of the book of Luke. Deb and I are taking a short holiday next week, but I hope to see you at a service in a couple of weeks' time.

This weekend we are expanding our in-person services to six meetings, i.e. 9.30 and 11.30 at our Catford, Downham and Lee venues. As I write, we are nearly full at Catford, but have space at the Lee venue for both services. We will continue with our provision of family and adult services on alternate weeks, and this Sunday, 25th April, is a family service. Our usual online services will continue to be available every week.

You will need to book a place in advance if you would like to attend an in-person service and remember, if you normally attend the Catford site but live on the Corbett Estate or closer to the Lee building, we are encouraging you to come to the Lee venue 11.30 meeting.

I hope you have enjoyed the guest speakers we have had over the last couple of weeks. This Sunday we have our dear friend and partner in the Gospel, Scott Marques, speaking online. Services available hourly from 9.30am as usual.

Deb and I are looking forward to attending an in-person service at King’s again this Sunday, 18th April. Like me, I imagine many of you have been enjoying these small steps back to something like normality.

This is just a reminder that from 25th April we will be opening up more services, with a 9.30am and an 11.30am service at each of our Catford, Downham and Lee sites. We will continue the pattern of holding family and adult services on alternate weeks – this Sunday, 18th April, is an adult service so on 25th it will be family services. I know it can be hard to keep track of what is happening, so here’s another opportunity to see the update video I recorded a couple of weeks ago giving more details of the plan for services over the next couple of weeks.

It was great to hear from Ben Lindsay last Sunday – thank you Ben for bringing such a helpful word of encouragement for these times. This week our short series of guest speakers continues, and we have the privilege of hearing from Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church, Texas and the President of the Acts 29 Network. Please join us online or book your place if you would like to attend an in-person service.

Last week, in the lead up to Easter, we held two online services to remember loved ones we have lost in the last year. Since March last year, more than fifty families from King’s have gone through the pain of seeing family members or friends pass away, mostly as a result of Covid. As part of the services, we showed a couple of videos remembering and honouring all those connected to King’s who have passed away. It was deeply moving to stand together and grieve the losses of the last twelve months, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to show them again here:

Catford & Beckenham

Downham & Lee

We continue to pray that the love of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit would surround all those suffering loss at this time.

Over the next three Sundays, we have the privilege of welcoming some excellent guest preachers to King’s. This Sunday, we have Ben Lindsay, CEO and founder of the charity 'Power the Fight' and author of We Need to Talk About Race. As well as our usual online services, we also have in-person family services at Catford, Downham and Lee. These are booking up fast, so if you have primary aged children and would like to attend, please reserve your place as soon as possible.