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The Manse,
June 2010
Dear Friends, The The great psychologist Carl Jung had been counselling a man for almost six months but the man was showing no improvement. ‘ My friend, I can do no more for you. What you need is GOD.’ The man asked, “How do I find God, Dr Jung.” ‘I don’t know.’ said Jung, ‘but I suspect if you find a group of people who believe in Him passionately and just spend time with them, you will find God.’ It’s hard to imagine that any of us found God on our own. Rather it is more likely that we found God through people who spoke to us of their faith, through parents, extended family, teachers and perhaps even ministers, and many more individuals known and unknown whose influence on our lives brought us closer to God. Through Jesus Christ we gain greater knowledge and understanding of the God who is LOVE and calls us to share that love wherever we go and whatever we do.
The Rev. Leslie Newbiggin once asked a group of church elders what was their church for. After a longish and painful silence, one person said it was there to meet the needs of its members. Newbiggins reply? “Then it should be dissolved immediately. We do not exist for ourselves, but for the world which God loved so much that He sent His only Son.” What this means is that we are not just concerned with getting people into church; our concern is to go out from the church into the world to work in God’s great enterprise of renewing his world, taking peace and love into the lives of others. Our aim must always to be to try to be the sort of people who, when others spend time with us, feel that they have found God.
As the summer break comes around many of you may well worship in churches when you are on holiday. If you do so please take time in whatever church you find yourself, to introduce yourself and sign the Visitor’s Book, adding the greetings of the congregation here in Houston & Killellan Kirk. We wish everyone whether going away on holiday or not, a peaceful and restful summer and look forward to returning refreshed and renewed, ready to continue working together to serve God. With every blessing, your friend and Minister, Donald
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