From the Associate Minister... 

Dear friends

May is my favourite month of the year, one reason could be is that it is my birthday month, but the other is that I finally feel that we are out of winter, there’s warmth in the sun and things are growing. From my living room window I can see the trees in the Selsdon Woods covered in the fresh new growth of this season’s leaves and there are still some bluebells and wood anemones flowering too. The mornings are lighter and birds are singing louder and earlier.

Growth is good, growth is normal. In church life growth is also good and normal. Jesus’ parables about the kingdom are parables about growth; mustard seeds that grow into large trees, yeast spreading through dough, seeds that produce one hundred-fold crops – it’s all about growing.

God wants Selsdon Baptist Church to grow. We see that growth in different ways:

• Depth – how we are growing in our love and knowledge of God and our love for each other.
• Impact – increasing impact on our local community, in our workplaces, schools, colleges, in our families and to the ends of the earth. 
• Number – people receiving the good news of the gospel and entering into life in all its fullness, with Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

As in the natural world, we sometimes see growth spurts, experience growing pains or find we have out-grown comfy shoes; we can see similar things in church life. You may have found that if you arrive to a service later than usual it is a bit trickier to find a seat! All these things are good signs of growth.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6–9, that God graciously calls us to be co-workers with him, but it is God who gives the increase. I am excited by all God is doing here in Selsdon and all that he will continue to do.

Keep praying, keep working Kathryn