We had a real traffic-jam in the car park on January 11^th. None of the 9.15am congregation could get out; none of the 10.45am could get in. The main reason is that while the 10.45am is holding its own, the 9.15am keeps growing. What used to be our rare peak attendance has now become usual. That Sunday, an ordinary Sunday, we had about 125 people through our door, a third of them children. Among them was another new family that had only just made contact through the website two days before. 

I like problems like that. It’s a far cry from three or so years ago, when a normal attendance would be just over half of that. We can widen the gateway; we can encourage the young and fit to park further off and walk the rest of the way, but these are stop-gap measures as we get used to the idea that God is blessing us with growth. I’m still getting used to it. (My other pressing problem is that I simply don’t have the time to get to know our newcomers in the few minutes I can spend in the Greenhouse before heading back for the second sitting.)  

The PCC and I are going to have to do some imaginative, and, I hope, very prayerful consideration of how we manage what’s happening to us BEFORE the facilities we have here  - the Church, the Greenhouse and grounds – limit what we can do. Already, the Whittle vestry can become very full with 20 very young children, their leaders and helpers, and the parents who stay in with them. The Greenhouse can be heaving with people by the time I get there, and the children shoving bread in the toaster as fast as it can cope. 

I look forward to what 2009 brings. More than ever, we will need to develop a clear vision of what we’re here for and where God’s taking us. On your knees, and get praying! 

Simon