you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
 
Church Life and growth
 
Please give thanks for

• the way God is blessing our church family.
• the recent funeral services where we have celebrated faith and lives well lived and reached out with the good news of the gospel
• the support and care many experience in our church family.

• the new opportunities that we will be looking at to grow the church numerically and spiritually including 
  • a new monthly service at St Andrews on a Sunday afternoon.
  • a youth minister with financial help from the national church.
  • pastoral care especially as we grow in size as a church family ensuring that we have the right structure in place so people are not left out.
  • how to make the most of the many opportunities we have through the growing care home ministry and warden supported housing schemes.
  • Looking at all our ministries to see they are fit for purpose.
• the homegroup leaders meeting in early June where we hope to see how to strengthen and develop this ministry.
• the increasing numbers of young families who are asking about baptisms for their children to join the church family.
• the number of adults who are investigating adult baptism to be clear and able to articulate their faith.
• the Christianity Explained group to continue to flourish and for God to either confirm people in their faith or draw them to new life in Jesus.
• the planning meeting for the August holiday club and that the right people and youngsters will lead those three mornings and many children attend.
• the five congregations we have at present to be places where people are growing closer to God, learning how to follow Jesus and what it means for each of us to play our part in His family.
• God to protect us as the devil will not like the growth that God is bringing specifically that nothing would damage our relationships with one another.
• The times we pray together as a church family including homegroups, services, Tuesday morning zoom prayers and the monthly prayer gathering to be places where we seek God and His ways and spiritually grow.

• the number of people in our church family who serve in so many different ways.
• the buildings we have and the way they allow us to do ministry.
• the financial generosity of God’s people which funds the ministry we do.
• the church family at St Luke’s Maidstone who gifted us the chairs.

• the PCC as it fulfils its legal roles of finance, fabric and safeguarding.
• Annette, our safeguarding officer as she ensures that our church family is a safe place for all to attend and has a culture of care.
• our new PCC treasurer Tony and new PCC secretary Tracy as they adapt to their new and important roles.
• the new members of the PCC, Hazel and Ronnie, to settle into their roles.
• our churchwardens Alan and Darran as they continue to serve for the next year.
• the people who have recently volunteered to help with creche as they take up this new role.
• the hospitality team as they meet and greet people at each of our services, that they would have the discernment to know how to greet and help all those they meet.            
• the St Andrews refurbishment to continue to proceed so that the building will be completely available to use from the summer, praying especially for Brian as he leads the completion of this work.
• the various teams that on a regular basis make it possible for us to do ministry in an efficient and effective way including the money counters, the brass rubbers, the holy dusters, the gardening team (and any others) that God would bless them as they serve us in these ways.
• the people who regularly provide food at Bay Ignite, men’s breakfasts, ladies’ breakfasts and other irregular church social and service events.
• the team who set up and clear away Baby and Toddlers each week so that we can have good conversations with families with no church attachment.
• wisdom as we seek to ensure that the buildings we have are useful for God’s work.

 
Please pray for anything else that the Lord lays on your heart.