By Pastor Royston Smith

The emergence of the omicron variant is sending some of our well-crafted holiday plans into a tailspin. So too have the dithering and mixed messages by the government, leaving us all uncertain whether we are going into another lockdown. As we consider the future, I guess many of us will be reconsidering our plans carefully. Anxiety and uneasiness abound.  But I hope everyone gets some time to rest, relax and refresh.

2021 Wrap Up

For some of our church community, it has been a turbulent year. To some extent each of us has been scarred by death and grief with our dearly beloved called to rest in Christ. To you I extend my continued prayers and support. On a more positive note, we have also had a year of marriages and births.  May God guide, nurture and bless each newly married couple and new parent as they navigate their way through this new chapter in their lives.

We can also give God thanks for what he has helped us to achieve as a church over 2021:

• Over 40 new members have been added to the kingdom of God with several baptisms.
• Around 55 people have received Bible studies over the past year.
• Our Food Bank has distributed approximately 8,000 food parcels to the local community.
• A small team of dedicated church members have distributed over 10,000 pieces of literature.
• The Music Department has raised over £4,000 for a variety of worthy causes through several fundraising concerts.
• The Communication Department has produced 3,000 outreach calendars, and worked with church members to distribute over 2,000 calendars so far in Croydon and the surrounding areas.
• Our YouTube community grew significantly with 422.3k total views, 11.6m watch time minutes, around 600 comments and over 6,000 likes during 2021.

Thank you 

So – and I can never say it often enough – a huge thanks to everyone for another year of phenomenal dedication and commitment, helping to ensure that the gospel of the kingdom is shared with those who need to hear it. Your support and love have been invaluable as we strive to making disciples and build communities. 

My plans

Covid permitting, I’m looking forward to 2022 and creating a real spiritually focused community. I would like the church to run workshops for mental health, family life, disciple making, domestic abuse, and have a health expo. Preaching-wise I hope to focus on practical living, prophecy, and core doctrines. In terms of outreach, I want to get each member involved in sharing their faith on a weekly basis. I also hope to have a variety of other exciting and spiritual programmes throughout the year. 

Finally, I want to encourage you to embrace a fresh start in Jesus Christ with the words of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”