Pastoral letter from the Superintendent

Dear Friends,

As we move into Advent and Christmas, the familiar words of the prophet Isaiah echo in our worship: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). These words are as true today as they were centuries ago. We know the shadows in our own lives, in our communities, and in our world. And yet, into those very shadows, the promise of God shines: light, life, and hope through Jesus Christ.

Hope is such a precious word. It is easy to feel that worldly hope is fading – we see the uncertainty of economies, the struggles of communities, and the anxieties that sit heavily on people’s lives. But Christian hope is something different. It is not wishful thinking or vague optimism. It is the solid, stubborn assurance that God is with us. Advent reminds us that our hope is grounded in God’s promises and fulfilled in Christ. At Christmas, we celebrate that those promises are not distant, but made flesh and dwelling among us.

As a Circuit, we too live with both challenge and opportunity. We know the realities of change: churches discerning their way forward, resources being stretched, and questions about the future. Yet within these realities lies the invitation to deepen our trust in the God who is faithful. Christian hope allows us to face the future, not with fear, but with expectancy – confident that the Spirit of Christ is already ahead of us, preparing the way.

I am encouraged by the many signs of life across our churches – new forms of worship, acts of service, generous hospitality, and prayerful commitment. These are not small things; they are glimpses of God’s kingdom breaking in. They remind us that, just as the Christ-child was born in the smallness of Bethlehem, so too God’s purposes often begin in what seems fragile and overlooked.

This Advent and Christmas, I invite us all to be bearers of hope. To look for where the light of Christ is already shining. To notice the simple but profound ways God is at work in our churches and communities. And to hold out to others the assurance that Emmanuel – God with us – is not only a story of the past, but the reality of the present.

May you know that hope, light, and joy afresh this season. And may our Circuit, even in times of change, continue to live as a community rooted in the unshakeable hope of Christ.

With every blessing for Advent and Christmas,

Jayne

Revd Jayne Webb, Superintendent Minister