FUTURE PLANS – MESSAGE FROM THE VICAR

In late 2020 I felt the Lord speak to me through Paul’s storm journey in Acts 27.  Paul was imprisoned on a boat when a terrifying storm threatened to destroy the boat and everyone on it.  In the middle of the sea, with no land in sight, suddenly in the distance they saw new lands.  They didn’t know what or who was there but there were definitely new lands to head towards offering fresh hope.

As a church, in January 2021 we started asking, ‘Lord help us see the new lands beyond the storm of this pandemic and then reveal what you want to be constructed there for your kingdom purposes.’

As the last 6 months have passed by it feels as though the Lord has given us some clarity about the ‘new lands’ in at least two significant ways:

i)Firstly, at the beginning of yet another lockdown it was a really good opportunity to seek fresh vision for how this part of the Body of Christ in Gleneagles Church can join with God in building His kingdom, as we emerge from this storm.  The Vision is now complete with the strategy being a working document.  The Vision booklet is available by clicking on the link in the Vision section below.

ii) Secondly, prior to the pandemic Gleneagles Anglican Church had a long held vision to build a new church and community centre on the land opposite the Ock ‘n’ Dough.  The money required for this has not materialised.

However, at the end of May 2021 we were invited to consider extending our parish by including all that is within the neighbouring parish of Great Harrowden (Glenvale Park, Redhill Grange and the hamlet of Great Harrowden).   This also included the parish church building at Great Harrowden on the A509, All Saints.

We are delighted to accept this offer to extend God’s mission in this way!

The parish church needs some re-ordering and so our Sunday services will remain at Redwell Primary School until later in 2022.  (We still have the land opposite the Ock ‘n’ Dough and over the coming months we will need to make a decision about that).

These two things combined have given us much to be excited about and a clear sense of God’s heart and purpose as we look forward to the next chapter in the life of this church.