A Call to Overslade
"Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.' Deuteronomy 31.7,8 [TNIV]
Well, the call to Overslade wasn't of the same significance as Joshua's call to lead Israel into the 'promised land', but in 1995 there was some trepidation and anxiety for a dozen or so of us. We were 'sent out' from St Matthews to worship and work for the Kingdom on Overslade. Those church families who lived in this part of the parish felt that for many of their neighbours even entering a church building was an alien experience. So God was calling to us to be present in their neighbourhood.
Initially we met in an annex to Harris School, Westfield Lodge, and eventually were able to meet on Sunday mornings in the Overslade Community Centre and to become more fully involved in the life of that centre.
Taking a step like this was possible because we could grasp that the promise to Joshua had some relevance to us, thousands of years later. God would be faithful, even if we wobbled! In our personal, family, community and church life we continue to meet challenges and our Lord wants to encourage us to face them in the knowledge of his love and faithfulness.
Read again the promise made by God through Moses to Joshua and make it your own.
Richard Farnell
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