Dear Friends

As I write this letter,  (16/07/26) on the back of England’s defeat in the World Cup (again), I am also looking at other sporting events that have taken place or are taking place over the next few months.

We have seen Arthur Fery, given a wildcard into Wimbledon and making it through to the semi final.

On Saturday 11^th July in the middle of the heatwave, myself and Gill went to Hill Dickinson to watch England Rugby and on the 27^th and 28^th July we are going to Glasgow to watch the Athletics. We are definitely into the watching more than the doing.

The Tour de France is on stage 12. 

The Open Golf is taking place over the weekend once again in Merseyside.  

We then have the English Football league starting on the 15^th August.

For those that follow sport you can spend every waking hour watching some kind of sport.

By the time you read this letter most of these events will have happened and will be in the past. But all the athletes and sportspersons will have made huge sacrifices to get to the top of their profession. It doesn’t make them any better than anyone else just more highly focused and as a result remunerated for what they do. But they have put in the countless hours of training and missed family events and celebrations in order to achieve their goal.

If we look at Pauls letter, in his second letter to Timothy,

‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’

 Paul has done all that he can and in this passage he is saying that his journey with God following Jesus teaching, has been a hard fought battle. To have Jesus words heard above the noise and tumult of others around him, yet he thanks Timothy for being with him on the journey.  Although he has suffered because of his faith and what God has called him to do he has kept steadfast in what he believes to be true.

The journey Paul made required a lot of stamina and a lot of training, he completed it because of the people around him. Those who gave encouragement when things became hard. Those who visited whilst he was in prison. He was a true athlete for the Christian faith but was a key player because of the works of the Holy Spirit and the companionship of those around him. All our sportspersons achieve what they do because they surround themselves with others who have the knowledge and the skills to help them. The effects of Covid on our community was hard and it is only now that we are able to look back but also to look forward with confidence as we make plans for a future. 

 If we are to continue our race we need to work as a team helping each other and encouraging each other. Most importantly no matter what hardships, we need to keep the faith that we have in our Lord and Saviour.

I hope that you all manage some rest and recuperation over August (and the heat subsides)    

Mark