For 14/06/2020 – 200 Years at Hartlip
A chapel in a village
Surrounded by a beautiful garden
200 Years at Hartlip
Tended by you Lord and the hands of the faithful.
Two hundred years of history.
Hymns sung, sermons preached, prayers said,
Acts done that touched the lives of others
Inside and outside the church
Across two centuries.
Worshipping Sunday by Sunday,
Never have times closed our building
As current times have forced us to do
As at present we still must do.
But the church is not the building.
It is the people within its community
A community finding new ways to keep in touch
To support each other in live and prayer.
Current situations are guiding us to find
New ways to worship,
Fresh expressions of church and service
New ways to love and care.
As twenty years ago ideas refreshed
The work of the retreat centre began
The start of new life for our community
New work to do.
Lord we thank you for two hundred years
Of work and service, love and care.
We pray that you will continue to walk alongside us
Your Holy Spirit guiding us on our future path.
We thank you for the new ideas the current situation grows
Nurturing progress, emphasising priorities.
We pray for all those who worship and use our building
For those who come to take time with God.
We thank you for all those who may not be in our building
Sunday by Sunday, week in, week out,
But whose lives are enriched by the presence of our church
And by a history that touches them.
Grant us continuing spiritual growth in our faith
Linking with the village, with the parish church,
With the school and local families
Remembering baptisms, weddings, funerals.
Parties are delayed for now Lord
But let us celebrate in our hearts
The work of Hartlip Methodist Church
Now and for the next two hundred years and beyond.
Holy Spirit Come Down.
Amen
