(Samford Peverel Team Mission Community – MPTMC))
There is a strong juxtaposition between how the church is serving the people of SPTMC and how the community is serving its Church. I am reminded of Jesus weeping as he turns the corner on his approach to Jerusalem and sees the city laid out before him. Luke 19:42. If only people knew what they had in the SPTMC ministry and what Jesus is offering them but somehow it is hidden from their eyes.
They have traditionally been served by the clergy so well, for so long and with no interregnums they have, to quote Harold MacMillan (1957), ‘never had it so good’. Or at least they don’t know how good they’ve had it. The Rev. Glyn Lewry is at full stretch together with his wife the LMM Mandy. There is one churchwarden of the six parishes who is a blessing and an enormous help but otherwise, there seems to be no one that has taken on a wider mission than just keeping the doors open.
SPTMC is at risk of burning out its minister which will have a catastrophic short-term impact on its churches some of which will not survive in their current form. With so many ‘life events and weekly services to attend to there is no time or head space for anything else. This is a risk. This is not uncommon in Christian ministry and there are ways of mitigating this if it is recognised early enough. But this mission community and its leaders need a plan before it is too late.