How’s it all going?
This is the very broad question that I’ve been asked many, many times in the last few months since taking on the role of senior leader at Life Church Southampton.
Depending on how well I know the person who’s asking, my response ranges from something like “Yeah, it seems ok thanks!” to “Well, I don’t think I’ve managed to de-rail the whole thing so far!” through to more detailed analysis with others. But it’s a very hard thing to give an answer to… “How’s it all going?” How would you answer that?
That’s the thing with church life, it has this tendency to encompass all of life, and rightly so. How is all of life going for a few hundred people from every walk of life? Tough question…
As we’ve seen through our recent sermon series, the Disciples spent three years with Jesus experiencing all of life with him, the church in Acts spent all of life with one another and so it feels about right that church should include more than just our Sundays and Life Groups.
Church life happens in school playgrounds, in meals dropped off at the door, a WhatsApp message asking how ‘that thing’ went (or a 3 minute+ voice note if you’re Gen Z! You know who you are…) and in hundreds of unseen ways all across this city, all the time.
My role means I often get to hear about or see the results of many of these things and every time it makes me so grateful to be part of a church that is as ‘all of life’ as ours at Life Church.
As Life Church continues to grow in all sorts of healthy ways, one of the things I increasingly want to be able to do is to share some of these things both from within Life Church but also from across many of the wonderful things God is doing in our city and beyond.
‘Life Together’ (coming soon!) is a new, regular update from me where each audio episode will be no more than ten minutes and will include news and updates, stories and encouragements and sometimes even a guest conversation. Think of it like a quick catch-up with your church family that you can listen to on a walk, in the car, or while making a cuppa.
We’ll get the links out on our socials and WhatsApp channel but the easiest way to make sure you’re keeping up with ‘Life Together’ and our latest sermons is to subscribe to our podcast (on Spotify, iTunes, or add our Feed to wherever you get your podcasts) . If nothing else, give it a listen as and when each one comes out and you’ll have a better idea of the answer to the question ‘How’s it all going?’.
Occasionally, we’ll also share more blogs like this one including more in-depth stories from people, ministries and events.
One of my favourite things about my role in the church is the joy, and sometimes heartache, of hearing people’s stories and helping them to see Jesus in the joys and challenges of life.
So, now it’s my turn to ask the question: “How’s it all going?”
I’d love to hear how life is for you? To hear your updates, your stories, your news…your life. Maybe let me know by getting in touch directly at simon@lifesouthampton.org
Simon
Simon Munsie