Created for a purpose
“Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life? Is there any point?”
These are questions most of us ask at some point in life - at least, those of us in countries rich enough to give us that luxury. And the answer is right under our noses:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s handiwork. That alone is enough. If he is truly God, he gets to do whatever he wants, and our response is to praise and thank him for his goodness.
But it gets better: we’re created to do good works - and not just any old good works, but works that he has prepared for us.
His instruction is not just ‘go out and do what you can to try to please me’, but ‘here is a need, and I have designed you with just the right skills, gifts and experiences to be able to meet that need’. Or sometimes, ‘here is a need, and I know you are not adequate to meet it, but I am, and I will supply what you lack’.
What a wonderful, generous God. He created us with a desire for purpose, and he created purposes for us to fulfil!
Exploring our purpose
At The Gathering this month, we will be exploring what those purposes for us might be. And the key word is us.
God’s design for us was that we would be in community - in nuclear families, in the church family, in neighbourhoods and wider communities - and we will be looking at what that means for the works he has prepared for us to do. We long to see true kingdom community overspill into all areas of our lives, whether that's with our neighbours, work colleagues family members or within our local churches, and it starts with our understanding of what true kingdom community looks like.
The Gathering is itself growing into an expression of kingdom community. It was a beautiful thing last time we met to see brothers and sisters sharing with one another and standing together in prayer and support as we ventured out in vulnerability. At this Gathering there will be a chance to catch up with those who you shared with, to continue that ‘one anothering’, as well as to meet others and widen your net.
If you were there last time, come again, to continue in the journey, build on what we learned before and cement that community.
If you weren’t there last time, catch up with the teaching, then come along this time - it’s not too late to join the journey.
Either way, book in now! We’re excited to see you there.
Stop press - Important travel and accommodation information
We have updated the event page with more information about parking and hotels. The headline is, parking is difficult and limited in Bishop’s Stortford. Many of the town centre car parks will require you to move your car during the day.
There are some JustPark options near the church, but if at all possible we recommend that you travel by train. The church is just a short walk from the station. Find out more, and download an information sheet giving more detail (including a link to information about car parks, and the names of the most convenient hotels), in the FAQs section of the booking page.