Hello Church family,
It's been a little while since I last wrote to you!
Over the past few weeks, one of the greatest highlights for Debi and me has been celebrating ten years of The Higher Place. We've spent time reflecting on all God has done over the last decade, the journey we've shared as a church, and how we've celebrated this milestone together. Our hearts are incredibly full. July is always a special month for us because, alongside our church anniversary, we also celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year, Debi and I celebrated 12 years of marriage, making it an especially memorable month. We truly feel grateful for God's faithfulness.
Thank you to everyone who prayed, served, gave, planned, celebrated and honoured us throughout our anniversary celebrations. We were deeply encouraged by your kindness, generosity and love. It meant more to us than you know, and we're so grateful to be part of such an incredible church family.
One of my greatest joys over these ten years has been watching people discover God's purpose for their lives and then begin helping others do the same. Many of the leaders serving today first walked through our doors simply looking for a church to call home. Seeing them now faithfully leading teams, serving others and helping others grow in their relationship with Jesus brings me tremendous joy. That's one of the greatest privileges of pastoral ministry.
In many ways, ten years feels like a significant milestone. Yet at the same time, it feels like we're still in the early chapters of the story God is writing through The Higher Place Church. I’m filled with overwhelming gratitude when I look back, but looking ahead fills me with even greater faith and expectation. I believe the years ahead will bring more people to encounter Jesus, more leaders being equipped and released, more families strengthened, our communities impacted and many more lives transformed by the power of the Gospel. As a church, we're continuing to grow, mature and prepare ourselves for everything God has ahead. If you'd like to hear more about the journey so far, you can watch our anniversary message here.
One area I've been speaking about recently is our vision to purchase a permanent base for The Higher Place. As we continue to grow, we believe having a home of our own will create even more opportunities for discipleship, prayer, leadership development and serving our local community throughout the week. I'd encourage you to keep praying with us for this vision and, if you're able, continue giving towards it.
Alongside this vision, I've also recently released my new book, Faith Mindsets. Writing this book has been a real joy, and my prayer is that it helps people develop a deeper confidence in God and a faith that remains steadfast in every season of life. If you haven't already picked up a copy, I'd love to encourage you to do so, and perhaps even gift a copy to a friend. Every penny from the book is being given towards the purchase of our future church base, so thank you to everyone who has already supported it.
The Summer
Summer can sometimes be a season where it's easy to drift, especially with holidays and changing routines. My encouragement would simply be this: stay connected, keep gathering, keep praying, keep serving, keep giving, keep inviting people. God doesn't stop working during the summer, and neither should our expectation for what He wants to do.
I'm really looking forward to the start of our new teaching series, Wisdom from Heroes and Sheroes on the 9th of August, as together we learn timeless lessons from some of the remarkable men and women of Scripture. I also hope you'll join us for our Presence Prayer gathering this Friday, from 7:15 - 8:15 PM at GSU Room 025. In August, we'll have one prayer gathering—our Summer Prayer Gathering on 14 August—alongside After Service Hangouts, Sports Day, Women's Weekend Away and many other opportunities to build friendship and community.
You can find all our upcoming events and key dates on the church calendar, and I hope you'll make the most of everything happening over the summer.
As always, thank you. Thank you to our leaders. Thank you to every volunteer. Thank you for continuing to believe, pray, serve and give. Every one of you is part of the story God is writing at The Higher Place Church, and I'm excited to see all that He has in store for us in this next season.
As I always say, the best is yet to come!
Much love,
Paul