Dear Friends

I write to you in the days following the Aggregate meetings in Bristol. What a wonderful occasion was shared by all present and particularly with a far larger number than expected in Bristol Cathedral at the service of celebration and thanksgiving on Sunday evening. My thanks are due to so many people for the support and love shown to me on becoming President of the Association. It was a humbling, yet thrilling occasion and one which I shall never forget. I was presented with the President's Bible and added my signature to all those who have held this office before me. The sense of history as I read those names was overwhelming and I thank God for all that He has done over the years through the people represented by those signatures.

Now we move forward. On the Monday at Aggregate, The Leaders of Worship and Preachers Trust (LWPT), was launched. We shared in the symbolic lighting of candles as the work of LPMA is expanded through LWPT. Rev Dr Neil Richardson spoke words of dedication and a cake was cut. At the very point of the launch, the sun flooded through the skylights at Nailsea Methodist Church and lit the whole scene as a reminder of God's creative power. In the coming weeks and months I will be traveling around the country meeting with local preachers and churches to encourage the work of LWPT. I hope to pass on ideas about `Friends' Groups', a gathering together of supporters of the `Trust' for mutual fellowship, fun and fund raising. I also will be pleased to answer questions and address concerns. If you have not yet contacted me, please feel free to do so, but be quick, my diary is rapidly filling up. I encourage you all to praise God for His faithfulness in past years and join with me in excitement as we trust Him for the future.
Yours in His Service
Lois Morton

The truth is that time does not vary. Sixty seconds to each minute, sixty minutes to each hour and twenty four hours each day. Life progresses from beginning to end with continuity. As Christians, we believe that we have a God who is everywhere present and who spans all time and space. The psalmist stated that nowhere is outside His understanding.

The writer to the Hebrews says 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and for ever.'

I trust that we also can trace Him in our individual lives throughout past years. From the time when we became aware of His love and call on our lives, through all the way in which he has entered into our experiences, good and bad alike and we echo the words we have sung "Great is Thy faithfulness." My own faith story would bear this out.

In remembering the work of LPMA from its beginning we offer our thanks for all that it has meant ­ to beneficiaries, residents in our homes, staff and all supporters in churches, circuits and districts. Many gathered here will have personal memories of the privileges and joys of service and of those we have met through the Association.

I thank God for the opportunities of meeting in different parts of the country, visiting new churches and being cared for by kind hosts. Little did I know in 1972 when, as a new local preacher, the LPMA secretary in my branch Frank Sharrett, invited me to a pea and pie supper and to hear Mr Harold Archer (the President from my home Sheffield District) that such a meeting would lead to this day.

Let us thank God for the present moment for it will never come again. Each time the clock ticks on, the present moves with it.

I want to pay my own tribute to Mutual Aid Homes, particularly at this present time. As some of you know, my Mother is a resident at Westerley, Grange Over Sands. She has lived there for 16 years and until 3 years ago was active in the home, church and town. After various falls and medical problems, she now needs much closer care. I am so thankful for the staff at Grange who have taken all problems on board and ensure that all needs are met. Sometimes she does not understand what is happening around her but I can rest assured that she is in safe hands.

At this present time of change for our Association let us rejoice that God is with us now, even as we place the way forward into His hands.

Our text reminds us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and for ever, that is, for all the future. Again it is hard for us to grasp that there is an ever and ever but we have our Lord's promise that He spans time (as we know it) and eternity. Although the future has yet to happen we are invited to build on past and present experiences and believe that Our God will be as faithful in all the coming days, months and years.

Everyone will have their own personal thoughts, worries and questions. Perhaps we are concerned about health problems; perhaps there are family situations to face or fears about employment or advancing years. Let us affirm again that we do not have to meet these queries on our own. Hopefully there are others who walk with us through life but even if not, God has promised to be with us whatever we face.

The ongoing and additional work of the new `Trust' goes ahead with His promise of blessing and guidance. All involved need the support and prayers of you all as God's will is sought in all the details being considered. As we were reminded at last year's Aggregate, the present is but a stepping stone to the future and Our Lord will not let us down.