The Ouse Valley Benefice

Being Energised by Faith

In our collective journey towards building a healthy, vibrant church, it is all too easy to fixate on the metrics of success—the attendance figures, the financial reports, and the visible growth we can track on a spreadsheet. However, while stewardship is important, we must pause and ask a more foundational question: Is our church truly energised by faith?

Jesus offers us a clear, challenging perspective in John 15, reminding us: "Apart from me, you can do nothing." This is the non-negotiable heart of our spiritual vitality. Imagine a tree standing in a field; its branches cannot produce fruit by sheer willpower. They must remain connected to the trunk and roots to receive the essential, life-giving sap. If we attempt to advance the Kingdom through our own effort—treating the church as a project that requires our constant, manual effort alone—we will eventually find ourselves exhausted and stalled. Sustainable, God-honouring growth is never about the limits of our own energy; it is about abiding in the vine.

When we allow ourselves to be genuinely energised by faith, it initiates a profound shift in our collective DNA. We stop viewing the church as merely a schedule of services to be attended, and we begin to embrace it as a living encounter with God’s presence. This shift ripples outward into every aspect of our community. Our conversations become more intentional, our prayers move beyond petition into deeper communion, and our primary focus pivots from a culture of fundraising to a culture of joyful giving and serving—loving God and genuinely loving our neighbours as ourselves.

Numerical growth may not happen overnight, but organic, spiritual growth always follows when we remain in Jesus. So as we step into the weeks ahead, I invite you to commit to this journey towards a healthy church. Let us be the branches that stay deeply grafted to the vine, trusting in Jesus in all that we do rather than our own strength. When we do this, we bear fruit that truly lasts. We stop trying to make things happen and start allowing God’s transformative love to work through us. As we share that love with everyone we meet, our community will see that we are not just running an institution; we are living, breathing witnesses to a faith that transforms.

May we abide in His love, and in doing so, bear much fruit.

Weekly Church of England Online Service

Do you know someone who is unable to get to church? 

If so, why not point them in the direction of the weekly online service from the Church of England. They can sign up to a weekly mailing with details of the service and watch each of the services online. Click the button below for more details and to sign up.