In this blog, Emily discusses why it’s important to share our successes and challenges as Christians and Churches…
Since returning to work after Christmas, much of my work has been reflecting on activities from 2023, while planning and envisioning 2024. We have some really exciting projects, gatherings and events coming up at Leeds Sanctuary, and like most people, we want to steward these opportunities to meet and serve people well.
One of the parts of my job which perhaps feels easiest to drop in busy periods is sharing our success stories; once one event or campaign has finished, there’s always another one to work on, and there is definitely a sense of maintaining momentum in the hopes that we can keep that success going, whatever it looks like. However, sharing our success stories is a Biblical command which we should not overlook.
“Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God. I will declare what He has done for me.” (Psalm 66:16) When we share with others what has worked well for us, and even what our reflections are from things that haven’t turned out as we expected, we are declaring what God has done. For myself, I find that the process of evaluation and writing causes me to reflect and notice in a deeper way, and I find even more richness when I consult with my colleagues, who notice different things. The Bible tells us that “a bright look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the body.” (Proverbs 15:30)
At Leeds Sanctuary, we find that when we share the good news of what God has done, people really engage with us; congratulating us, contacting us for advice and support with their own projects and campaigns, and engaging more with our events. Most importantly, people are learning something of His nature through the stories we are sharing. We are so blessed in the digital age that there are so many ways to share good news – a quick text message or voice note, a new story on a website and social media, the list goes on.
There’s something really special though, about sharing good news in community, and I would really encourage you in your own communities to recognise what God has done for you, share it with others, and invite others to share too.
If you work for a church or Christian organisation, and would like to join a community of communicators, please contact me for more information about Gather Communicators.