This week I attended a conference for Baptist ministers from across the country in Leicestershire. It was great to be with 100 other newly accredited ministers and hear some inspiring speakers. However, the thing that struck me the most was how blessed by God we are in Surbiton. Here are some of the things I heard. ' I look after 13 lovely souls' , ' my congregation said to me, 'help us change or we die' , 'we don't have any musicians but we muddle along', ' our buildings are dilapidated but we don't have the money, or anyone who knows how to repair them', ' we have no one under the age of 65' Of course I heard some good stories too, of God blessing churches, but in the big scheme of things, what was clear, was that we are one of those blessed churches. We might not have all the resources we would like, but we are certainly in a better place than many Baptist churches. So let's be continually thankful to God for all he is doing amongst us.
One of today's baptismal candidates is a member of the YMCA Surbiton Community Choir. How lovely to hear the choir sing at our morning service today! 
