Letter from Jon, May 18 

 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost
Luke 19:10
 
Dear Friends
 
As many of you will know, last month saw the birth of our first granddaughter (did I mention that I was a grandad!).  Now, generally I am not all that into babies, but it has been wonderful to sit and hold this precious baby, to watch her movements and ever-changing facial expressions and to see her personality already shining through.  I have no idea what she will be like as she grows, or who she will become, but I do know that she is loved.  She is loved by her family, but more than that, I know she is loved by her Father in heaven. This little person is of immeasurable worth.  So are you. 

The truth is that every single one of us is known and loved by our Father in heaven.  He has always known us and he has always loved us, and his desire for every one of us is that we know him and delight in him.  When I hold my granddaughter I have this overwhelming love and desire to protect, but it doesn’t come close to our Father’s love for us.
 
Jesus, the Son of Man, came to a broken and sinful world, filled with broken and sinful people, to seek and to save us, to return us to the loving embrace of our Father.  Without God we are all lost; separated from the one who made us and longs for us.  Many of us, of course, can say with confidence, in the words of John Newton, “I once was lost but now am found”.  Many of us experienced, and are experiencing salvation through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we are surrounded by a lost world. 
 
My vision for Liberty Church, as we move towards our new home and a new era of church life, is that we see so many more coming to faith in Christ, becoming part of this wonderful Church Family and being re-united with the loving and protecting embrace of their Father.
 
Let me encourage you to dwell on those words of Luke 19:10, to thank God for your own salvation and his ongoing work in your life, and to follow our Lord Jesus as he continues to seek and to save the lost around us. 

Let me also say thank you to everyone who is participating in the journey of developing Liberty Centre.  Forms and offerings are still coming in from Sunday's special offering, but the current amount given and pledged before gift aid is added is over £25,000 which will make a significant difference to the project.
 
Much love
  
Jon