Minister's Letter September 2025
Revd John Henry
Tickhill Methodist Church
Article September 2025
As I sit writing these words, I am contemplating a holiday which begins on Saturday (9th August).
As a family we do a staycation, it tends to be a lot of effort to go away with our daughter suffering a disability; we are content as a family just to ‘be’ and to have a short break from the busyness; I am also reliably informed that “there are some jobs I want you to do when you are on holiday.”
One of my favourite hymns, ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’ has the following words in it:
Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace.
What beautiful words and they speak of a truth we all need; we all need those times of quietness when we can find restoration.
The dictionary defines restoration in the following way: “The act or process of returning something to its earlier condition or position.”
I need those times if I am going to continue to be effective as someone who regularly gives out others.
I remember many years ago, a senior Methodist minister saying to my wife, Wendy, “make sure he takes his proper time off!” his rationale was that I would continue to be effective and not burned out.
Please don't mishear me, this is not the justification for my holiday… it is that recognition that we all need times of restoration, whoever we are.
I am also reminded of some words of Jesus, He said, “Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest!”
One of the things that I will be doing within my quiet time, probably on on a canal bank, whilst fishing, is to come to Jesus within that quiet time asking him to restore me, so that I can come bouncing back in September.
Do you need some rest? It's a thought!
Make time for yourself, make time for some restoration.
Revd John
Every Blessing,
Superintendent of Doncaster Methodist Circuit, Minister of Tickhill Methodist Church.
- Tickhill Methodist Church
- Northgate
- Tickhill
- South Yorkshire
- DN11 9HY