01/10/2026
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฃ'๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
On behalf of the entire Diocesan Executive, I welcome you into the month of October, which marks the beginning of our new Church year. While the world is preparing to end a year, we are beginning our year with God. Because we are beginning with God we shall also end with him in peace and with great testimonies.
In the Bible, October / ๐ง๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ in the Jewish calendar is the month of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27). It is also the month of Tabernacles / Ingathering, when Israel celebrated God's provision and gathered their harvest (Exodus 23:16). Let us therefore trust that in this month, we would experience the Lord's special providence as well as his mercy that takes away our sins, as we come to him in repentance. As we expect forgiveness from The Lord, let us also forgive those who hurt us in the year that has just gone by, because we cannot carry the grudges and bitterness of the past year into the new year.
It is my prayer that this year would not be just another year, but a year of establishment, enlargement and abundance. It is also my prayer that, as a Diocese, in this new year we enlarge in spiritual growth, enlarge in numbers, enlarge in influence across the Connexion and beyond, enlarge in influence and territories, and enlarge as individuals in capacity and results.
โ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒโ (๐ฃ๐๐ฎ๐น๐บ ๐ฒ๐ฑ:๐ญ๐ญ)
As we begin the new year, I give you the following charge:
๐ถ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ฟ.
Noah began a new world with an altar.
โ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐, ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐โ (๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ด:๐ฎ๐ฌ).
I charge all Circuits and Societies to organize a special prayer and thanksgiving service to open the year. The fire of prayer should be sustained throughout the year, for a church that prays together, stays together.
๐ถ๐ถ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ.
As the Lord charged Joshua to do, let us not depart from the word, but intensify our study of the word as individuals, and as a Church improve on our Bible class meetings.
โ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐๐ต, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ณ๐๐นโ (๐๐ผ๐๐ต๐๐ฎ ๐ญ:๐ด)
๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด:
A Church that expects to enlarge must Evangelize.
โ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐...โ (๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด:๐ญ๐ต).
I charge every member to win at least one soul every month in this Church year.
In our next Standing Committee meeting coming on in early November 2026, the Diocese will begin the process of electing a new Lay chairman by nominating three people who will contest for the position at our next Synod in April 2027. I call on all of you to commit the process to serious prayer for the Lord himself to give us his own choice. This is not a time of dirty politics, it is a time of sober reflection and seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit.
I take this opportunity to welcome all ministers who have newly arrived in the Diocese, and encourage them to work hard to help the Diocese to progress.
I leave you with God's blessings:
โข ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ฒ๐ฌ:๐ฎ๐ฎ).
โข What was difficult for you to achieve last year will become easy for you this year.
โข There shall be no calamity befalling you, but the Lord will clothe you with fitness and strength.
โข You will not just survive, you will dominate.
Let us remember that how we start the year will determine what happens in the year. May God help us to start right so we can end right.
Shalom!
Stay blessed
~
๐ฅ๐. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐. ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ต-๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป
(๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ, ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
