March 2026

Dear Friends

The Parish of the Wellspring Villages has the joyful event this month of a Confirmation Service at St. Andrew's, Wanborough, at 4pm on Sunday 22nd March conducted by the Bishop of Swindon. All are welcome to join us for this tremendous service of personal commitment and renewal.

One of the very attractive aspects of Christianity is that God's love can be and is received into each human heart personally. We are not born into the Christian faith because of our national or family heritage.

Each one of us needs to personally respond to Christ's invitation to believe and trust in him, and thus to receive His personal presence into our heart and life. God respects our individuality and freedom of will and doesn't simply barge his way in against our will. God loves us and gave himself for us but we do need to respond to that love, to open the door of our hearts and invite him to come in.

For Christian people faith is a personal walk with God each day. Isaiah says God calls us by name “I have called you by name, you are mine” and Jesus talks about the hairs of our head being numbered, the love sick Father running to welcome his returning prodigal son and the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep alone on the hillside while he goes off looking for the one lost sheep that had gone astray. And of course, when he finds it, great is His rejoicing, as it is in heaven, says Jesus, over each returning soul. Hence a Confirmation Service is a very personal moment with God for each candidate. In it we can make our individual response of faith to Jesus' invitation to come to him to have life in all its fullness. If we were baptised as an infant others made that decision for us but in Confirmation, we make it our own personal response.

It is not too late to be Confirmed at the end of the month if that is something you would like to consider for yourself? Do contact me and we can explore this further. Or do just come along to the service and see what it is all about.

Kind regards

Revd, Steve Paynter
Stevedpaynter@gmail.com
01793 296870

A Prayer:
O God,
You created me to enjoy a relationship with you. At the beginning of Lent, I admit that I'm sinful, and often fall away.
You're the God of holiness, love, and justice. In your mercy, you draw near to me. Thank you that you planned a way that I might return to you through Jesus.
Draw me into a deeper understanding of your plan for salvation this Lenten Season, so that I would grow my trust in you
Amen.