Maybe the sheep wandering into a service at Cuckfield Baptist Church (CBC) in September was just curious to hear the new undershepherd, Will Cockram, inducted in late August, or perhaps it wanted to check out the new building in which the church meets.
Whichever the answer, with a series in Colossians under way, and a good welcome from the church community and the people in the village, the change from urban life to the countryside has been a wonderful one for Will and his family.
Already, relational fruit is being seen through the work in the CBC toddler group and the church is praying for five families to come to know Christ. Living in the ‘goldfish bowl’ of ministry life in a more rural area has been good, especially as it has made evangelism easier.
Persevere in watching
In the induction, the congregation and Will, who recently completed studies at Oak Hill Theological College, were reminded of the biblical qualifications for eldership and of the way in which the Lord Jesus gives different gifts to his church for its edification. Will, along with the members of the church, answered questions about their commitment to the task, and this was followed by the elders laying their hands on Will and praying for him. Amongst others, Nick McQuaker (Director of Training and Development at the Sussex Gospel Partnership) prayed for Will’s ministry, his family (his wife Vicky, and their two children) and for the church. Greg Strain, pastor of Spicer Street Church in St Albans – where Will and Vicky were previously members – spoke movingly from 1 Timothy 4:16. He encouraged the elders of the church to persevere in watching their life and their doctrine closely, and the congregation in being good hearers of God’s Word.
The church’s prayer continues to be that Christ would be glorified as they seek to make him known in Cuckfield, and that the Lord would use them in this new era of gospel work in their new building.
