16 Oct 2026, 02:04Pastor Kwesi Moore, SEC PresidentWatford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
"Not By Might... but By My Spirit"
Pastoral Letter, 16 October 2026
This week at the Office, a few of us found ourselves singing these words of an old song that will be familiar to some of you after our new weekly time of prayer: The Holy Spirit Came at Pentecost. Each Wednesday, we will pause our activities at the South England Conference (SEC) Headquarters and invite the presence of God to be and remain with us, as we must never take Him for granted. Charles Spurgeon, the prominent English preacher, once said that without the Spirit of God, we are “ships without wind.” Zechariah received the message from God: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6). We are reminded that “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). At the moment, the sound of heavy building work is drifting into the office as we work. The crashes, shouts, and machinery take me back to my time working as an engineer. I am reminded of identifying needs or problems associated with projects, conceptualising solutions, and maintaining a strong focus on the goals of the operation if we want to see results. It demands sustained effort, just like our constructive work in mission too. Yet, the Psalmist states that without the Spirit of God, our labour is "in vain". This comes from the Hebrew word ‘shav’, which speaks of something that may seem substantial on the outside, yet is ultimately ‘empty’, ‘hollow’, or ‘meaningless’. We need divine alignment for the purposes of God to be brought to fruition. Yet human effort of itself has no eternal value. Everything depends on our Creator. As Psalm 127:1 reminds us, the Master Builder is God.
The balance between our work as human beings and reliance on God is what we need for our shared mission. Monday marked exactly one year since many of us gathered for the South England Conference’s Big Conversation Town Hall meeting on 12th October 2025. When we gathered back then, prayed together, evaluated our progress honestly, and considered our next steps regarding the “GO SEC: Inspired for Mission” Strategy, the collective wisdom of our members resulted in a wealth of ideas. I want to sincerely reassure you that the importance of this event is not forgotten. I would like you to know we have heard what was said and we are working actively on various elements.
An important point made during the Big Conversation was that any work to do with strategy must be steeped in prayer, repentance, and renewal as we depend on the Spirit of God for His leading and guidance. We realised that the words of the song we sang this week are a profound prayer for our time: “Come Holy Spirit.” While these weekly prayer gatherings will remain an internal initiative for the present, we look forward to extending the invitation more widely across the Conference family in the near future. ‘Christ in our hearts’ is the foundation of everything.
We have heard the suggestion of holding Area Listening Forums in the style of the Big Conversation more regularly so a culture of listening can be sustained between larger SEC gatherings. We will soon be ready to establish Listening Forums from Area to Area. I and other representatives from the Conference will attend because we want to ‘Deepen our Connections’ so we can work as one.
We have heard the suggestion concerning transparency in sharing our reports, so we are putting more reporting in place. We have heard the request for joined-up working across the Conference, and departments have come together as ‘clusters’ or groups of departments for more ‘integrated operations’ in response. You will see them teaming up together and also focussing on offering more training to provide the accessibility and support that members have asked for locally, bringing the Conference together with local churches in more meaningful ways.
While we seek to fulfil the mission God has entrusted to us, we are working with a church culture, and set of practices developed over many years. Changing realities and needs invite and even challenge us to reflect on where adaptation is needed. When structures are being adapted, restructuring can look messy just like the building down the road from the Office. You can see broken material and look straight inside at the exposed components. Local people can see this state of affairs is part of a current situation and wonder when this startling, incomplete structure will be ready. Perhaps this is how some of us feel. As we reflect on how to move forward constructively, we may find ourselves confronting challenges as exposed and visible as that building's inner workings. Yet this prepares us for what will come next. If things appear chaotic or incomplete, we should not mistake that for a lack of commitment or direction. It may be evidence of the hard work required to construct something fit for the future. At the same time, we are under no illusions that there is plenty of work to do. While prayerfully considering the future, there may be perspectives or ways of doing things that we need to let go of, not because they were wrong, but because they have fulfilled their purpose; a new challenge may require a new approach. Walls may need to come down and familiar patterns may need to change. Are we prepared for this and committed to seeing the task through to the end?
Only God’s Spirit can bring His will into being. As we move forward, let us execute the Strategy in full surrender to the Master Builder, remembering that we are building to fulfil God’s mission, His plans, and His purposes alone, by His Spirit alone. Thank you for your continued dedication, your prayers, and your commitment to keeping the fire of mission alive in the SEC.
“We will go, we will go
Where God Leads, we will go
We will follow Christ, and spread His love
We will go where our Saviour leads.”
May God bless you all.
This week at the Office, a few of us found ourselves singing these words of an old song that will be familiar to some of you after our new weekly time of prayer: The Holy Spirit Came at Pentecost. Each Wednesday, we will pause our activities at the South England Conference (SEC) Headquarters and invite the presence of God to be and remain with us, as we must never take Him for granted. Charles Spurgeon, the prominent English preacher, once said that without the Spirit of God, we are “ships without wind.” Zechariah received the message from God: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6). We are reminded that “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). At the moment, the sound of heavy building work is drifting into the office as we work. The crashes, shouts, and machinery take me back to my time working as an engineer. I am reminded of identifying needs or problems associated with projects, conceptualising solutions, and maintaining a strong focus on the goals of the operation if we want to see results. It demands sustained effort, just like our constructive work in mission too. Yet, the Psalmist states that without the Spirit of God, our labour is "in vain". This comes from the Hebrew word ‘shav’, which speaks of something that may seem substantial on the outside, yet is ultimately ‘empty’, ‘hollow’, or ‘meaningless’. We need divine alignment for the purposes of God to be brought to fruition. Yet human effort of itself has no eternal value. Everything depends on our Creator. As Psalm 127:1 reminds us, the Master Builder is God.
The balance between our work as human beings and reliance on God is what we need for our shared mission. Monday marked exactly one year since many of us gathered for the South England Conference’s Big Conversation Town Hall meeting on 12th October 2025. When we gathered back then, prayed together, evaluated our progress honestly, and considered our next steps regarding the “GO SEC: Inspired for Mission” Strategy, the collective wisdom of our members resulted in a wealth of ideas. I want to sincerely reassure you that the importance of this event is not forgotten. I would like you to know we have heard what was said and we are working actively on various elements.
An important point made during the Big Conversation was that any work to do with strategy must be steeped in prayer, repentance, and renewal as we depend on the Spirit of God for His leading and guidance. We realised that the words of the song we sang this week are a profound prayer for our time: “Come Holy Spirit.” While these weekly prayer gatherings will remain an internal initiative for the present, we look forward to extending the invitation more widely across the Conference family in the near future. ‘Christ in our hearts’ is the foundation of everything.
We have heard the suggestion of holding Area Listening Forums in the style of the Big Conversation more regularly so a culture of listening can be sustained between larger SEC gatherings. We will soon be ready to establish Listening Forums from Area to Area. I and other representatives from the Conference will attend because we want to ‘Deepen our Connections’ so we can work as one.
We have heard the suggestion concerning transparency in sharing our reports, so we are putting more reporting in place. We have heard the request for joined-up working across the Conference, and departments have come together as ‘clusters’ or groups of departments for more ‘integrated operations’ in response. You will see them teaming up together and also focussing on offering more training to provide the accessibility and support that members have asked for locally, bringing the Conference together with local churches in more meaningful ways.
While we seek to fulfil the mission God has entrusted to us, we are working with a church culture, and set of practices developed over many years. Changing realities and needs invite and even challenge us to reflect on where adaptation is needed. When structures are being adapted, restructuring can look messy just like the building down the road from the Office. You can see broken material and look straight inside at the exposed components. Local people can see this state of affairs is part of a current situation and wonder when this startling, incomplete structure will be ready. Perhaps this is how some of us feel. As we reflect on how to move forward constructively, we may find ourselves confronting challenges as exposed and visible as that building's inner workings. Yet this prepares us for what will come next. If things appear chaotic or incomplete, we should not mistake that for a lack of commitment or direction. It may be evidence of the hard work required to construct something fit for the future. At the same time, we are under no illusions that there is plenty of work to do. While prayerfully considering the future, there may be perspectives or ways of doing things that we need to let go of, not because they were wrong, but because they have fulfilled their purpose; a new challenge may require a new approach. Walls may need to come down and familiar patterns may need to change. Are we prepared for this and committed to seeing the task through to the end?
Only God’s Spirit can bring His will into being. As we move forward, let us execute the Strategy in full surrender to the Master Builder, remembering that we are building to fulfil God’s mission, His plans, and His purposes alone, by His Spirit alone. Thank you for your continued dedication, your prayers, and your commitment to keeping the fire of mission alive in the SEC.
“We will go, we will go
Where God Leads, we will go
We will follow Christ, and spread His love
We will go where our Saviour leads.”
May God bless you all.
