Roots before fruit

15 October 2026

Dear CLIC Family,

Spring has come again to Berwick. The mornings are lighter, and the trees that stood bare through winter are suddenly covered in blossom. It always catches me by surprise. All through the cold months nothing seemed to be happening, yet underneath the ground the roots were quietly going deeper. The blossom we see now was being prepared in the season we could not see.

As I have been praying for our church these past weeks, I sense the Lord is doing something similar among us.

Roots before fruit

The first psalm describes the one who delights in God’s Word as “a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season” (Psalm 1:3). Notice what the tree does. It does not strain. It does not try harder to produce fruit. It simply stays planted by the water, and in its season the fruit comes.

Jesus says the same thing in another way: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5).

So much of our life, and even our church life, can be driven by striving. We want to see growth, so we work harder, plan more, push further. But the Lord has been gently reminding me that fruit is never the first thing. Roots are. Before God grows a church outwardly, He grows it downward, deeper into Himself.

That is why our vision is not first about programs or numbers. It is about who we are becoming: a God-loving, Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, Word-grounded, disciple-making people. These are not five goals to achieve. They are five ways of staying rooted in Christ.

Signs of new growth

We are already seeing some of that fruit. Our youth and young adults have both been away on camp, and when I watched the video of our young adults waving and laughing together, I felt a deep gratitude. God is raising up a generation among us who want to follow Jesus together. That is fruit, and it grew from roots others planted and watered over many years.

A season to be renewed

This Friday and Saturday, 16–17 October, Rev Dr Chris Swann will lead our Spiritual Renewal Weekend. I would love you to come, not to add one more thing to a busy calendar, but to come and be watered. Come thirsty. Come expecting the Lord to meet you.

Let me leave you with a simple question to take into this season: where is the Lord inviting you to go deeper, rather than to do more?

May you be like that tree, planted by streams of water, and may you see His fruit in its season.

With the love of Christ,

Kenny