Birthday Treat

I asked God for a birthday treat yesterday as I was away from home and out of reach of my pile of presents waiting there (though to my joy, my cooked breakfast arrived with a birthday candle stuck into the sausage!)
And during the day someone who had better remain nameless presented me with this treat of a story: before they started their Messy Church, the Area Dean had told their church that they were no longer viable and would have to lose their minister, which would mean closure. They started Messy Church nonetheless. It is now the biggest congregation and families are happily moving from Messy Church into other services, asking for baptism and joining the PCC.
Recently the church has been told by the Area Dean that their church is now the most missional in outlook in the deanery and they can have another half-time paid minister to build on the growth they’re experiencing! God brings resurrection out of death once again.