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Give it time

figs

Then he told this parable: 'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?" He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down."'
Luke 13 v6-8

A newspaper story in January 2025 reported that figs are now growing better in the UK, thanks to changing conditions due to climate change. But like all crops, they require patience and careful nurturing, and sometimes even then you don't see much fruit.

If that sounds a lot like your church's experience of trying to reach out to your community, you're not alone! Are you like the man who wants to cut the tree down in frustration at the waste of resources? Or are you like the gardener who wants to keep trying just a bit longer, to see if more tender loving care, will produce the longed-for fruit? Maybe it will, and patience is a good thing. But does there come a point when we need to agree that something isn't working, and try something different?

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