Minister’s Letter A few days ago, a number of us from across the Synod were at the House of Retreat in Pleshey for our Ministers’ Autumn Gathering. Pleshey is a lovely place, but there was something particularly beautiful about it as summer begins to give way to autumn. As I wandered through the grounds, I noticed a tree absolutely laden with apples. Not one or two rather apologetic specimens hiding among the leaves, but branches heavy with fruit. It was one of those ordinary sights which, for some reason, makes you stop and look. And it got me thinking about fruitfulness. Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit… Thus you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:18, 20). Jesus is speaking about recognising what is genuine. It is not simply what people say that matters. Eventually, what is going on within us begins to show itself in the fruit our lives produce. That can sound rather daunting. We might immediately start wondering whether we are producing enough fruit. Are we doing enough? Achieving enough? Is our church busy enough, growing enough, successful enough? But an apple tree does not stand in the orchard worrying furiously about how many apples it ought to produce. It simply draws what it needs from the soil, receives the rain and sunshine, grows — and, in season, bears fruit. Paul describes the fruit which grows in lives rooted in God: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Notice that Paul calls it the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of trying terribly hard. These things grow as we allow God’s Spirit to work within us. Often quietly. Often slowly. Sometimes so slowly that we hardly notice. Our fruitfulness cannot simply be measured by numbers, activities, meetings or money. Important though some of those things may be, the deeper question is: what sort of fruit is growing among us? What sort of fruit do we bear? Are people encountering love? Is there kindness in the way we treat one another? Are we learning patience? Are we becoming more generous, gentle and faithful? Is our life together helping to bring something of God’s peace into the lives of others? The apple tree at Pleshey reminded me that fruitfulness is not about frantic activity. It begins with being rooted in the right place. Rooted in Christ, nourished by God’s love and open to the Spirit, we may discover that God is already growing more good fruit among us and in us than we realise. Rev Adam Earle