A nation trying to work out how to celebrate an important festival with law enforcement officers on the street, a leader coming face to face with death, terrified friends under lockdown as death stalks the streets. As we have seen over the last few days, words that at first sight could describe our experience under… Continue reading Easter Means Hope
Posts
Church in the new normal
I wanted to share a few reflections on our experience so far during the Coronavirus lockdown. It has been tough and challenging but in other ways, refreshing and encouraging. These are not structured thoughts – just some jotted reflections and interaction with concerns of others. Body ministry kicks in … if it is already in… Continue reading Church in the new normal
A strange Easter?
Easter Sunday is going to be weird this year. We are used to celebrating in style. For Bearwood Chapel, Easter means a week long festival including gatherings, a breakfast and communion on Good Friday, children’s clubs and usually some special events such as Arts Days and café nights. Then on Easter Sunday we all gather… Continue reading A strange Easter?
The absence of mourning?
A few years ago, one of our young mums had sad news, her sister back in her home country had died. Due to her immigration circumstances, she could not return for the funeral. So, we offered the opportunity for a memorial service here. It hopefully eased the pain but clearly was not the same as… Continue reading The absence of mourning?
When friends turn – the enemy within
Friendly Fire: a phrase that puts together two words that should not go together. The phrase came into common parlance during the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait. Sadly a lot of soldiers were killed by their own side, the result of the challenges of bringing different armed forces together with different cultures and communication… Continue reading When friends turn – the enemy within
Food from around the World Wide Web
Friday 10th April 2020 Qualified well wishes aren’t well wishes and in this case aren’t human … what do you do if someone you disagree with politically falls ill? You just wish them well. Stephen Kneale argues that if you need to explain your political disagreement whilst wishing them well then you are falling into… Continue reading Food from around the World Wide Web
Abuse and The Church: Changing the Culture
Always Reforming I’ve shared a few articles recently reflecting on the less pleasant side of church life. It should sadden us that the church (locally, nationally and internationally) often seems to fall short of what it should be as a haven of hope and safety. However, at the same time it should not surprise us. … Continue reading Abuse and The Church: Changing the Culture
Avoiding False Assurance
This is the next bit of our mini-series “A last Conversation with Jesus. Read John 13:18-30. Judas is present at the Last Supper but Jesus says that his words do not apply to him. Judas may be tempted to find assurance in his active participation in the Lord’s Supper or his role as treasurer but… Continue reading Avoiding False Assurance
Learning the wrong lessons from a crisis
Don’t you long for the days of good old political knock about and debate? December, the General Election and Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation as Labour leader seems so far away now. For us political anoraks, this week should have been a big occasion. We would be looking forward to the special conference revealing a new leader… Continue reading Learning the wrong lessons from a crisis
Apologetics during a Pandemic
Yesterday at Afternoon Tea, we talked about how we share our faith at a time like this and particularly about apologetics. Apologetics is about being able to articulate reasons for what you believe. It is about being able to answer difficult questions, defend your position and also challenge the beliefs and presuppositions of others. As… Continue reading Apologetics during a Pandemic
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