This week we begin a new series looking at the themes that run through the book of Hebrews. Chris starts off by focussing on the first four verses of the book where the author is beginning to explain who Jesus is. Through these few short verses we see that Jesus is better than anything we could possibly imagine!
Andy leads the rest of the service as we respond to our previous series on prayer, whilst Pete and Nick lead our sung worship.
We continue our new series looking at what Jesus taught us about prayer by looking a bit further on in the Sermon on the Mount to where Jesus is speaking about persistence in prayer. Chris speaks about how our answers from God don’t always come immediately or all in one piece and we need to keep on praying in perseverence (but not too much!) until what God is saying to us is fully revealed.
Karen leads the rest of the service as we have an update from our new mission of the month, AIM, from Kath and Mike and Dave lead our sung worship.
For our Easter service for 2025 we’re trying something a little different, as we had no Good Friday service we are combining both the events of the last supper, crucifixion and resurrection all in one. In the service Chris speaks about the impact that the resurrection has through Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 15. We see how the resurrection means love, revelation and victory.
Andy leads the rest of the service as we hold communion with one another and think about that great sacrifice on the cross. Lynne and Dave lead our sung worship.
This week we conclude our series in Acts (for now) by looking at Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke’s experiences in Thessalonica and Berea. We see how the enemy ignites opposition to the gospel, so much so that even in the town of “more noble character”, Berea, Paul has to flee down the coast to Athens to escape persecution. Prior to this we read that many of the Jews in Berea were receptive to the gospel and confirmed Paul’s teaching by reading through the scriptures for themselves. This is something we can learn from: don’t take teaching at face value, go and confirm it for yourselves by reading the Bible.
Ant leads the rest of the service whilst Mike leads our sung worship.
Chris continues with our series in the book of Acts. This week we look at the circumstances surrounding Paul and Silas’ imprisonment in Phillipi and their miraculous route to freedom. We regularly discuss Holy Spirit but don’t always mention those spirits (small ‘s’) of evil. In Phillipi we see Paul and Silas dealing with such a spirit in posession of a slave girl. This is not like the films, they don’t make a fuss or use any form of incantations or chanting. How can we use their response as a model for our own?
James leads the rest of the service as we think about the women of the church on Mother’s Day. Pete and Nick lead our sung worship.
This week Chris carries on looking at our series in Acts. As Paul, Silas and Timothy continue their journey through modern-day Turkey we see that – after visiting the churches that were planted when Paul visited the first time – may of their options for onward travel are intentionally blocked by the Spirit, directing them towards the coastal city of Troas and across the sea into Macedonia. In this journey God directs them not by speaking directly to Paul or through any kind of prophecy but through gentle nudges and the closing of doors to them. How often has that been our experience?
Susan leads the rest of the service as we invite Tasha, director of the local YFC centre, to speak about their work with young people in schools and churches in the local area and how we can support them in prayer. Pete and Nick lead our sung worship this week.
This week we held our All Age Service for March and start a new series looking at the parables that Jesus told. We begin with probably the most famous of them all! Chris speaks on the context surrounding Jesus’ telling of the parable and reveals to us that it’s not really about what you might…
This week we held our covenant service for 2025, an opportunity to renew the covenant we have made to God and to each other and also commission our leaders for the coming year. We pray for the deacons, elders and leaders of our other church activities.
As a part of this Chris continues our study of Acts, this week looking at the splitting of the partnership of Paul and Barnabas after a sharp disagreement regarding the role of Mark in the visits Paul proposes to the churches he and Barnabas planted together in their earlier journeys. Paul then partners with Silas and Timothy for the first time. We once again see that disagreements are not unusual amongst believers and that there will always be debate surrounding the interpretation of God’s plans. The church is made up of imperfect people, which is good because it means we’re all in the same boat!
Lynne and Dave lead our sung worship this week.
Last week in our Acts series we saw the church in Jerusalem discussing whether the Gentile believers should have to conform to Jewish Law. This week Chris looks the letter they sent to Antioch in response. Alongside their response Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Judas were also sent to vouch for its authenticity. In the letter, and in the rest of the New Testament, we see that through Jesus’ fulfilment of the purpose of the Law the non-Jewish believers are not required to conform to the Laws of the Old Testament. Instead we are given the ability (through the words of the Bible and the Holy Spirit) to discern and cast off the things that, as individuals and as a community, separate us from God.
Ant leads the rest of the service, speaking a little about trusting in God whilst Pete and Nick lead our sung worship.
We return to our series in Acts, with Chris this week focussing on Paul and Barnabas’ return to Jerusalem and the discussion in the early church as to whether Gentile believers should have to conform to the Jewish Law of the Old Testament. It is clear that disagreements in church governance are nothing new! We see the Apostles listening to both sides of the argument and together the church ultimately discerning God’s way forwards, giving us a model that we still strive to follow today.
Karen leads the rest of the service as James brings an update on our mission of the month, Asia Link, and Pete and Nick lead our sung worship.