On Sunday we said a very fond farewell to Rev. Chris Bell, our Minister of almost 18 years, and marked the beginning of his retirement. In a service which featured kind words, one or two embarrassing stories (far fewer than he expected), prayers, songs, a commissioning and approximately 40 high-fives, we celebrated his ministry with us. Chris…
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As we begin the interregnum, a time without a lead pastor, we’re going to let Scripture be our pastor as we explore some of the New Testament letters. These letters were written to young churches who knew something about discipleship & mission but who needed ongoing pastoral advice. Our new series which begins this Sunday is…
Last Sunday Rev. Chris Bell concluded our series on mission & preached his final sermon with us before his retirement, and it was another challenging one. Entitled ‘Engaged on the Margins’, it included references to his conversion through the book “The Cross & The Switchblade“, a verse which has run as a theme through his years…
During the first two weeks of May one of our members, Simon Bradley, is undertaking a major physical challenge which he has christened the “Waistline Walk“. Ten years ago this summer, Simon’s mum Sally-Anne died after a short battle with ovarian cancer. She and the family received fantastic, compassionate care from the staff at Willen…
Yesterday our Senior Minister, Chris Bell, preached his penultimate sermon before his retirement service this Sunday. It continues our Mission series which concludes this Sunday and had the title ‘Impossible Mission’. If you weren’t able to be with us you missed a cracking message. Below are a few of the key quotes – download the one…
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a single Star Wars film from beginning to end. That’s a record I’m happy to maintain. But some parts of the films are so well known that references to them have entered popular culture. At the end of ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘ at the conclusion of a battle between…
This week we continued our Identity series, and followed on from the last session on the theme of ‘Beloved’. We spent our time exploring just three verses [Mark 1:9-11] which contain the story of Jesus’ baptism: We explored three main points without using alliteration [gasp!] the heavens being torn open the flow of love within the Trinity…
Hopeless Saturday… Today is the end of Lent. What a day to end on. All hope is lost. But just because it’s the final day, and because everything is so hopeless, don’t rush through it. Because today prepares us for tomorrow. For a minute, put yourself in the disciples’ position. We look at the story with…
Banging The Gavel A couple of years ago on Maundy Thursday we gathered at the Church to watch The Passion of the Christ. It features an utterly brutal and devastating depiction of Jesus being beaten, whipped & crucified. It is literally gut-wrenching to watch. Some of us instead watched the BBC’s The Passion – a serialisation of the…