From the Pastor’s Desk

Just what is wrong with people?

The news outlets are full of bad news. Knife attacks in Bristol, football fans fighting in a ‘Black Country’ derby between West Brom and Wolves, drone attacks on a U.S army base in Jordan and endless deaths and destruction in Gaza and Ukraine.

If you had read all this in a book you might be tempted to think that this is just fiction, not real life.

So, what is wrong with our world?

This is nothing new to our world, the only difference is that we can get the news of these events almost instantaneous and from every part of the world.

It has always been like this right from the beginning of the existence of men and women. It is called sin!

Now this is a word that people do not like and often people try to explain it away, “it’s a mental illness”, “it is because of pollution,” “it is a lack of moral leadership”,” we need better role models to show us how to live”. None of this is the answer.

People are just prone to doing bad things at some time in their lives. The Bible, God’s book, tells us that we all sin. [Romans chapter 3 verse 23]. However, the Bible also has the answer to our sin problem and He is Jesus. The Bible tells us “The wages of sin is death” [and death happens to all of us because we are sinners], “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” [Romans chapter 6 verse 23].

If you want to know more, why not come along to one of our meetings.

Sunday 11 February

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – Jesus our only Treasure

For our morning service we turn to Mark 13:1-2 and think about the superiority of eternal treasure in heaven to any found on earth.

6pm – Longing for the lost and building up the church

We turn to Acts 20:1-6 and consider how Paul went about strengthening believers in the early church.

Sunday 4 February

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – Christ our Passover

We turn to Exodus 11:1 – 12:14 and hear about the first Passover. Our morning service will be led by Adrian Brake.

6pm – When all Seems Lost

As we read Psalm 22, we will consider the reactions of it’s author, King David, to the circumstances he found himself in. Our evening service will be led by Adrian Brake.

From the Pastor’s Desk

One of the big worries people had last year was about A.I [Artificial Intelligence]. Should we worry about it in 2024?

Artificial Intelligence has been around for a while, as a teenager I had a computer chess game, which at its highest setting was almost impossible to beat.

Rather than A.I the one thing to worry about this year and every year for that matter is G.I [God Intelligence].

The Bible tells us that God knows all about us, what we think, feel and do.

From the Bible and Psalm 139 we read:

 “O Lord You have searched me and know me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up:

You understand my thoughts from afar off.

The Bible tells us that one day we will have to give an account of all that we did in our lives. For some of us that might be a frightening thought, but if you believe in Jesus then all the bad things in your life were paid for when Jesus died on the Cross.

We pray as a church that 2024 will be a good year when you know Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.

Sunday 28 January

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – The Danger of Pride

This morning we turn to Mark 12:38-44, where Jesus comments on those giving money into the temple treasury. We see the danger of pride and what whole-hearted giving looks like.

6pm – Proclaim not Protest

For our evening service we turn to Acts 19:21-41 , where there is a riot in the city of Ephesus.

Sunday 21 January

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – Whose Son is Jesus?

We turn to Mark 12:35-44, where we see the humanity and Deity of Jesus displayed in the question Jesus poses.

6pm – A Special Time

This evening we look at the miracles and revival in the church in Ephesus in Acts 19: 11-20.

Sunday 14 January

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – The Great Answer

This morning we continue to look at Mark 12:28-37 and consider Jesus’ answer to the scribe who asked, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

6pm – The Right Question

We turn to Acts 19:1-7 where Paul visits the church at Ephesus and deals with the question of receiving the Holy Spirit.

Sunday 7 January

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – Which is the first commandment of all?

We return to Mark 12:28-37 where Jesus is questioned by a scribe about the greatest commandment.

6pm – Loose Ends

We read from Acts 18:18-28, where Paul returns to Antioch from Corinth and we learn of the preaching of Apollos.

Sunday 31 December

All are welcome to join us in the church building for our Sunday worship services at 11am and 6pm.

For those joining us online, please note that our morning stream will start when the sermon begins, at approximately 11:30am. Similarly our evening stream will start approximately 6:15pm.

11am – Declare for Jesus

We return to our series in Mark’s Gospel. This week we will be reading about the first commandment: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” and Jesus’ teaching on it in Mark 12:28-31.

6pm – Speak and do not be silent

This week we will resume our study of the book of Acts, turning to Acts 18:1-18 where the Apostle Paul visits the city of Corinth.

24 & 25 December Services

Everyone is warmly invited to join us for our Sunday services on 24 December (11am, 6pm) and our Christmas Day service (10:30am), as we celebration our Saviour’s birth.

24 Dec 11am – Two sides of Christmas

This Sunday morning we are going to think about what Christmas means in the materialistic and Biblical worldviews. Our reading this morning will be Luke 2:8-16.

24 Dec 6pm – What does Christmas mean to me?

What does Christmas mean to you? Come and hear about God’s plan, thousands of year in the making, to save His people. Our reading this evening is from Matthew 1:18-25

25 Dec 10:30am – Immanuel

Come and join with us to celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ – God with us! Our readings are from John 1:1-14 and Galatians 4:4-5.