How old are you? In what way?

Last Sunday, 24th September, we talked about the expectations on men and women to do particular things. It's not something we talk about very much, but people became quite vocal, and took very different positions. We considered the idea that the God we believe in is a God who wants to disrupt systems and structures which keep people 'in their place' - including those 'unwritten rules' which tell women to do this, men to do that. But it made me think of another thing we don't talk about very much, even though it's so relevant to the life of churches. We don't talk about age openly. Of course, there can sometimes be tensions when one age-group or another feels left out, but we don't actually talk about what it means to be an older adult, or what it means to be a younger person. This has increasingly struck me, because I have realised that I am still quite young (31 isn't middle-aged!!!!) - which affects how I see the world. And we can't escape this: because while older people can have 'a young outlook' or younger people can be 'old-fashioned', it still remains the case that our age does affect how we see things. And it is a challenge for churches to try to take seriously the very different perspectives about the world.

A Thought: What is Renewal? Does it ever end?!

In Mark's Gospel, chapter 2, verse 22, we find Jesus challenging us again! He says new wine cannot be put into old wineskins, because the skins will burst and wine will be spilt. Instead, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins. Now, I know we have bottles today, but I think we can still get the point! Sometimes, the form that things take can get in the way of the substance. Sometimes the way we 'package' our message actually risks losing the message. Ouch! But people might well say: "Yes, but because our message doesn't change, so we don't need to change" - and on the one hand this is true, because the message of our faith is supposed to be more consistent than 'the ways of the world'. But on the other hand, the message of our faith is supposed to be about change - so if we aren't really having much of an impact on the world, then we're overlooking what is central to our faith: It Should Make A Difference! Now, for some people, some of our 'old' wineskins do continue to help them to live faithful lives in the world; but for many other people, our old 'forms' have stopped working. So we need renewal - again and again - so that how we do things in our churches actually reflects the message of good news. This means exploring new ideas - e.g. "emerging churches" are trying radically different ideas to help Christians relate their faith to all different groups of people - and it involves making changes in our worship, in how we discuss faith with each other, and in how we are led. Renewal is very demanding, but it can also be very liberating, as we find ourselves 'released' to do churches in ways which begin to make sense to the world as it is today. So let's encourage each other to be renewed, step by step, little by little - because we want our faith to make a difference!

Harvest 2006

Come and share “Fruits of the whole Earth” at our Harvest Celebration Meal.
Saturday 30th September, 7.30pm

This celebration meal will include foods from different parts of the world – so come along and taste ‘the fruits of the whole earth’ …

You will also be most welcome at our Harvest Service on

Sunday 1st October, 11 am

Our Harvest celebrations this year will include a particular focus on Malawi, because the Congregational Federation has been building a special link through the Council for World Mission with “the Churches of Christ in Malawi”. This year there is a national appeal to help CCM, as Malawi has suffered real problems due to a severe drought – so our Communion Offerings in September and October will go to this national appeal.

Thank you to everyone who donated gifts of food that were distributed to a local hostel and a drop in for refugees and asylum seekers