If you spend time worrying about what others think about you, or you want to build your life on convictions not what is cool then have a look at this video.
The video was created by Q.
Q was created as a place where church and cultural leaders could come together to collaborate and explore ideas about how the Gospel can be expressed within our cultural context. Q was birthed out of Gabe Lyons' vision to see Christians, especially leaders, recover a vision for their historic responsibility to renew and restore cultures. Inspired by Chuck Colson's statement, "Christians are called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals," Gabe set out to reintroduce Christians to what had seemed missing in recent decades from an American expression of Christian faithfullness; valuing both personal and cultural renewal, not one over the other. Re-educating Christians to this orthodoc and unifying concept has become central to the vision of Q.
Here is a story about how the Bible to changes lives, first published by the Bible Society and you can find more stories, resources and ways to engage with the Bible on their website.
In 2015 we moved from having a weekly Communion service to a monthly service. To some that may seem like a step backwards, yet when you come you see what a boost this change has brought. An otherwise dwindling service has now been revitalised and become a place of encouragement and refreshment. The service concludes with a time in Aston's Tearooms for people to share was is happening and reflect on the service over a drink or two. This time after the service can be just as significant as our time in church as we meet in the way the first church would done 2000 years ago.
As a church we have been prayerfully considering a trial of new services for almost a year. The discernment process has involved prayer, listening and sharing the things that people appreciate about what we already have. Now we are approaching the time when our hopes and prayers become a reality and it is exciting.
These new services are a direct result of our vision to 'share the love and joy of knowing Christ'. The services were a natural development of our desire to be more united as a church, to have opportunities to serve one another and share him with others. Here are 3 of the most significant factors behind the change.
Unity is at the very heart of our faith, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons united in love. So as a church and the children of God, we were brought into one body, one family. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) feel that we can best demonstrate our unity with services which allow us to all meet together at some point. Moving to a single service would have made it impossible to accommodate the different styles of service we enjoy. So moving to two new services allows us to recognise and celebrate our diversity in terms of style whilst drawing us together as one. So we will be having a breakfast gathering where we can eat, encourage and share life together. United as one, yet maintaining a diversity in our services.
As we meet together and get to know one another more, we will discover the ways in which we can serve and help one another. We will also learn more about the community in which we live and how we can serve and share the love of Christ with our friends, neighbours and family too.
Our new services will also allow us to share the things God is doing in our lives, the highs and the lows. It is as we share the impact that Jesus has in our lives with each other, that we will learn to speak about Jesus in everyday conversation and with greater confidence. This will give us the confidence of sharing what God is doing with others and inviting them to discover him for themselves. Having two distinct services, one formal and one informal will also make it easier for us to invite people to come along.
These new services will be a time of real joy, as we serve God and one another together. For some this will mean a real adjustment, yet we are making these changes for the sake of the wider church family and community. So from Harvest Sunday (Oct 2nd) till the end of February, we will be having two new services and a breakfast gathering.
The first of our new services will be a formal, reflective service with a traditional feel, including familiar hymns and liturgy. We will be introducing the screen to help those who cannot read smaller print, this will also make it easier for those who are unfamiliar with what is happening to join in.
This breakfast will be open to everyone and bring the members of both services and any guests together. This is the first time that the whole church will come together on a regular occasion and so it is really exciting! There will be plenty of new faces to get to know and people to speak to. I'm interested to see just how much food we are going to need!
Our second service begins with the breakfast gathering and moves into an informal service with a blend of contemporary and traditional live music. There will be provision for people of all ages and will be more interactive and involving than the 9am.
If you are reading this then you are invited to join us for the start of something special, beginning on the 2nd of October, Harvest Sunday. Join us at 9am or 10:10am for breakfast. Or come for breakfast and stay for our 10:45 service.
If you would like to see the results of our questionnaire that went out at church and through our magazine you can take a look here.
Netflix recently changed it's logo and left people asking why? As a church we have different opportunities to communicate what we are about, and we've been reflecting on why we exist and how to represent that with words and with a logo.
A logo can't sum up all of our vision , but we hope it reflects two elements that are crucial to all we do. The first of which has to be Jesus! We want to be focused on Jesus Christ, we want to know him and we want to share him with others! In too many homes today Jesus is either over shadowed by Santa or a swear word, even though he has transformed the world and displayed a love more powerful than anyone else who has ever lived. So at the heart of our logo is a cross, and the cross is a symbol of just how costly Jesus' love was. The cross could symbolise death and it does remind us that Jesus died on the cross for us. Yet it is an empty cross because Jesus rose to life, and in so doing offers us new life through him. So it's not surprising that Jesus has to be at the heart of everything we do and that we think he's worth sharing and shouting about!
If you go through Willaston at the very centre of our community you will see a Millstone, it is a reminder of the past and the history of Willaston as a place of farming and production. It is a focal point and that is our second desire. Knowing Jesus moves us to consider how we can love others, especially when it is costly. For us the Millstone is a reminder that we can't wait for people to come to us, but we need to be with them making a real difference in our community. A difference marked by our the love and joy we find in Christ. We want to serve you and share the love of Christ with you, who ever you are.
Why do it? Well it all goes back to Jesus, we love because he first loved us. Jesus showed a love so great that it brings life and flows out to others too. So the next time you look at our logo, I hope you see that Christ is at the centre of all we do and that's why we long to love and serve you and help you to know the joy that comes from Christ.
So let's pray that we would have the confidence to go out and share the love and joy of knowing Christ through every part of our lives!
Easter Sunday is an opportunity to hear the greatest news ever, a reminder of the day that changed the world. The day Jesus rose from the dead, delivering proof that there is life beyond this one and that Jesus is the way to find it. There will never be a day like it, no person or breakthrough will ever over-shadow it. Easter reminds us that this life after death is not only possible but open to everyone who believes in Jesus.
Easter Sunday then should be a glorious celebration, a real event, but maybe it feels like an anti-climax.
So how can you make Easter the glorious, joyful and memorable day it should be? Well here are three easy and practical ways to make it count.
1. Make every effort to be at church for Easter Sunday and invite others to come.
Some of you have holidays booked but you could leave after the service. If you are going to be away why not find a church where you're staying and spend Easter Sunday with them. Maybe you are already coming and could help someone else get to church. If we have the best news in the world we should make sure we share it, so make sure to invite your neighbours, friends and family. I think there are lots of people just waiting to be invited. You can do this any week, but some people are even more likely to come to church on Easter Sunday.
2. Help children you know to understand what Easter is really about.
Bunnies and Eggs are fun but hardly life changing, so why not share the Easter story with your children or grandchildren, read it from the Bible, get them to draw or paint some of the story. Make an Easter garden to help you picture what happened or download the Bible App for Kids on your Tablet or Phone (available for Apple and Android) and explore the story A Happy Sunday together.
Use the longer days to get up a bit earlier or take time to read about the cross and resurrection before the day itself. Why not read Matthew 26-28 or Luke 22-24, there is nothing like hearing first hand what Jesus did for us. To celebrate you might like to read Ephesians 1 and give thanks to Jesus for what he has done for us. Better still you could memorise a verse that reminds you of what Jesus has done. How about John 3:16, John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Revelation 21:3 or 1 Peter 2:24.
When we recognise our need for Jesus, nothing can take away our joy. As we are reminded of Jesus' willingness to die for us, we can see it truly is the best news in the world. So let's do all we can to make the most of it.