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Everyone welcome
More people go to church at Christmas than at any other time of the year. Much-loved carols, familiar Bible passages, a children’s nativity scene, followed by a mince pie, shaking hands with the minister – or bumping elbows this year – these are part of a traditional Christmas. And everyone loves…
Christine Winmill
Two-tier asylum system could soon become law
On Tuesday, 7 and Wednesday, 8 December, MPs gave final speeches and contributions to the bill. Listening to the debates, what was clear was a cross-party effort to raise different concerns and propose amendments that would significantly improve the bill and its treatment to those most in need and…
Alicia Edmund
It’s Christmas, but not as we know it
The queues became long as supplies ran out and fear took hold. Suddenly an angel appeared and said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people – today in a lab, a solution to Covid has been found.” And when they heard the news, the people rejoiced and…
Peter Lynas
Expect the unexpected this Christmas
Despite my gloominess, I’ve been challenged this week to remember that Christmas is about the unexpected. The Christmas adverts might make us think that Christmas always goes to plan, but most of us have a story of when our best Christmas plans were interrupted. I remember one Christmas when I was…
Richard Powney
Light in the darkness this Christmas
At the best of times Christmas is difficult for people who have been bereaved. It brings together family and friends in happy occasions, where the absence of those who used to join us is sorely felt. It’s said that grief is the price we pay for love and it’s also true that the happier the memories,…
Rev Canon Yvonne Richmond Tulloch
How to respond well to scandal and crisis
But it is also a very natural one: we can’t imagine our church ever being the subject of an investigative podcast or an independent safeguarding review. The problem is that the same would have been true for many members of Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill, Steve Timmis’ Crowded House or Jonathan…
Ed Shaw
Be Reconciled
Be Reconciled is a Gospel initiative to resource and empower the local Church in Northern Ireland in peacemaking. It is a contextual response to our troubled communities centred on the reconciling message of the Gospel. At the heart of the Gospel is a gift of reconciliation with God through Jesus…
Thank you to Dr Tani Omideyi, our outgoing board chair
Can you tell us a bit about yourself - how did you find God? I was born into a Christian family with both parents strong believers, and my dad was an accomplished and highly skilled church organist, so I went to church from when I was born. I made a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ as…
Evangelical Alliance
2022: West Africa set to become hotspot for Christian persecution
Sahel Islamist extremists are gaining ground, not only in Nigeria, but also in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa. In Burkina Faso, jihadists targeted Christians in the north of the country in 2021, forcing churches to close and meet in secret. Attacks ranged from bombings, killings,…
Andrew Boyd
What kind of follower?
The major point that came across was that it’s not easy to follow Jesus. The challenges are large and many. The benefits of His presence are huge. His grace and love and power are indescribably wonderful. But trying to stay close to Him and live in the radical manner He described is not easy. If…
The great repair job
There was something else noticeable, too. About a quarter of those present were newcomers. We are used to welcoming around one or two new people into our church per month, so it was as if we were catching up on the backlog caused by coronavirus. Most of these newcomers have stayed with us,…
David Taylor
The cross is raised
I knew back then, as I listened to the gospel message for the umpteenth time, that in these moments there was a supernatural clearing and connection of God’s Spirit to mine. I knew then that when I departed this human body I would without a doubt be held to answer for life’s most important…
Ruthie Thomas
The not-so-gay cake
The case dates back to 2014 when Mr Lee, a gay rights activist, asked Ashers bakery to make a cake with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’ on it. The McArthur family, who own Ashers bakery, run a successful Christian family business. The name was derived from Genesis 49:20: “Bread from Asher shall…
Peter Lynas
Garden parties and rules that apply to other people
On 20 May that year I was a little distracted as I was driving my wife to hospital for the second time that day. Earlier I had to wait in a corridor while she was assessed and we were then sent home. The following morning my daughter was born and when she was two hours old, I said goodbye to her…
Danny Webster
Serve the story
Perhaps you think this is awfully postmodern of me, swapping story for truth. It possibly is. But before you sigh and stop reading, don’t. I’m a young person and young people are postmodern (although often unwittingly and certainly not exclusively). I suppose we could apologise for the…
Archie Catchpole
