News Letter – May 2008
Dear Friends,
The weekend of May 10th – 11th will mark our Church’s 246th Anniversary. We can trace our history back to 1762, when a Baptist Church was first founded in the Margate area – later moving to New Street in 1815. That gives us almost a quarter of a millennium of faith and witness in our town – a town which is presently as needy as it can ever have been.
We are marking this milestone with a special weekend of celebration, which will challenge us to look to the future more than to the past. We are going to be asking the searching question “Does the Church have a future?” – and we have some very special guests coming to help us to seek out some answers.
Viz a Viz Ministries was founded in 1993, and works with churches like ours in communicating the Gospel. A team from Viz a Viz will be coming to share our Anniversary weekend with us, led by evangelist Mike Simmonds. Also coming will be “Envizage Theatre Company” – a group of actors who use sketches and one act plays to entertain and inform their audiences about the Christian faith.
On Saturday 10th May, there will be an introduction to the weekend from 10.30am in the Church – starting with coffee. Everyone is welcome to this – there will be activities for children.
On Saturday afternoon, there will be a Drama Workshop for young people – the plan is to put together a visual presentation for use on Sunday.
From 7pm on the Saturday evening, there will be an Anniversary Supper – a three course meal, interspersed with drama and fun from Envizage. Tickets are available for £3 (£1.50 for children). This is a chance to bring family and friends to have a great evening.
On Sunday 11th May , Morning Worship at 11.00am will be led by our visitors; and at 6.30pm there will be a Café Church style service, for all the family.
Does the Church have a future? As Christians, who trust in the plans and purposes of God, we must answer “Yes” – but it will surely look very different from its past and its present. What challenges must we face in shaping the Church’s future? What changes are moulding our contemporary culture? How do others see us? How do we see ourselves? And above all, how does God see us? Come and share with us, as we think about some of these important questions.
Best wishes, Stephen.
News Letter – April 2008
Dear Friends,
“Mea Culpa” – I have sinned!
Last month, I promised faithfully to have my letter for the Messenger ready before I went away for a week’s holiday. I spent most of one morning writing my letter, together with the “dates for the diary” bits and pieces to accompany it. I then breathed a sigh of relief – I had kept my word, and I could go away with a clear conscience. When I got back from my holiday, I was surprised to see – in place of my letter – a cartoon of a vicar enjoying his bike ride “The Minister is on holiday!”.
I searched my memory banks (such as they are) and realised that although I had completed my letter in good time, I had failed to send it to the editor. Not much use writing a letter, if you don’t actually send it!
So – mea culpa…. I have sinned. My apologies for the (not so unusual) error on my part. I will try to do better in future.
When I was at school, my reports often said things like “Must try harder”, or “Could do better”. This seems to have been the theme of much of my life. I make so many mistakes, and my good intentions are so often let down by my poor execution, that I wonder sometimes why God bothers with me. In 26 years as a minister, I have often felt that my poor efforts have been unworthy of the high calling of God – constantly aware that I could have done more, that I could have tried harder, that I could have handled things better. I suspect that I am not alone – many of us feel like failures when it comes to Christian discipleship, weighed down by a sense that we have never done enough to justify God’s love for us. We are never able to enjoy the good things that we have done, because we are always thinking about the things we haven’t done.
This is where we need to come back to the word that is central to our faith in Christ, and that word is “GRACE”. We know that we are saved by grace – nothing we can do can justify ourselves to God; only the saving sacrifice of Jesus can do that. But we are not only saved by grace – we also need to live by grace. If we go through life under a constant cloud of failure, carrying a giant rucksack of guilt on our backs – how can we be full of joy (as Jesus wants us to be)? How can we be liberated and free to serve God, and to enjoy his peace and fullness? Of course, we cant. The only answer is that we must start to live by grace – knowing that of course we can never do enough to justify ourselves; but that it doesn’t matter, because Jesus has already justified us! No more guilt, no more feeling inadequate, no more sense of failure. Its time to reclaim our joy! Yes, God actually wants us to ENJOY being a Christian.
If we really enjoyed our faith, wouldn’t others what to share it?
Best wishes, Stephen.
News Letter – March 2008
Dear Friends,
In recent years, a fascinating school of thought has evolved around what is known as “chaos theory”. I do not claim to understand what this really is (although I have seen my fair share of chaos!) – but I believe the idea is that something as tiny as a butterfly flapping its wings in Australia could have far-reaching consequences thousands of miles away in Europe. A pebble falling into an oasis in the Sahara desert could ultimately have an effect on the condition of the Arctic ice-sheet. I do know that one car braking suddenly on the M25 can lead to a traffic jam five miles back! Everything is connected to everything else, according to this theory – hence “chaos”, since there are no neat, simple causes and effects to anything.
How true all this is remains to be seen, but it is certainly true that our actions and our words can have consequences far greater than we may imagine. An angry word, an error of judgement, a hasty decision, a moment of carelessness can set in motion a disastrous chain of cause and effect. Before we act, we need to think about where our action may lead. Before we speak, we need to weigh our words carefully, and consider how others may hear them. The Bible warns us about the dangers of an unguarded tongue (James 3). Above all, we need to think through our response to God – to listen to what he says to us – to be careful about how we obey …or disobey his commandments; and we need to consider the consequences of how we live in relation to God.
Lent gives us a wonderful opportunity to pause, and reflect on what we do, and why. This year, Lent seems to have come particularly early – no sooner has Christmas been packed away, in fact, but we are already planning for Holy Week and Easter (which falls on March 23rd this year).
I hope, however, that we will not rush on to get to Easter, but will use this season of Lent wisely, to consider the consequences of our lives. What effect do we really have on the world, or on those around us? Do we really make a difference for God? What impact do we have on our families, our neighbours, our colleagues at work, our friends?
And when we think of our ministry as a Church fellowship, what are the chief priorities that God wants us to focus on? Clearly, we cant do everything – but what few things should we be trying to do well?
Make good use of Lent as a time for taking stock and looking ahead. Then walk on – to the pain of Good Friday, and the joy of Resurrection Day. Soon enough we shall be proclaiming, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
With best wishes, Stephen.
News Letter February 2008
Dear Friends,
“Oh well, we’re only human!”
I expect we have all heard words like this many times – and we have probably used them ourselves all too often. The fact that we are “only human” is taken to explain, and even to justify all kinds of errors of judgement and lapses in behaviour. Few of us would argue with the assertion that human nature, for all its potential for good, is fundamentally flawed. Theologians call it the “fallenness” of humanity, but most of us just recognize it as the weaknesses we are share. But are we right to talk about being “only” human? In places, the Bible seems to agree that humans are weak, foolish, frail and all-too-fallible. We have within us an innate bias towards to selfishness and sin, which contrasts starkly with the perfection and holiness of God.
However, there are also places in which the Bible emphasises the glory of being human. Genesis 1 speaks of God creating man in his own image. Psalm 8 says that human beings were created to be just a little lower than God himself; and in Luke 12 v7, Jesus speaks so beautifully about the value God places on each one of us. In other words, for all our frailties, God does not regard us as “only human” – but as wonderfully human – lovingly fashioned by his hands, and infinitely important. Indeed, since God chose to send his only eternal Son to become human (God with us) – we probably should not be too dismissive of our own species. Yes, we have our faults, and we have a tendency to self-destruct – but we also have great worth in God’s eyes, and great potential to do what is right, and to reflect his beauty.
On Sunday Mornings, over the coming weeks, we are looking at the subject of “Grace”. It is so important that we grasp just how wonderful God’s grace is. As I said recently, many of us know that we are saved by grace – and yet we still continue to live as if we can only be saved by works. We need to live by grace, and to be shaken and stirred by the realization of how much God loves us. As time and other events allow, we shall explore what “amazing grace” really means.
On Sunday evenings, we shall be resuming our TIDE course on February 10th. This will not be on consecutive weeks, because of other things – but all being well, we should cover the final six sessions of the course by May. Please come and share with us as much as you can. I know that we cant all be at every service (after all, we are only human!) – but we will all benefit and grow by regular and committed attendance.
Finally, do make a point of coming to the Lent Studies, beginning at our Church on 12th February. We will be looking at “Coming to Faith”, and it should be an interesting series. See you there!
Best Wishes , Stephen
News Letter January 2008
Dear Friends,
A new year brings many new beginnings. For some, it will be a new beginning at work or at school. For others, there will be new relationships, or changing family circumstances. Most of us, at some point, will face new opportunities to serve God, or to branch out in some new direction of Christian service or witness. All of these new things should be welcomed and grasped with both hands. Christianity is a faith which is temperamentally shaped for newness.
You wouldn’t think it, when the Church is so often conservative and scared of new ideas – but in fact renewal is in our spiritual genes. God says “Behold I make all things new!” – and ever since the beginning of Jesus’ life and ministry, he has been doing new and surprising things at every opportunity.
As 2008 begins, there will be at least one new venture to welcome. The BWF (Baptist Womens’ Fellowship) which has served the women of our Church so well for so long, is coming to an end, and something new is taking its place.
Welcome to the Afternoon Fellowship – our new Thursday afternoon group for men and women, which we hope will be a positive new beginning.
When June Waller announced that she was standing down as BWF leader at the end of the year, we began a process of consultation to see what the meeting felt its purpose was, and to ask how it might change and develop. The answer is that it is a group which meets to build friendships and to nurture fellowship in a Christian context. This is done through informal meetings – sometimes with speakers, and at other times in shared activities.
The Afternoon Fellowship will be inviting men to come and join the ladies each Thursday afternoon, starting on 10th January. Meetings will begin with a cup of tea at 2pm, and the main meeting will start at 2.30pm, ending at 3.30pm. The new co-ordinator will be Heather Whitehead – our very good friend from St Peters Baptist Church. She would like to see the fellowship develop as a meeting place for Christian and non-Christian friends – a place to invite newcomers, and to get to know one another better. Meetings will move away from the “service” format, and will be varied in style and content.
We hope it will appeal to people of all ages – if you are free on a Thursday afternoon, please come along and give it a try!
As the new year gets going, there will certainly be other new things for us to get involved in. I have known many Christians who are suspicious and fearful of anything new. Their slogan is from the hymn “In heavenly love abiding” – “No change my heart shall fear, for nothing changes here!”
But our God is always doing new things. Change is part of life – and who created life? Let us not fear change, but embrace it, and offer it to the only One who does not change – our eternal and unimprovable God!
With best wishes, Stephen
News Letter – December 2007
Dear Friends,
Margate has recently been in the news rather a lot. I went to my newspaper shop in November, and saw our town mentioned on every single front page. I switched on the evening news, and there was Margate again; and the other channels were just the same. Outside our windows we have heard the clatter of news helicopters, and it is hard to escape the thought that Margate has been pushed to the front of the nation’s consciousness.
Of course, it is all because of a terrible series of events, leading to the discovery of bodies in a Margate garden – not something we would wish our town to be remembered for! The newspapers will soon find other things to interest them, and the story will move on to other locations – that’s the way things work; but just for a couple of weeks we have been the focus of attention for the whole country. They will soon forget us again.
As Christmas approaches, I cant help feeling something very similar is about to happen again. For a couple of weeks, people will focus their thoughts on the fact that it is the Christmas season – and this will mainly involve shopping, eating, drinking, dressing up and having fun. For some, there may even be a little time for thinking about the meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus, who we honour and serve as our Lord and Saviour. This may include going to a nativity play, singing a few carols, and maybe going to Church for the candle-lit service. But the sad fact is that Christmas will soon be over, and our thoughts and preoccupations will move on to something else. Jesus will be forgotten, as the majority of people put away their decorations and start planning their summer holidays.
I suppose this is inevitable – the song may say “I wish it could be Christmas every day”; but I don’t think many of us would share that sentiment! We need to move on and think about other things – but what a tragedy if Jesus gets put away with the Christmas tree! I once saw a poster which said “Jesus is for life – not just for Christmas!” – a neat reminder that we need him as our Saviour, companion and Lord throughout the whole of our lives.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas (when it actually arrives!); as well as a joyful and blessed new year. I hope that amid all the festive nonsense, we may make space to simply be with Jesus, and enjoy his company – after all, it is all about him, not us! But when its all over, and the new year settles in, make it your determination to keep him in your heart and mind, and to give him the first place in all you do and in all you are.
With best wishes,
Stephen
News Letter – November 2007
Dear Friends,
I am more and more convinced that the key element in Church life is discipleship. The word “Christian” is hardly ever used in the New Testament, but the word “disciple” is used hundreds of times. A disciple is someone who is on the long road of following Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So often, the world looks for “quick fixes” and “instant solutions” to problems – a way to cut corners, and make life easier for ourselves – but in the Christian life there are no short cuts: to be a disciple is to take the long road, and to commit to a life-time of listening, learning and growing –even, sometimes, painfully. Growth is not always easy, but it is essential for a healthy life.
I hope that you are taking the opportunity to come to our TIDE course, on Sunday evenings. TIDE is produced by a group called Firelighters, based in Bath. Grace Turner and her husband have built up a wealth of experience in teaching discipleship in churches of every kind, and their material is proving to be both challenging and very helpful. The first session, on 14th October, looked at the cost of discipleship – following Jesus involves denying ourselves and taking up our cross; and we were encouraged to think through what this might mean in our lives. The second session, on 21st October, looked at “getting clean” – the important subject of repentance and forgiveness. A disciple is someone who knows that he or she stands in need of God’s forgiveness, and knows the importance of getting right with God and others.
The third session will look at prayer, and then (after a break) we will start again on November 18th by looking at the importance of the Scriptures, and at Inner Freedom.
Whenever I have run courses like this in the past, I have found that people tend to start coming with much enthusiasm, but that as the course progresses, the numbers fall, and the interest wanes. This would be a great pity. Some time ago, I had to consult the doctor, who gave me a prescription for tablets. The bottle said, in large letters; “FINISH THE COURSE!” How could I expect to get the full benefit of the treatment, if I didn’t finish what I had started? So my word to you this month is “FINISH THE COURSE!” Even if the nights are getting darker, and the journey to Church on Sunday evenings is getting less and less appealing, please do make the effort to be here, and to get the maximum benefit from the TIDE course. I hope to run the second half of the TIDE course, which focuses more on evangelism, at some point next year – perhaps waiting until the evenings are lengthening once again.
Meanwhile, for those who have been asking when the next “Café Church” service will be, it looks as if Sunday 13th January will be the date to book in your diary. Remember, this will be an ideal event to invite along a friend who may not be used to a “conventional” Sunday service – it is planned to be what is known as “Seeker-Friendly” – informal, relaxed, but accessible to all.
November is not an easy month – often dark and damp – but it holds the promise of better times ahead. May the light of the Lord shine in your life!
Every blessing - Stephen.
News Letter – October 2007
Dear Friends,
Many years ago, a rich man went to a famous painter, and asked him to paint him a picture of his favourite horse, offering him a large payment in return. The painter agreed. Some weeks later, the rich man returned to ask how the painting was progressing, and the painter said “Its not ready yet”. Months passed, and the rich man kept returning to ask how the painting was developing, but always the painter said “Its not ready yet”. Finally, the rich man became angry, and demanded to see his painting. The painter took him into his studio, lifted his brushes, and painted a magnificent picture of a horse onto a blank canvas in about 15 minutes. The rich man was amazed at the quality of the painting, but was still angry with the painter. “Why did you take so long to begin, if you could paint such a picture in only 15 minutes?” The painter took him into another room, which was filled with thousands of sketches of horses – some of the whole animal, some of just parts. The reason he could paint a masterpiece in 15 minutes was because of the year of hard work he had spent in preparation.
There are no short cuts in the Christian life, or in Church work. It is not the short bursts of activity which achieve results for God’s Kingdom – it is the steady discipline of hard work, faithful service, and committed prayer. Preparation is all-important. Do you prepare yourself for worship on Sundays? Do you spend time preparing your heart and mind to meet with the living God, and to receive his word? Do you prepare for the opportunities that God will send you to speak to others about your faith, or to offer friendship, encouragement and support to other Christians, or to your neighbours? I hope we don’t think that when the moment comes, we will know what to say or what to do, unless we have carefully prepared beforehand.
This autumn, we will all have an opportunity to prepare ourselves more thoroughly for Christian service, by attending the TIDE course on Sunday evenings. TIDE stands for Training in discipleship and evangelism; and these two aspects of the course are very important. Discipleship, at its heart, means learning and growing to be more like Jesus. Evangelism means learning to share Jesus with others. I hope that you will make every effort to come along and get the full benefit from the teaching material we will be using. The course begins on October 7th with an introduction, and the first session will be on October 14th.
I have a friend who is a very gifted musician. He tells me that he needs to play every day, for at least half an hour, in order to keep his skills sharp – if he does not, his timing and accuracy are far from being at their best, and his music suffers. This is true for you and me as Christian disciples – we need the discipline of daily dedication. Discipleship, someone has said, is discipline mixed with love. God’s love, not ours. Its what I need – and I’m sure its what you need too.
Every blessing, Stephen.
News Letter – September 2007
Dear Friends,
As we come to the anniversary of our move to Margate, Nicky and I have been enjoying the good things that this area has to offer. We spent some time at the Jazz Festival in July, enjoying the (all too rare) sunshine, and listening to a variety of musicians on the stage in the Old Town. The Carnival Parade was held on the hottest day of the year, and it was fun to watch the floats and the costumes – and to see so many burned sunbathers! Earlier in the summer, we watched some of the national beach volleyball competition on Margate sands – sadly under damp and drizzly skies; but enjoyable none the less. Last week, we spent some time over at the Broadstairs Folk Week – I was impressed by how well organized and well supported it was. We watched the torchlight procession, saw several of the musical concerts, and enjoyed the atmosphere of laid- back summer fun.
At Church too, we have been enjoying the summer break from many of our regular activities. We had a Church picnic at Botany Beach on 29th July – the day started overcast, but steadily improved until we had brilliant sunshine by tea-time. A group of more than 40 of us enjoyed the sand, the sea and the chance to spend some time together – it was great to see so many of our young people there with us.
John and Pat’s Coffee Day was also a regular highlight to look forward to, and to enjoy. Again, the weather was not at its best, but nevertheless an excellent number of visitors came along, and enjoyed the cakes, the stalls, the company, and the chance to have a good look at the Murphy’s garden – very nice. A very good sum was raised for Day Care for the elderly.
Many of the fellowship have been away at different times, to enjoy a well-earned break. We have, from time to time, welcomed visitors to the Church on Sundays; and the summer is often a time to greet newcomers to the town, who may be looking for a Church to settle in.
I hope you have enjoyed your summer. We have been fortunate not to have to endure the floods or hurricanes that others have faced – and we have been blessed to live in a beautiful and richly rewarding part of the country. God has been good to us!
Now the end of summer is in sight, and we must begin to prepare for our autumn’s work, and for another year of service in the Kingdom of God. Mark will be with us full time in September – sharing the preaching with me, and doing much visiting and other pastoral work. Make the most of him – once September is over, he will be very busy in his final year at Spurgeon’s, and he and Sue will be seeking the Lord’s will for their future.
Mark will be leading our Monthly Prayer Meeting on 5th September (8pm), when the emphasis will be very much on the Church’s Youth Work in the coming months – please come and join us if you can. This autumn will see us following the TIDE Course on Sunday evenings, from October.
Finally, 16th September will mark the anniversary of my Induction. The 6.30pm service on that day will be in the style of “Café Church” – something that many churches are now using. Please come and join us!
Best wishes, Stephen
News Letter – August 2007
Dear Friends,
A man called the emergency services to ask to be rescued from floods. The operator asked how deep the water was, and he said “Its up to my knees”. The operator replied “Only up to your knees? There are people far worse off than you – you’ll have to wait!”.
“But you don’t understand” he said, “I’m standing on the roof !”
With the recent terrible floods in Yorkshire and in the Midlands, you could almost imagine that happening. I am also reminded of the musician who escaped from a flood by floating out on a double bass. Apparently, his wife accompanied him on the piano!
Floods are no joke, and it will take the many thousands of affected people months, if not years, to get back to some kind of normality. How devastating it must be to have your whole house ruined – not just soaked with water, but filled with smelly, dirty water, contaminated with sewage. Our hearts must go out to those poor victims, and it is to be hoped that everything will be done to help them, and to avoid future problems.
There was, of course, a great flood in Genesis – an act of judgement by God on a sinful, corrupt world. I am not saying that these recent floods are to be seen in the same light, but we do well to remember the story, and to learn its lessons.
In Genesis 8, God sees how evil men have become, and decides to wash them all
away, along with all of creation. But “Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord”. Why? What was different about Noah ? Well, Noah was a “righteous man”.
What does that mean? It certainly does not mean that Noah was good, while everyone else was bad. Noah was far from perfect, and sinned just as we all do. But Noah was “righteous” in the sense that he had a right attitude towards God – he had a right relationship with God – a relationship based on faith. Noah took God at his word, and was not put off by what others said. He chose God’s side – and he was willing to put his faith into action – building a boat that everyone told him was preposterous. And because of Noah’s faith, God’s grace triumphs over God’s judgement.
I really believe God needs a generations of Noahs today – men and women who will stand up for what they believe; people who will take God at his word, and live accordingly; Christians who will not be afraid to be mocked or persecuted, but who will be willing to swim against the stream. Are we such people? Do we “find favour in the eyes of the Lord”? Are we genuinely “righteous” men and women ?
The world may be just as sinful as it ever was, but as Paul puts it “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5.20). In other words, God is going to win – Hallelujah!
Have a wonderful (and hopefully dry) summer. God bless. Stephen.
