Christians know that the Bible is the foundation of their faith. Everything we know about God the Father and his love; everything we know about Jesus the Saviour of the world; everything we know about the Holy Spirit, the Life-giver, comes from the Bible. Without the Bible, where would we be? It is uniquely precious, uniquely powerful, uniquely inspired. And yet, which of us can say that we know the Bible as well as we ought to? Surveys show that only a tiny percentage of regular church-goers actually read the Bible regularly in their own devotional lives. More and more people own a Bible; fewer and fewer people read their Bibles. Its worrying.

One of the problems is that the Bible can be confusing and puzzling for those who dont yet know their way around it. Its not like any other book – in fact it is a collection of 66 books, of many different kinds. Who wrote these books? How do they all fit together? How should I read it with some degree of understanding? There are some huge issues involved in getting to know the Word of God.

This autumn, we are going to run two short courses on Sunday evenings – an Introduction to the Old Testament (September 20th, 27th, & October 4th); and an Introduction to the New Testament (November 22nd, 29th, & December 6th). These will all be at 6.30pm; and will begin with worship, before going on to our main subject. The aim will be to give us all a better grasp of the full sweep of the Bible, and of how it all fits together. I do hope you will come – and try to come to all of the sessions, not just one or two!

This coming Sunday, I will be away, but our Morning Worship (at 11am) will be led by our good friend, Heather Whitehead. In the evening (at 6.30pm), worship will be led by Rev Ewart Graham. It is sure to be a good day – do please try to make it if you can!   Blessings be with you – Stephen.

“I invented a new kind of parachute – it opens on impact!”

Yes, hi folks – its Folk Week again, and Broadstairs is bursting at the seams with people enjoying the music, the dancing and the atmosphere. We have been to one or two concerts – a very good evening on Saturday with an Australian singer/songwriter called Eric Bogle; a wonderful concert by an American singer with an extraordinary name – Devon Sproule; and tonight some clog-dancing and some blue grass dance music at the Bandstand. The Broadstairs Folk Week is a real highlight of the year – it is hard to beat live music, and its great to see families of all ages out enjoying themselves.
At Church we had a very quiet weekend, with so many of our regular congregations away on holiday. This Wednesday (12th) we have a monthly prayer evening at 8pm – I hope you will be able to join us. Then next Sunday (16th) we have Morning Worship at 11am, when we will be continuing with Marmaduke’s Mysteries – the service will also include Communion. In the evening at 6.30pm, we will look at “Relationships” as part of our study in Ephesians.
Have a good week, and come to share with us as we worship God on Sunday!
Every Blessing – Stephen.
“On the menu at a vegetarian restaurant: veg and two veg.”

Phew – it was great to have our grandson Jacob all to ourselves for the weekend, but it did remind me of why young people have babies, and not old fossils like me. Its over 20 years since I last changed a nappy, and I am no better at it now than I was then. Looking after babies is TIRING – and all you mums (and dads) have my heartfelt admiration for the job you do. It was great though…

This week will have two main highlights. On Thursday is John & Pat’s Coffee Day again (where have the last twelve months gone?) – do come and enjoy it if you can, from 1.30pm onwards. Then on Saturday, I shall be taking part in Vivienne Alexander’s ordination service at Newington Free Church – a really happy occasion for Vivienne and the family. She is the second of the students I have been supervising to “fly the nest”, and we wish her every blessing in her new ministry in Shoeburyness.

On Sunday morning we have the second of Marmaduke’s Mysteries to unravel at our Famly Service at 11am; and in the evening we continue our study of Ephesians. Come and worship with us – it would be great to see you. Have a great week ….Stephen
“My wife thinks she is the Queen. I would tell her that she isnt, but that might blow my chances of a knighthood.”

My last post was at the end of May. Since then a lot has happened – including two weeks’ holiday in Cornwall, an outing to the north Kent coast, a flying visit to my grandson in Norwich, many barbeques, and a lot of the usual ups and downs of life. Anyway, after quite a break, I am back – and I really do have the good intention of updating this blog at least once a week. Lets hope I can stick to it this time.
OK, so its the 27th July; and last weekend was quite something. We had the dedication of little Nathaniel at Church on Sunday morning – what a great atmosphere! – followed by a fantastic lunch, kindly provided by Vicky and Ade, with lots of family and friends to enjoy it with them. In the evening we had Cafe Church; and afterwards, Nicky and I went to enjoy the last part of the Jazz Festival down by the harbour. This was a good evening, with a nice crowd, some cool music, and a lot of fun.
Now we are getting ready for a house full of visitors, as our grandson and his retinue descend upon us for a few days. Should be a lot of fun …and what do a few sleepless nights matter?
A camp from Doncaster arrives at MBC on Saturday – lets hope they have a great week in sunny Margate!
On Sunday morning, we have the first of our Summer Special Family Services – look out for the first of “Marmaduke’s Mysteries”.
The next highlight to look out for after that is Pat and John’s Coffee Day on 6th August – always one of the best days of the year.
Enjoy the summer – and look out for updates on here once a week from now on! (I promise….I think) Stephen

“I’m going now, but should I return during my absence, please wait for me until I get back”

Firm Foundations (FF) was fantastic – a really wonderful weekend. Of course, it helped that the skies were blue, the ground stayed dry, and I personally had a nice comfy bed in a nearby travelodge – but nevertheless, I was deeply impressed by the whole event, and I now know what all the fuss was about. There is something very moving and inspiring about the sight of 1000 young people all praising God together (in their own way); and committing themselves to living for God when they go back home. At several points during the weekend I had tears in my eyes (and I have been to many of these kinds of events); to quote the kids it was “well good”.
On a serious note, there have been times in recent years when I have been deeply depressed about the future of the Church: will the next generation pick up the torch and carry it forward? I now know that the answer is a resounding YES, and my gloominess has turned into an excited optimism. I cant wait to see what God is going to do in and through our young people. It certainly wont be the same as the past – each generation has a new calling and a new way of going about it; but it will be great to see it happening. Meanwhile, we older folk need to be praying, supporting, encouraging, and setting them free to be themselves for God’s glory.
Have a good week and may God richly bless you!
Stephen.
One final joke: “Fisherman, how many fish have you caught? Answer: “Well, when I have caught one more, it will be one.”

Yes, I know I havent posted anything on here for ages. Sorry, but I just seem to have been so busy, and there have been a million other things to do. Not a good excuse, I know – but I will try to get back here more often.
This week though, I am on holiday and going to see my grandson Jacob for a few days. Then I am going to spend the Bank Holiday Weekend with about 800 young people in a field in Hertfordshire!!! Firm Foundations is a youth camp organized by the Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade – a group from our Church goes every year, and this year they have persuaded me to go too. One thing however – they are all camping in tents – I am not. My camping days are over….I dont DO camping (unless it is in a Winebago)…camping and me dont mix. Therefore I will be staying in a local Travelodge (with my own bathroom, shower, TV, toilet and comfy bed). During the four days of the camp, though, I will be “roughing it” with the guys – eating- and no doubt getting rained on like them. I’m sure they will give me a hard time for not “camping” with them – but tough! Hopefully we will all have a good and blessed time, and will return home safely and happily to our loved ones afterwards.
Great to report that our Church Weekend at Eastbourne went very well. 26 of us had a fantastic weekend of study, fun and laughter. I hope everyone had as good a time as I did – there are certainly a few voices calling for a repeat next year – although I think it is more likely to be in two years time. Thanks to everyone who came and took part – we certainly did a lot of laughing!
To those who still keep checking this blog – thank you! Stick with it – I will update more often, when I get back into my routine. God bless – Stephen.

Happy Easter everyone! This is such a joyful season, with new life all around us, and the message of new life in our hearts. Enjoy Easter, and celebrate the risen Christ with gladness. On Easter Sunday, we have a 9am Communion Service, followed by breakfast together. At 11am we have our main Family Service; and at 6.30pm we will rejoice with Jane Lennon as she is baptised to profess her faith in Jesus. What a great day it promises to be – I hope you can be with us.
After easter, I will be running another “Enquirers Course” for anyone interested in finding out more about baptism, Church membership and faith in general – do speak to me if you are interested in joining us. Stephen.
“My idea of a balanced diet is a bacon sandwich in both hands……”

Tuesday 24th March 09

You’ll have to forgive me for the long gap between posts. There has been a lot going on just lately! My sister-in-law sadly passed away in February – very unexpectedly – and we had all the funeral arragenments to deal with.  Just about at the same time that was happening, our first grandson was born. Little Jacob weighed in at 7lbs 9oz, and is a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Naturally, we have been up to Norwich to visit him a couple of times aready, and this has meant that I have had little time to think of other things!  Things now seem to be getting back to some kind of normality, and hopefully I can resume posting here about once each week.

This is a fairly quiet week at the Church. The usual things are going on – but nothing out of the ordinary. On Saturday, Nicky and I are going to Tonbridge for a farewell Service for Norman Tharby. Norman has been our Regional Minister for the past few years, and has been a great help to us and many other churches in the South East. He is moving back to his roots in Suffolk, and on Saturday we will be saying “thank you” to him, on behalf of the Association.

On Sunday (29th March), at the Morning Service we will continue to look at our Church’s Mission Statement. This week, we will be talking about Pastoral care. In the evening at 6.30pm, we will have one of our occasional “Prayer and Share” services – a chance for anyone who wishes to share something to do so. Our theme will be “Encouragement” – and I am hoping that a few of us can say something that will encourage and strengthen us all in our walk with God.

In case you havent heard, Easter Sunday is rapidly approaching! There will be an early Communion Service at 9am, followed by breakfast. Please sign up if you wish to have breakfast with us- a donation of £1 to cover costs is suggested. The 11am service will be for all the family – but then at 6.30pm there will be a baptism! Jane Lennon will be baptised to profess her love for Jesus. It would be great if she could be well supported, and I hope you can come on this very special Easter occasion.   Have a good week – God bless,   Stephen.

“I’m going to London to have bagpipe lessons!  How can I afford it? The neighbours all chipped in!”

Our grandson Jacob