Last week I was in the Balkans, visiting a Baptist church and participating as part of their celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The pastor of the church had invited my colleague and I to address the question of what role the Anabaptists had in the Reformation. We were staying with Dragan* and... Continue Reading →
This liturgy was written as a response to the thanksgiving service for the life of Alan Kreider held on 11.07.17 in London at Bloomsbury Baptist Church. A peace liturgy for families and children (You will need as many stones as family members, a candle or peace-symbol of your choosing) Blessed are the peacemakers for... Continue Reading →
It is difficult moving to a new place without constantly comparing it to your previous home. We moved from a rapidly gentrifying, but still largely deprived inner-city borough to an outer-city estate. As much as I hate gentrification, I would also be the first to admit that I like using my laptop in nice coffee shops... Continue Reading →
This evening was our first Havering Christmas Carol service as part of the Urban Expression team and Church community. Unfortunately, it was also the last time that the Carol service will be happening in the local pub, as it is now owned by a housing developer and will be closing at the end of January 2016. We... Continue Reading →
They did not teach me about saying goodbye at theological college. There wasn't a module on "how to hold on to your broken heart" as part of my pastoral training. And so I swing between the anticipation and excitement of new adventures and challenges, and the hollowed out grief at the prospect of moving away.... Continue Reading →
I’m sitting in an old chair. It was given to us when we moved to Shadwell to join E1 Community Church, very nearly 6 years ago to the month. When we first moved we didn’t have any furniture at all. The very precious Kathryn Copsey and her husband Nigel, gave us various bits and pieces... Continue Reading →
A Mother's Prayer for Her Daughter (by Tina Fey) First, Lord: No tattoos.May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered,... Continue Reading →
Following the suicide of transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn, Sarah Ditum wrote a piece at the beginning of January criticising the media's lack of adherence to the Samaritans "Media Guidelines for Writing about Suicide". She argues that transgender people are particularly at risk of suicidal thoughts, so when journalists (and bloggers) turn "a death into a... Continue Reading →
(Janus - the ancient Roman god of beginnings and transitions - who looks to the past and to the future) As much as I dislike the ending of a year, I love the beginning of a new one. So January is always a month that I enjoy. I love new year for its unrealised possibilities... Continue Reading →
I started university in 2001. That seems like an impossibly long time ago now, although I regularly believe that I am still 19 years old. I arrived at Edinburgh University not really knowing what to expect, just happy to be in a big city far from home. Before leaving home, I was given all the... Continue Reading →
stumbling hopefully in the right direction 