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Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends What are the marks of a Christian? What is distinctive about Christians? What is it that marks us out, makes us different and identifies us to the world as Christians? We don’t have the sign of the cross indelibly printed on our forehead. We don’t all have ‘I am…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends It can not have escaped anyone’s attention that there is a General Election on 7th May. For a Christian Minister this presents a dilemma. Do I talk about it or not? Whatever I say someone will criticise me as others would if I ignore it. It has long been…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends We have just enjoyed the wonderful spectacle of a partial eclipse of the sun, the earth really did go dark for a few minutes. There was a coolness in the air and the birds went quiet. The Bible records that when Jesus died on the cross there was darkness…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends We have had two good sessions now with Nick, the Synod Evangelist, although questions raised have led us to vary the programme so that the second session looked at the church. In Biblical terms the church is not bricks and mortar, it is not worship on a Sunday, it…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends Christmas seems but a distant memory yet it is only the middle of January as I write this. So much seems to have happened. I spent a week in France over the New Year and on January 1st I was photographing and riding on trams in Paris including Montrouge…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends The season of Advent is here and we are looking forward to Christmas. Lists have been prepared, cards bought and maybe written, presents purchased, visits and menu’s sorted, Christmas decorations and lights checked, cake, mince pies and Christmas puddings made. We are looking forward to the selecting, transporting and…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends In November our thoughts turn naturally to remembrance and that is even more so this year as we remember the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. There are few people left who remember the war now and for many of us remembrance of that war is…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends When we celebrated our 157th Birthday we were reminded of the original covenant signed by those who formed Rubery Congregational Church. In it it stated the purpose of the church to be ‘to promote each other’s spiritual wellbeing’. We no longer ask members to sign this Covenant but it…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends As we celebrate the 157th Anniversary of our Church it seems a good time to reflect on what the church is. A good place to start is by reminding ourselves that according to Church tradition and teaching, Scripture and Jesus himself the Church is not a building. It is…

Thoughts From The Cottage Dear Friends I recently went to the closure of a church in Sheffield where I was minister from 1987 to 1992. My emotions were mixed, sad to see the church close, happy to see old friends again. The place was packed and it was planned as a celebration. Instead of the…