Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com These reflections were stirred afresh at the Hope into Action annual conference, Rooted: Homelessness Ends in Community and in particular during the seminar Rethinking Poverty and Our Response facilitated by Jon Kuhrt and Rachel Arnold. There is a kind of Christianity that excels at projects. The foodbank is… Continue reading ‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Category: Church
Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto on Pexels.com I've had the privilege of working for Hope into Action for the past seven years. We provide supported housing for people experiencing homelessness, but we are passionate about offering far more than just accommodation. By partnering with local churches, we address not only the poverty of resources, but… Continue reading Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
Note: This poem was uncomfortable to write and may be uncomfortable to read. It holds together voices that clash — bishops, marchers, migrants, parishioners — in order to lament the fractures of our nation and to seek Christ at the centre. The discomfort is part of the truth. Thomas, parish priest, opens the Bishop’s statement… Continue reading East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Photo by Emmanuel Codden on Pexels.com I was a successful professional, a Head of Communications, full of confidence and creativity. I had won multiple awards, was a Fellow in my industry, and was used to managing large teams with budgets into the millions. And to my friends, I presented as a more laid back, seemingly… Continue reading The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Resisting the secularising drift of social action
This article was recently published in the magazine Baptists Together. At Streatham Baptist Church, we host a community meal on Wednesday evenings called The Vine. A wide variety of guests come along – some are sleeping rough and struggling with addictions but most are facing the challenges associated with isolation and basic poverty. The purpose of The Vine… Continue reading Resisting the secularising drift of social action
If churches don’t help people with their spiritual needs, then who will?
Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com A few years ago, I was on the south bank in London, near Waterloo station, and I got talking with a homeless man called Richard who had approached me asking for money. He was in a bad state. As we spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and trousers to… Continue reading If churches don’t help people with their spiritual needs, then who will?
“Compelling, controversial & convincing…my vote for Christian book of the year”
Tough messages are not shared easily. It’s one of the key themes of this blog. If it doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn't change you. But, let’s be honest, we all prefer easy forms of grace than tough messages of truth. And if this is true for individuals, then it’s even more so for organisations.… Continue reading “Compelling, controversial & convincing…my vote for Christian book of the year”
Formation by flattery, or the cross? Practising truthfulness – by Jon Swales
Photo by John Carlo Capistrano on Pexels.com Christian leaders are complex human beings. That shouldn’t need saying. But sometimes it does. We are all shaped over time — by desire, fear, love, disappointment, trauma, hope. We change. We are never static. And leaders, like the communities they serve, are a mixed bag. Some are being… Continue reading Formation by flattery, or the cross? Practising truthfulness – by Jon Swales
‘No one too lowly, no one too important’: Jesus’ birth breaks barriers of race, class & culture
Text of a talk by Eman Tabbasum, aged 16, at Streatham Baptist Church on 14th December When Jesus was born, God didn’t choose the mighty or the powerful to welcome Him. Instead, he chose people from opposite ends of society: the shepherds and the wise men. God brought them both to Jesus and their inclusion… Continue reading ‘No one too lowly, no one too important’: Jesus’ birth breaks barriers of race, class & culture
The most rewarding 30 minutes of my week – by Stephen Kuhrt
The 'Tales from the Bible' team As a church leader, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a job that I love. After 22 years of ordained ministry, I still wake up each morning full of enthusiasm for the everyday tasks of being a vicar: planning services, writing talks, pastoral care, taking funerals and weddings, encouraging people’s… Continue reading The most rewarding 30 minutes of my week – by Stephen Kuhrt
Grace + Truth 