New Article!
The first Daily Prayer seminar provided a fantastic start to the new year. There was a great turn out of people eager to be equipped and inspired to go deeper with their personal prayer times. Read more...
Daily Prayer Seminar
by Elizabeth Davey
City Carols, 18th December 2021
What is a pagan goddess doing in a
place of worship?
by Dave Brennan
I’ve never met a Christian who objects to the idea that part of our responsibility under God is to look after the earth he created as God’s undermanagers (Genesis 1:28). Although explicit biblical support for the importance of looking after the non-human aspects of God’s creation is slight (e.g. Genesis 2:15; Leviticus 25:2-5) compared with how we are to treat human beings made in God’s image (e.g. Genesis 6:9; Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 6:17; James 5:6), it chimes with the biblical principles of humility, gratitude, wisdom, and consideration of others that we should steward the earth with moderation and selflessness. Read more...
Forward thinking
by John Betts
Fitting something else into the diary is always a challenge. Changing priorities requires that we believe that the change is in the Lord’s will and purpose and depends upon our willingness to accommodate something new into our busy programmes. Read more...
by John Betts
What a great time we had on Saturday 18th December, singing carols and preaching the gospel in Norwich city centre! Thank you to all who participated. It was a really positive expression of the unity which is building among us. Amidst all the sights and sounds of peoples Christmas preparations the truth of the real Christmas message was proclaimed, loud and clear! Read more...
Gaia in the church
by Elizabeth Davey
In discussions with the Associate Priest of St Peter Mancroft, I was told that Gaia 'was just a name' and that the pagan origins had nothing to do with the 'artwork' on display, ignoring the fact that the artist acknowledges these links in his research and explanation of the work. It does not take much to find the explicit mythological pagan links to Jerram's work. The EDP reports, 'An installation designed for a multi-denominational audience, Gaia is sure to spark religious, mythological and scientific thoughts about the Earth. All three disciplines are incorporated through Jerram's work with NASA, his naming after the Greek deity Gaia - the personification of Earth and mother of all life - and in Norwich's case, the work's temporary religious home.' (Emphasis added) Read more...
The Church of the place
Outworking of our strategy
by John Betts
by John Betts
According to the New Testament there is only one church in each place whether it is Corinth, Rome, Ephesus etc. The apostle Paul writes “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints”, “To the church of God in Corinth”, “To the saints in Ephesus” It is not that there were no expressions of the body other than the whole church but that they were all part of the one body, the body of Christ. Read more...
How do we go about being the one body of Christ in greater Norwich?
We begin by no longer being content to maintain the status quo but desperate to see the Kingdom of God advance. To understand the times and know what the church of our Lord Jesus Christ should be doing in these days. To be willing to change and adapt as necessary for the sake of the Kingdom. A new era needs new wineskins. Read more...
Daily Prayer
As a small boy I was first taught to pray by my mother. At a time when I suffered regular nightmares I learned from her to pray the prayer book prayer “Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all the perils of the night; for the love of thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.” I was always able to get a peaceful night’s sleep after that. Read more...
Called to the City
by John Betts
In 1969 God unmistakably called us as a family to move to Norwich. I came to pastor a Baptist church. However four years later when that ministry came to an end we knew that we could not leave the city as God had called us to put down our roots and serve Him here. Read more...