the faith page (with definitely no preaching!)
Why a faith page?
Everything I do is underpinned by my Christian faith, and since you’re presumably interested in what I do (or you wouldn’t be at this site, let alone this page) you deserve a few words of explanation.
So what do I believe in?
God, a benevolent and intelligent being beyond my comprehension; believing is not the same as understanding.
Jesus Christ, the earthly manifestation of God and the ultimate role model.
The Holy Spirit, through which God works in our lives.
The importance of regular and meaningful worship to help keep us all on the path we should be on.
The importance of sharing my faith by letting people know I’m a Christian, while not driving people away from knowledge of God by inept evangelism.
The importance of living out my faith by helping the disadvantaged - for example, through my work as a trustee of the Society of St James, which works to combat homelessness and its causes.
Temptation, to turn away from what I think God wants me to do in favour of something that’s more gratifying but only in the short term.
Grace, by which God forgives me for the gap between how He wants me to live and how I actually do.
I also believe that being a Christian doesn’t mean you can’t keep a sense of humour. After all, God created me! And you!
My group “After The Rain” aims to present the Christian message in a way that’s accessible for people brought up on post-Beatles music.
.... they crucified him........ Jesus said “Father, forgive them”
Why a Methodist?
Originally for the singing, I think; Methodists are known for enjoying a good sing, whether it’s rousing traditional-style hymns or more modern worship songs.
Methodism was started by the Wesleys within the Church of England, but became separate from it; that’s fine by me as it means the person who happens to have been born to be monarch isn’t the head of my church.
We also have a more inclusive, open approach to worship than some other churches. Lay people take a major role in our worship as well as organisational aspects of the church, and we welcome anyone to take communion who wishes to, regardless of their formal membership status.
