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At the beginning of the 3rd
millennium many people don’t know anything about the message and person
of Jesus – and some have only ever heard his name as a swear-word. Some
of our children know hardly anything about the facts of Jesus’ life
described in the Bible. Many adults have lost their way when it comes
to basic honesty and integrity – just look at the mess our financial
systems are in.
The message of Jesus
is not “go to church” or “be good” or “don’t do such-and-such” but about
healing. Healing of minds, of bodies, of souls – and most importantly,
healing and mending the relationship between us and God. And if our
relationship with God is healed, then we can also expect to have healed
relationships with each other. Jesus offers life: he said “I
have come that they (people who follow him) may have life, and
have it to the full.” Jesus offers life in all its fullness and we hope
to help people on their way to finding him and this full life.
So Jesus’ message is a
message of hope, as we live that full life; but it’s also about our
future hope, the life after death. This message is about a power and a
love which is available today to anyone who wishes to receive them.
Many people have very
little understanding of all this, so we run courses to help people
along. Currently we run the Start! course, but plan to offer others such
as Alpha as well. Start! runs for just 6 weeks and we meet over a
coffee, get to know each other, watch DVD clips and discuss a topic. No
question is too hostile or too simple!
To help people grow in
their faith, we also meet in housegroups during the week to encourage
each other and to get to know Jesus and each other better through
prayer, simple worship and Bible study. |
