Moreover, the Ministry Centre with Café Vista has shifted Christ Church into a seven day a week operation. I have no idea of the footfall but it is going to be more than 1000 pairs of real, not virtual, feet per week. So what does it mean to “belong to Christ Church” in 2017? Difficult to say. However, the more important question is what does it mean to belong to Christ? Very simply - whatever our church culture, whatever our social background- the answer is one word: discipleship, that is, godly mature Christians. For as church growth practitioner Kevin DeYoung concludes: “The one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians.”

1517. Arguably the most important year over the last millennium in the history of British Christianity. Such is the significance of its 500th anniversary that the BBC have broadcast a two-part imported drama on midweek, late night BBC4. We are talking about Reformation: The Story of Martin Luther. For 31 October 1517 is when this Augustinian monk kicked off the Reformation as he nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. You cannot overestimate the consequences of this single act. The entire world changed. As he reached for his hammer not only was Luther taking on the might of the Papacy and the power of the Holy Roman Empire but he was challeng

A woman overheard me on my mobile this week and laughed loudly. So what did I say? "I know you're here but where's here?" It so happened that on Wednesday I came across a similar incident in the Bible, of another woman on overhearing a conversation who could not stop herself from laughter. Sarah, wife of Abraham - who essentially begin the story of God’s covenant with us. It’s a strange story as “the Lord appears to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18:1). Except it’s not God but “three men standing nearby.” So the text moves between Abraham conversing with the three men and then with God, the two

"People pay attention when they see that God actually changes persons and sets them free,” comments Brooklyn pastor Jim Cymbala. He continues: “When a new Christian stands up and tells how God has revolutionized his or her life, no one dozes off. When someone is healed or released from a life-controlling bondage, everyone takes notice." Well, that was certainly the case last night at our Alpha launch when we set out our stall for our 50th Alpha course here at Christ Church. It was an evening of two stories. First Shane Taylor, who had travelled over from Middlesbrough for the occasion, told his remarkable story of how God rescued him from a life of considerable violence. In fact,