The Affinity Director on the General Election and meeting with church groups across the UK
Dear friends,
Earlier in May I attended the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches Annual Conference at Alderholt Chapel in Dorset. This is a thriving church with a relatively new building that, by all accounts, has known God’s blessing in a growing congregation and ministry. It was good to meet their church officers and other EFCC leaders and get a broader perspective on the history and current state of this fellowship. A particular highlight was a talk given by Chris Sinkinson about the moral climate the church now faces especially in the area of sexual and gender ethics.
| PHOTO: The gathering at Alderholt Chapel
Later in the month I received a warm welcome from the Free Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) to their General Assemblies in Edinburgh. It was good to hear the address from the new moderator of the Free Church, Derek Lamont, encouraging churches to be traditional (the living faith of the dead) but not traditionalist (the dead faith of the living) and to hear reports from the mission team. |
|
| PHOTOS: The Free Church General Assembly and Derek Lamont
At the Free Church Continuing I listened in to a very comprehensive and thoughtful presentation on public morality. On both occasions there was the joy (and for me the novelty) of singing versions of the Psalms with the human voice as the only instrument! These Assemblies are quite unique forums where church leaders debate issues – something for which independent churches do not really have an equivalent. |
|
| PHOTO: Rev Robert McCurley of the Free Church Continuing
As I write we are still dealing with the aftermath of the Manchester bombing and looking ahead to the General Election in a few days’ time. We must pray for God’s mercy to our nation – that he would grant us good government so that we may live in peace and safety. Life hangs by a thread for all of us; we need more than a vague sense of a God who cares for our comfort. We need more than human solutions – tighter security measures or the power of love and solidarity. That is mere idolatry. We need to know the God who is outraged at evil, who demonstrated this at the Cross and who will one day put all things right and bring in an everlasting kingdom of peace and justice.
Yours in the secure love of Christ,
Graham Nicholls |
|
Share
