It is hard to believe but Christmas is just over 3 weeks away! As I have been reflecting on this year’s Christmas I am aware how little Christian content there is among all the commercial hype. May I encourage you as parents and grandparents, to start reading the Christmas stories with the children in your…
This past month I have been once again challenged over the subject of prayer. This time it has not been the need to pray more, but rather the importance of trusting God, that His will be done. Now some people say that when we pray, “Your will be done” we are simply hedging our bets,…
For a long time now I have wanted to look more deeply into Genesis 1-11. These first 11 chapters of the Bible introduce us to some of the most important themes developed in the rest of the Bible. It has been quite challenging to try to unclutter my thinking to try to understand what the…
This Sunday we once again celebrate our International Sunday, recognising the fact that although we are a congregation of people drawn from at least 20 countries, in Christ we are one new people. I have no doubt in my heart and mind that this unity is just what Jesus wanted. The beauty of the gospel…
This week in our study through Luke’s gospel, we come to see Jesus withdrawing into the quiet seclusion of the Garden of Gethsemane to pray just before facing the deception of Judas, the denial of Peter and the desertion of the disciples. What struck me as I read Luke’s account of the Gethsemane prayer, is…
Despite the fact that G.P.C. is a medium sized family church, we punch above our weight in many ways when it comes to sending people out in the service of God. Over the years at least 20 of our people have given themselves to full time ministry or mission work and in more recent years…
This Sunday we hold our AGM after the morning service. Now I am aware that AGMs are not occasions that people usually queue up to attend or all rush to the front seats. Having said that our church AGM will only last 20 minutes and I trust will be a time to remember the past…
From Ben’s Desk (13 September) In history there have been some defining moments captured by a photographer that have become iconic images that have stirred people to action. There was the photo from the Vietnam War of an 11 year old girl fleeing naked from her burning village, and now there is the picture of…
It is true to say that the role of the father figure in the home has become really confused today. Increasingly more and more homes are led by single parents. The media seems bent on destroying every last vestige of what we grew up to accept as an ordinary, normal home ie. dad, mum, children,…
When our church leadership meet as elders once a month we start off by having a shared devotion. At present we are working our way through J.I. Packer’s book, “Knowing God’. This month the chapter covered the important subject of the Holy Spirit, and his work in our lives and the church. It was a…
