I wonder if you noticed the coverage in the papers yesterday about the launch of the Churhes Mutual Credit Union. A number of the newspaper articles had headlines suggesting that the Churches involved in this new  venture were taking on the Wonga's of this world. The truth is this project is a long way from moving into the same market as Wonga.  Indeed Credit Unions operate under completely different finanicial rules. However it is a clear strategic move by the churches...
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This week our theme  for those who follow Samctuary First has been thinking about the place of communication in the Christian life. There is something paradoxical about the world in which we are all living. Never before has humanity had the potential to be more connected and integrated. Technology offers us the tools and resources to draw closer and understand each others habits, cultures  and fears.  Communication systems have never been better. However the...
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There is something deep within us all making us want to look up into the sky and be overwhelmed by its beauty and majesty; especially when we come across a sky as magnificent as it was this evening. I've just finished writing my sermon for tomorrow. I'm reflecting on Jesus' communication strategy. He often used the natural world around him to begin to teach truths about God and human beings. For him it was knowledge of God first that allows us to begin to discover...
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Here's an update on the Jubilee Hope adventure across Africa. At last the ship is in Lake Victoria. It was launched into the lake last Saturday. Jubilations all round! this has been quite an undertaking. As chairman of te Vine Trust our board owe a debt of gratitude to a wide range of people. the truth is if we were to list them all it would run into literally hundreds of names. We've had amazing support for this project fro  the civic community the corporate world, the...
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I spent most of the morning on my knees picking weeds out of the gravel in my driveway.  I always feel there is something therapeutic about weeding. Its like the prayers of confession. IWe ask God to pick the weeds  of sin out of your life.   And often in prayer God  forces us metaphorically and sometime physically to be on our knees sorting out the mess we've made on the path of life.  Of course you have to get yourself into the frame of mind to do it the weeding and...
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