Sunday Services
Our Sunday service runs from 10:45am to 12 noon and there is an opportunity for a time of fellowship both before and after the service, with tea, coffee and cake/biscuits. The service is designed to have broad appeal, with a relaxed, informal style, a mix of older & more modern worship and mainstream teaching - explaining what the Bible means and how it can be applied to your daily life.
Children are very welcome. The last Sunday of each month is an all age service, when the children stay in church. On other Sundays they leave the service part way through for Sunday school - parents are welcome to help out on a regular or occasional basis with this, or stay in church. Occasionally, in addition, we also have some Messy Church services.
Most people dress smart/casual, but formal is ok too. We celebrate communion on the second Sunday of each month . Our building is wheelchair accessible, there is a hearing induction loop and also baby-changing facilities.
Please use the Contact Us page if you would like to know any more.
Our Sunday service runs from 10:45am to 12 noon and there is an opportunity for a time of fellowship both before and after the service, with tea, coffee and cake/biscuits. The service is designed to have broad appeal, with a relaxed, informal style, a mix of older & more modern worship and mainstream teaching - explaining what the Bible means and how it can be applied to your daily life.
Children are very welcome. The last Sunday of each month is an all age service, when the children stay in church. On other Sundays they leave the service part way through for Sunday school - parents are welcome to help out on a regular or occasional basis with this, or stay in church. Occasionally, in addition, we also have some Messy Church services.
Most people dress smart/casual, but formal is ok too. We celebrate communion on the second Sunday of each month . Our building is wheelchair accessible, there is a hearing induction loop and also baby-changing facilities.
Please use the Contact Us page if you would like to know any more.
1 Samuel 3
Some thoughts from the song ‘Here I am Lord’ first:
‘I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain …’. These are days of much pain for so many throughout our country and closer to home. Keith Green was a singer songwriter who died in a tragic accident at the age of just 28 along with two of his children. They had one other daughter at home with his wife who was 6 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident. What pain! And yet his ministry still lives on through his music, his journals and talks given at concerts - published in a book called ‘Make my life a prayer’. Keith wrote ‘don’t let anyone tell you that by becoming a Christian, all your troubles will disappear…. When Jesus comes into your heart the road begins. It’s a great road with a fantastic destination, but it has some bumps along the way and a few uphill twists and turns.’ I guess we can all identify with that not least in what we’re going through just now. However we can be sure that through it all God wants to share His heart with us – a heart that shares our pain and a heart that wants to share love and compassion if we will listen.
When I hear the line from that song ‘I have heard You calling in the night’ it reminds me that the ‘night’ is darkness and for us all just now it is dark. However, hearing those words also make me think of the story of Samuel who literally heard God during the night.
Samuel was also living in dark days. Eli, his mentor, had been unfaithful and disobeyed God, not willing to discipline his sons as God directed. He had been warned of calamity to come but he chose to ignore God’s command. The country of Israel was also at war with the Philistines and they weren’t exactly winning. So at a time of such darkness God speaks to a child – probably around 12 years old – who had been dedicated by his mother to God’s service. A lesson to us that God’s word is not limited by age!
What can we learn from Samuel’s dramatic encounter with God?
Firstly, God calls Samuel by name. We are not a number to God. Maybe there are millions within His family and yet He knows us and loves us as an individual. An individual with special characteristics and special talents. An individual with special fears and failures. But still His eye is on us, on me – not in judgement but in love.
Samuel describes himself as ‘Your servant’ – he is telling God that he is willing to obey whatever He says. Paul often uses the same term for himself as he introduces himself at the beginning of his letters. Jesus too said that He had come to this world not to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28). If that was His aim, how much more should our lives demonstrate such an attitude.
‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’. Samuel wanted to hear from God and he was willing to stop talking and start listening. Sometimes we wonder why we do not hear from God but maybe we are not really listening. Sitting still and waiting is one of the hardest things to do and yet it is in the stillness that we put ourselves under His authority. Samuel had placed himself in the very presence of God – ‘where the Ark of God was’. It was as if he was trying to get as close as he could to God – a demonstration of his commitment to God - and God honoured that.
Remember Isaiah? He gave himself utterly to God before God spoke – and the message was far from pleasant! It was the same for Samuel. He was going to have to give some very harsh words to Eli, his mentor, his senior by far. And yet he obeyed giving the message in all honesty.
A few days ago I was reading some notes from a highly respected Christian leader – Jeff Lucas. He said this – ‘I try to be honest in writing these notes, and in ministry broadly, so … here goes. As I write, I don’t feel like praying, and what I have to say to God is mostly about complaint. After months of praying daily for a close member of our family, we have received news of a very difficult and challenging diagnosis. I know there are no guarantees of healing in response to every prayer – Christians get sick and die – but we had hoped for better news. When these days come, I find it hard to gather energy or enthusiasm for God, His work or His word. But I am trying to translate my honesty with you into my relationship with God. And so, I’m letting Him know that, while I won’t gamble my faith on one prayer request, nevertheless, I am disappointed and, frankly, quite fed up.’ That’s honesty! Not just with God but with those around him.
God wants us to be real. Honesty means owning up when we get things wrong and that can be one of the hardest things to do.
Sometimes however, honesty can be such an inspiration. I recently received a letter from Kathleen Tindall enclosing some thoughts on prayer from a lady who has been suffering from Motor Neurone Disease for many years and now is confined to a wheelchair and can only communicate through a small keyboard attached to her wheelchair. I want to highlight one thing that stood out in the light of her suffering –‘God does listen and answer. But not necessarily as we expect or plan. Ultimately His way is better than ours. Has God always taken care of my requests? Yes! In His timing! In His way! And I still have to learn to be patient and wait. In fact I am still learning! The answers to my requests do not come as my imagination planned nor do things always work out as I think they will.’ I wonder how many times she had asked God to take away her illness and to which He obviously said no, and yet she still has an absolute trust in His goodness and love for her. The same was true for Marilyn Baker, blind, and yet an enormous inspiration through her music. If the answer is no then He must have some other greater purpose for us. Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 12 where he speaks of his ‘thorn in the flesh’. He too asked God to take it away and He said no. Instead he heard God say ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’.
The letter goes on ‘I find nowadays that I don’t have the energy for prolonged prayer times. Instead I feel God calls me to encourage others to pray and so learn first-hand the lessons He wants to teach them.’
So be encouraged as you walk the road of faith and seek to hear His voice. The way may seem dark and we have no idea what is around the next corner but one thing we can be utterly sure of – our God is faithful and will never let us down!
Some thoughts from the song ‘Here I am Lord’ first:
‘I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain …’. These are days of much pain for so many throughout our country and closer to home. Keith Green was a singer songwriter who died in a tragic accident at the age of just 28 along with two of his children. They had one other daughter at home with his wife who was 6 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident. What pain! And yet his ministry still lives on through his music, his journals and talks given at concerts - published in a book called ‘Make my life a prayer’. Keith wrote ‘don’t let anyone tell you that by becoming a Christian, all your troubles will disappear…. When Jesus comes into your heart the road begins. It’s a great road with a fantastic destination, but it has some bumps along the way and a few uphill twists and turns.’ I guess we can all identify with that not least in what we’re going through just now. However we can be sure that through it all God wants to share His heart with us – a heart that shares our pain and a heart that wants to share love and compassion if we will listen.
When I hear the line from that song ‘I have heard You calling in the night’ it reminds me that the ‘night’ is darkness and for us all just now it is dark. However, hearing those words also make me think of the story of Samuel who literally heard God during the night.
Samuel was also living in dark days. Eli, his mentor, had been unfaithful and disobeyed God, not willing to discipline his sons as God directed. He had been warned of calamity to come but he chose to ignore God’s command. The country of Israel was also at war with the Philistines and they weren’t exactly winning. So at a time of such darkness God speaks to a child – probably around 12 years old – who had been dedicated by his mother to God’s service. A lesson to us that God’s word is not limited by age!
What can we learn from Samuel’s dramatic encounter with God?
Firstly, God calls Samuel by name. We are not a number to God. Maybe there are millions within His family and yet He knows us and loves us as an individual. An individual with special characteristics and special talents. An individual with special fears and failures. But still His eye is on us, on me – not in judgement but in love.
Samuel describes himself as ‘Your servant’ – he is telling God that he is willing to obey whatever He says. Paul often uses the same term for himself as he introduces himself at the beginning of his letters. Jesus too said that He had come to this world not to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28). If that was His aim, how much more should our lives demonstrate such an attitude.
‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’. Samuel wanted to hear from God and he was willing to stop talking and start listening. Sometimes we wonder why we do not hear from God but maybe we are not really listening. Sitting still and waiting is one of the hardest things to do and yet it is in the stillness that we put ourselves under His authority. Samuel had placed himself in the very presence of God – ‘where the Ark of God was’. It was as if he was trying to get as close as he could to God – a demonstration of his commitment to God - and God honoured that.
Remember Isaiah? He gave himself utterly to God before God spoke – and the message was far from pleasant! It was the same for Samuel. He was going to have to give some very harsh words to Eli, his mentor, his senior by far. And yet he obeyed giving the message in all honesty.
A few days ago I was reading some notes from a highly respected Christian leader – Jeff Lucas. He said this – ‘I try to be honest in writing these notes, and in ministry broadly, so … here goes. As I write, I don’t feel like praying, and what I have to say to God is mostly about complaint. After months of praying daily for a close member of our family, we have received news of a very difficult and challenging diagnosis. I know there are no guarantees of healing in response to every prayer – Christians get sick and die – but we had hoped for better news. When these days come, I find it hard to gather energy or enthusiasm for God, His work or His word. But I am trying to translate my honesty with you into my relationship with God. And so, I’m letting Him know that, while I won’t gamble my faith on one prayer request, nevertheless, I am disappointed and, frankly, quite fed up.’ That’s honesty! Not just with God but with those around him.
God wants us to be real. Honesty means owning up when we get things wrong and that can be one of the hardest things to do.
Sometimes however, honesty can be such an inspiration. I recently received a letter from Kathleen Tindall enclosing some thoughts on prayer from a lady who has been suffering from Motor Neurone Disease for many years and now is confined to a wheelchair and can only communicate through a small keyboard attached to her wheelchair. I want to highlight one thing that stood out in the light of her suffering –‘God does listen and answer. But not necessarily as we expect or plan. Ultimately His way is better than ours. Has God always taken care of my requests? Yes! In His timing! In His way! And I still have to learn to be patient and wait. In fact I am still learning! The answers to my requests do not come as my imagination planned nor do things always work out as I think they will.’ I wonder how many times she had asked God to take away her illness and to which He obviously said no, and yet she still has an absolute trust in His goodness and love for her. The same was true for Marilyn Baker, blind, and yet an enormous inspiration through her music. If the answer is no then He must have some other greater purpose for us. Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 12 where he speaks of his ‘thorn in the flesh’. He too asked God to take it away and He said no. Instead he heard God say ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’.
The letter goes on ‘I find nowadays that I don’t have the energy for prolonged prayer times. Instead I feel God calls me to encourage others to pray and so learn first-hand the lessons He wants to teach them.’
So be encouraged as you walk the road of faith and seek to hear His voice. The way may seem dark and we have no idea what is around the next corner but one thing we can be utterly sure of – our God is faithful and will never let us down!
After the service, from 12:15pm - 12:45pm, we can receive food for Kingston foodbank (who sort food to check that it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, CAB and police identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher. This voucher can then be taken to a foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days emergency food. Volunteers also meet clients over a cup of tea or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve their longer-term problem). You can find which food items are most needed at the moment here.
