1) Bishop Hannington Church is a listed building

2) We plan to spend thousands of pounds making alterations to the building over the next year or so

You can do something about this. Please sign the epetition that has been launch to oppose this idea. Go to this link to find out more:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32229

Thanks,

Phil Moon, Vicar

I grew up in a loving family, went to church, and thought God was real. But it didn’t have any impact on how I lived, other than trying to be good and what I heard about Jesus, just felt like stories for children that I grew out of.

As a teenager I struggled to fit in, doing ok academically, but had low self esteem and turned to food for comfort.  I went along to a few events a Christian friend invited me to and when they suggested praying to Jesus I did, thinking it might be the way for a happier life, but nothing seemed to change.

University was a riot. I dropped God completely. As a biologist I couldn’t believe He even existed and embraced the many ‘fun’ things Uni life had to offer.

Then along came Tim! I felt loved and longed for our future together.

So what changed that started you thinking about God/Christianity?????

In 1999 with wedding plans underway, and different religious backgrounds to reconcile we ended up at BH and early on I realised that each Sunday I was hearing something very different from what I thought being a Christian was about, and despite repeated attempts to escape as soon as the service was over people were genuinely friendly.

Over the next 6 months I did an Alpha course, CE course and researched a lot about evolution and creation, and had a building realisation that what the Bible said was true and any faith I had in other theories came crashing down. The more I read and heard about Jesus, the more His words leapt out at me.

Something Jesus said (John 5:24)had a real impact on me “ I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life”

I remember thinking ‘Jesus is for real and he’s asking me to make a life and death decision.

So what did you decide to do?

I was anxious, what would friends think, what would I have to give up, and what if Tim didn’t agree and even though I didn’t understand everything I was overwhelmed with the desire to say sorry to God as I realised I could come back to Him and by accepting what Jesus had done by dying on the cross in my place, my relationship with my Father God would be restored. So I did – It felt amazing!

So what changed after you received Christ/said Yes to Jesus?????

I’m not sure what I was expecting next, but when I opened my eyes, everything still looked the same! But something very real had changed in me.

The first year after that was the hardest ever, with a stressful job, depression, and an eating disorder there were days I struggled to want to stay alive, and yet the support and love shown by our new family at BH was immense, BUT it was the security of knowing I was totally loved and forgiven because of Jesus, He kept me going one step at a time.

That was 12 years ago, so what’s life like now as a Christian?

When I look back now I can see God has always been at work. My life may not seem extraordinary. I’ve got married , worked, had a family, I still make bad choices, am tempted constantly and struggle to understand many things, but Jesus is always guiding and holding fast to me, and the more He shows me who He is and what He’s done, I know I can trust Him for the future too. Choosing daily to put Jesus as number 1 in my life has changed me, from the inside out, beyond recognition. It is often hard and painful, but He does it in a way that brings joy and thankfulness like nothing else

I’d like to leave you with something else Jesus’ says about Himself that also impacted on me.

(John 14:6) “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me”You may think that’s a bit of an extravagant claim, in today’s world, how can you be sure?That’s the point – His love for you is extravagant!So I hope that you won’t ignore what He says, but that you’ll be bold enough to ask your questions, and to ask Jesus what He means by that promise – He will answer

I was not brought up to be a Christian. My parents did not go to church. In fact, my dad was completely against Christianity. I was told from a young age that only “weak” people needed God and all I needed to do was be a good person. My good acts would get me to heaven.

However, I had a very inquisitive mind and even at a young age my earliest memories were of wondering whether there was a God and if there was did he even know about me. My home life wasn’t the happiest and consequently I would retreat to my bedroom and pray to a God who I wasn’t sure even existed, but I hoped he did as I really needed his help!

When I was 10 years old my father moved us to Hove from High Wycombe and I had to start a new school. On my first day I was introduced to a girl called Jenny and we quickly became very good friends. That friendship lasts to this day. I very quickly became aware of her Christian faith. It was very strong. She often talked to me about Jesus. I was invited to her house for tea and I met her parents who made me very welcome. A few years went by. Our friendship grew. We often walked to school together, by this time attending the Nevill Secondary School (now Blatchington Mill), frequently talking about God, Jesus & the Bible. Jenny was so confident in her belief in Jesus that I wanted to believe it for myself but I couldn’t. Mainly I was afraid of what my dad would say.

Jenny’s dad started running Bible study evenings at his house and I started going to them. I was coming up to the age of 15 by now. Over the next few months I had many questions and there was a growing conviction inside of me that all of this might just possibly be true.

Then, I entered a period of arguing with God. I began to wish that I had never heard about Jesus as I knew that deep down in my heart I needed to make a decision. Do I accept it all as true and put my trust in Jesus? Or, do I reject the whole thing entirely?

One day Jenny lent me a book. It was a fictional story of a young girl’s search for the truth. The message of God’s love and message of salvation was clearly spelled out. I was reading this story in my bedroom. It was 3 February 1972 and suddenly it all became clear. I just knew it was true. I didn’t need to have any more doubts. So I said to God “I believe it all”, “I want to follow you”. I didn’t feel any different but I knew that I believed something I had struggled to believe before. I started to read the Bible every day and it really seemed like God was speaking to me through the pages. It became alive to me.

That was 40 years ago. I have never ever regretted my decision to follow Jesus. There were still many things to overcome and many challenges in my life, but Jesus has been faithful through all. I met a wonderful Christian guy, Terry, when I was 19 and we married when I was 21 in 1976. We have had a lot of bad things happen to us but God has seen us through all of it. We have two sons who both serve God, full time, in USA. God is faithful!

I thank God for my friend Jenny who told me about Jesus all those years ago.

For many of us, the reality is we don’t know that many non-Christians and so for us evangelism never really gets off the starting blocks. Maybe you’re like me: ‘evangelism’ is a trigger word. It’s up there with ‘diet’ and ‘exercise’ in inducing immediate feelings of guilt and failure.

But here are a few ideas I’ve tried- I’m sure you’ll have better ones, but if not, why not have a go and see if they work for you?

1.       Hang on to the not yet believing friends we do have.

Maybe in previous stages of life we’ve had much more contact with people who aren’t Christians. So let’s make a real effort to keep up with a few people from those different eras. Sometimes years later friends will move into our area and new opportunities will open up.

2.       Look out for a way to meet non-Christians locally.

We need to be realistic as many of us lead busy lives. So why not think about how we can slightly change what we do as a hobby/interest in order to come into contact with people. E.g exercise class instead of an hour solitary in gym.

3.       Try turning acquaintances into friends.

We interact with lots of people every day-our neighbours, local shopkeepers, gym receptionists, parents at school gates. Someone suggested to me that we should try and say one more thing than we usually do as we come into contact with them e.g comment on the weather, admire their garden or complain about the trains. It means we strike up a conversation and next time we can say a bit more- and who knows where it could lead.

McGlyns lives a long way from the church, about an hour by public transport. This has been a hinderance to the good gospel work that he’s been able to do in that church. So a few months ago, James Pinto our Youth Minister ran the Brighton Marathon collecting sponsorship money to help purchase a motorbike for McGlyns and his wife.

Well, after all the money came in and was then transferred to Malawi, a great deal was found on a second hand Suzuki BP612… and here it is!

]]> http://www.bhmc.org.uk/2012/01/07/a-new-set-of-wheels/feed/ 0 http://www.bhmc.org.uk/2012/01/03/el-alfarero/ http://www.bhmc.org.uk/2012/01/03/el-alfarero/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:39:36 +0000 bhchurch http://www.bhmc.org.uk/?p=950 A few weeks ago we saw a video at church about El Alfarero, a student outreach project in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It’s part of the work done by Graham & Debbie Frith – Mission Partners whom we support.

Check out the video below:

That’s My King

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

How would you sum up Christmas in three words?

But what about you? How would you sum up Christmas in three words?

‘Christ is Born’… How about that for a summary?

It’s amazing how in the rush of Christmas, full of parties and shopping we can easily forget what we’re supposed to be celebrating. And for some of us, Christmas isn’t a happy time at all. We can’t see what all the fuss is about. But the fact that ‘Christ is born’ is news worth celebrating. The Bible says it’s the best news ever for all people.

So this Christmas, come along to one of the services at Bishop Hannington Church. You just might find out why Christmas is worth celebrating.

This year will be a performance of The Three Musketeers…

D’Artagnan has travelled to Paris, determined to become the first female Musketeer and serve the King.  Unfortunately her timing couldn’t have been worse because the Musketeers have been disbanded by the evil Cardinal Richelieu who serves no one but himself, and has sent his agents out on a mission to destroy the King and all his followers.

Along with Porthos, Athos and Aramis, the three Musketeers still loyal to the King, D’Artagnan must fight through royal quests, one-eyed men, deadly women and evil plots, and is forced to face up to the question that haunts them all: do they choose to serve the King, or themselves?

Performed to great acclaim on its premiere tour last year, The Three Musketeers returns once again to dazzle and delight all ages.

The performance starts at 6.30pm.

Tickets costs £5 per person, £20 for a family ticket, with under 5′s free.

For more information please contact the church office – (012732) 732965.