What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • I nominate these guys

    baptismal candidates

    Can you change the world by pouring water over someone?

    Well, we had a go yesterday in St Mary’s with two lovely baptisms in a great service yesterday morning.

    In the course of the service, we were reminded of Moses being scooped from the water of the River Nile and going on to set a whole people free from slavery. Then we heard a bit of St Paul which reminded us that transformation of the heart was connected with accepting that we all have gifts that differ. (What a fabulous reading for a baptism). Then we had a reading from the gospels which told us that in trying to work out who Jesus was, Peter the apostle actually found himself named and commissioned for service.

    What will these children do in their lives?

    There is so much trouble in the world at the moment that it is important to be reminded of the hope and the joy that isn’t just part of what happens when new life comes into a family with the birth of a child but also the new life  and hope which is intrinsic to our faith.

    Yesterday morning was a little Easter for us at St Mary’s. And a packed church was buzzing with the ideas that new life, hope and love are real and for sharing.

    I don’t know who is going to sort the world out and allow the kingdom of love to be seen for real. But I nominate these guys, freshly baptized, and all like them who are entering the world anew. May they be a generation that brings faith, hope and love to bear on a world that needs to be baptised with every drop of goodness it can get.

    ,

3 responses to “The Four Horsemen of Growth – their names and their characteristics”

  1. Christine McIntosh Avatar
    Christine McIntosh

    Good stuff, Kelvin!

    Reply
  2. Stephen Plant Avatar
    Stephen Plant

    An interesting article Kelvin. However I suspect it may be city centric. Have you any knowledge of these four horsemen galloping out into the Highlands and Islands ?

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      I did name one church in this diocese that is very definitely not in a city. And I certainly do know areas of the Highlands and Islands where there’s a demographic shift going on and particular locales are now repopulating.

      You can get faster internet access on some islands these days than I can in Great Western Road – and that’s a deliberate attempt to put in infrastructure to support new working age populations.

      If there’s another way of growing churches other than the four that I’ve mentioned that I’m unaware of which I’ve missed because I’m based in a city then I’m all ears.

      Reply

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