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My Story Talk 17 Ministry in Basingstoke 1968-78 Part 2 Welcome to Talk 17 in our series where I'm reflecting on God's goodness to me throughout my life. Last time I was talking about the evangelistic missions we organised in Basingstoke, but these tended largely to attract adults, and the children and young people needed to be reached too. So that's our subject for today. Children's Work At first, the only children we were reaching were those who came to our Sunday School, which was held at 10am before the 11am Communion Service. One of those children was Rosie Wilcox (née Wright), who later became Jonathan's Sunday School teacher. Fifty years later, I still exchange Christmas cards every year with Rosie and her husband Paul. However, we soon began to reach other children in what was then a more unusual way. To the best of my knowledge, we were the first AoG church in Britain to organise a pre-school playgroup. I had felt for some time that most church buildings were not being used to their full potential. I talked with Bill Mitchell, the church elder, who himself was a businessman, and he wholeheartedly agreed. The church building was standing empty in the daytime for six days a week. And we were on the edge of a new council estate where most of the houses were occupied by young families. So, we checked out the legal requirements, and discovered that our facilities would accommodate up to 40 children, provided that we had one adult for every eight children present. We obviously needed to invest in the right equipment, and Eileen knew exactly what to get. In fact, with her administrative skills, she was the ideal person to take charge of the whole thing, and before Debbie and Sarah were old enough to go to school, they could be with her while she was at playgroup. We started by opening for three mornings a week, but the demand for places was such that before long we were open for five. And we had adequate workers to take the full complement of forty, so for five mornings a week, as well as supervising and organising the children in their play, they were able to tell them about Jesus. That was, of course, the most important thing, but another welcome benefit was that, from the small charge we made for each child, we were receiving enough income to pay the mortgage on the building! And an unexpected result of running that playgroup was the request I received to exorcise a ‘ghost' from one of the nearby houses! It happened like this. It was 12 o'clock and the playgroup session was ending. I happened to be present having a chat with Bill Mitchell, when one of the mums came in and said, Is one of you the vicar? And although I don't usually go by that title, I said, Yes, I am. She then asked if I could help her because, she said, there was a ghost in her house. Could I get rid of it? To which, knowing that in Christ we have authority over the forces of darkness, I replied, Yes, of course. How much will it cost? she said. Nothing, I replied. Wow! That's good, she said, the spiritualist wanted a fiver. She gave me her address and, that evening, I went with another brother to visit her. We told her that her greatest security would be to let Jesus into her life and led her in a prayer for salvation. Of course, the so-called ‘ghost' was actually a demon, because there is no biblical evidence for the existence of what people call ghosts, but the woman did not know that. She said that it usually appeared at the top of the stairs. So I went up after it and, although I could see nothing unusual, I did feel a distinct drop in temperature. So I commanded the thing, whatever it was, to leave in the name of Jesus. At once the woman, who was standing in the hall with the other brother, suddenly shrieked. There, didn't you see it? It went right past you! So, although I couldn't see it, I chased it down the stairs, opened the front door, and told it to get out and never come back. The following Sunday she was in church to say thank you and told me that it had gone. So running a playgroup certainly put us in contact with the people in ways we did not expect, but in Britain's fastest growing town the playgroup and the Sunday School we ran in our church building were by no means sufficient to spread the good news among the children, and we soon decided to launch a second Sunday School in a school on the Oakridge estate. This was only possible thanks to the commitment of our teachers who, having taught in the morning in Cranbourne Lane, were willing to give up their Sunday afternoon to teach the same lessons to the children in Oakridge. Another children's work was started by Hilda Gibbons, an elderly widow who opened her home every week to some thirty children on the Winklebury estate. And we reached hundreds of children through the holiday clubs we organised. These lasted for a week or so towards the end of the long summer holidays. They were led mainly by Anthea and William Kay assisted by other church workers, SPF students and other Christian teachers all of whom we accommodated throughout their stay. Notable examples were David Littlewood, later to become an AoG pastor, and Phyllis Parrish (née Sowter) who was baptised in the Spirit while she was with us and later became a student at Mattersey and a missionary to Bangaladesh. Youth Work Some of the older children who came to the holiday clubs were also attracted to our Friday night Youth Meeting. This was our main means of reaching young people on a regular basis and, for most of the time we were at Basingstoke, was led by me. Our church was situated right next to Cranbourne Lane Comprehensive School, where Debbie and Sarah became pupils and I became a parent governor. We also attracted young people from other parts of the town where some of our members were teachers. The church minibus, faithfully driven by William Kay, was vitally important for this work, although it wasn't worth much financially. At the time we had no suitable garage for it, so it was parked each night in the road at the back of our house. One night, in the early hours of the morning, we were woken up by the sound of our dog barking and then I realised that someone was banging heavily on our back door. As I went to the window I became quickly aware of another noise – the constant sound of a car horn. It was our minibus, and the neighbour banging on the back door had come to ask us to silence it. I quickly threw on some clothes and hurried outside to see what I could do. To my surprise the driver's door of the minibus was wide open. I wondered why, as I was sure I had locked it the night before. But my first task was to silence the horn, so I quickly disconnected the battery. Now the horn was silent I could go back to bed, hoping that not too many neighbours had been disturbed. Next morning, as I was apologising for the noise in the night, another neighbour told us they had seen what had happened. Two men had broken into our minibus, but the moment they opened the door the horn had suddenly started sounding. This apparently had caused the men to panic, and our neighbour had seen them running away. Their attempt to steal our minibus had been thwarted! Of course, it may be possible to think of a rational explanation for all this, but it's important to mention that the horn on the minibus would not normally sound unless the ignition was switched on, and there was no form of burglar alarm fitted to the minibus. But whether there's a rational explanation or not, as far as I was concerned God had protected our vehicle. He works in natural as well as in supernatural ways, and we will probably never know why that horn sounded just at the right moment – except that God knew that we needed that minibus! In addition to the weekly youth meeting, we also organised at least two week-long missions, one where Warwick Shenton was the evangelist, and another led by Paul and Janice Finn who were the national youth evangelists for Assemblies of God. We were able to get them into several of the secondary schools in the town where they spoke in school assemblies. This way we knew that the vast majority of teenagers in Basingstoke had the opportunity to hear the gospel. But it was at the regular weekly youth meeting and its associated activities that close personal relationships could be formed with the young people. We organised walks in the countryside, barbecues, and games evenings where we had great opportunities to get to know them better – and for them to get to know us better too. And nowhere was this truer than at our annual youth camp. New Forest Pentecostal Youth Camp While we were at Colchester I had organised a youth camp on the island of Mersea and, thanks to Eileen's culinary skills and to the things I had learned as a teenager in the Boys' Brigade, this proved highly successful. So towards the beginning of our time in Basingstoke I made enquiries as to what sites might be available for us to do something similar near us, and I discovered that the Hampshire Education Committee had one near Brockenhurst in the New Forest. It was set in beautiful countryside, was within a short driving distance from the coast, and had the advantage of flush toilets and showers! All the equipment – tents, marquees, tables, benches, cooking utensils etc. – was provided on site, which was managed by a very helpful warden, a Welshman called Eddie Davies. So we decided to give it a go and, as an initial experiment, took a group of about 15 young people for a few days in the school summer holidays. It went so well that we decided to return the following year for a full week and to invite other AoG churches to participate. I put an advert in Redemption Tidings and over the years the numbers increased to some 150 young people each week. Eileen and I planned the weekly menu which, although it was somewhat restricted by the cooking equipment provided at the site, nevertheless comprised three hot meals a day, prepared by teams of dedicated workers. The only exception to this was that when we all went out for the day – to the Isle of Wight, for example – everyone prepared their own sandwich lunch straight after breakfast with the food we provided for them. Much of the food we bought came in large cans obtained from the cash and carry store in Basingstoke and transported down to Brockenhurst in the minibus in advance. The rest we bought on a daily basis from the International store in Brockenhurst who, incidentally, issued vast quantities of Green Shield stamps, which, when you had saved enough of them, you could trade in for a variety of items displayed in the Green Shield catalogue. I seem to remember that Eileen and I got our coffee percolator that way! The daily programme involved breakfast, during which each of the tents was inspected for tidiness and hygiene, followed by a short devotional involving a song, a prayer, and a Bible reading. The daytime was taken up with recreational activities including at least one day trip to either Hengistbury Head or the Isle of Wight, afternoon trips to Milford-on-Sea, or a treasure hunt in the New Forest. As a family we all enjoyed going down to Brockenhurst a week or so in advance to prepare for this, when we would compose a poem giving clues to the route. But the most important part of the camp programme was without question the meeting we held in the marquee each evening. These involved worship, prayer, testimonies, and preaching followed by an appeal. Every year we saw dozens of young people respond, either for salvation or for a renewed commitment to Christ. And many were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. I still receive testimonies from people, now in their sixties, of how they met with God in those meetings. After each meeting there was a break when we opened our tuck shop for half an hour. This was followed by a time of singing in the marquee, or, once a week, around a camp fire. The only exception to this was the long hot summer of 1976 when we were at camp for three weeks and when everywhere was so dry that it was illegal to light fires anywhere in the New Forest. Those weeks spent at camp during the seventies were wonderful times of blessing for all involved and form some of the happiest memories of my life. But such blessings do not come by accident. They come as the result of prayer, commitment, and teamwork. None of it would have been possible without the dedicated help of Basingstoke church members like Hilda Gibbons, and visiting pastors and their wives who over several years brought their young people to camp and shared in the work and ministry. Of special note among these were Mike and Beryl Godward from Corringham, Brian and Audrey Quar from Crossacres, Manchester, and Colin Blackman from Tonbridge Wells, all of whom became good personal friends. But these were not the only relationships that were formed or developed at camp. We really got to know our own young people much better too. Some of them came down early to help unload cans of food from the minibus and to assist in the erection of the tents, and I learned that forming relationships with young people, letting them know that you love them rather than just preaching at them, was the way to gain their loyalty and respect. This is essential if we want them to follow our example in following Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). One example of this was Linda. She, along with her twin sister, Sue, had become regular attenders at our Friday night youth meeting. On one occasion we were having a sausage-sizzle in the church grounds. Linda was standing next to me looking into the fire when she told me she was thinking of leaving us. So, putting my arm round her shoulder, I said to her, Oh don't leave us Linda. We all love you. We'd really miss you. Linda didn't leave us, and her relationship with Eileen and me deepened when she came to babysit for us from time to time. I recently discovered a letter she had written to Eileen in 1974 in which she said, Entering your home is so different… there's such a lovely atmosphere within it... as soon as I entered the home I felt more confident in myself. Thanks for talking to me, so far since I've spoken to you I've felt up on top of the world… I want to say a big thank you, but I don't think I could ever write or say it the way I feel to a friend like you... Thank you for praying for me. Later, when her leaving college coincided with my becoming principal at Mattersey, Linda became my secretary, only leaving when she married a student from Switzerland, where she now lives. But in 2012 she made a surprise visit to England when she came to our Golden Wedding anniversary. Of course, Linda was an exceptional case, but her story does illustrate the value of making time to develop relationships with children and young people wherever possible.
Are affiliates in detailing good or bad? Once you hear the best new game on the amazing island of Mersea we'll get into the meat of the topic. Do you trust affiliates when making content?Also don't forget to email any questions, suggestions or feedback to speckyandpaultalkdetailing@gmail.com and consider supporting the podcast at Patreon.com/speckyandpaultalkdetailingLove you! x
On this week's episode of Nina's Got Good News, host Nina B. Clarke anchors our first Female Founders Panel. These are our Good News VIP Guests: — Kim Nichols, MD, FAAD is a Harvard-trained, board-certified, celebrity dermatologist that treats both cosmetic and medical skincare concerns. Dr. Nichols is the Founding Director of NicholsMD of Greenwich. Visit the NicholsMD website: https://kimnicholsmd.com Follow Dr. Nichols on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholsmd_dermatology/ — Anne Grossman is a Connecticut-based entrepreneur, and the Founder + Owner of Rebel Daughter Cookies, a which creates ultra-decadent, gourmet chocolate chunk cookies to indulge your inner REBEL. Visit the Rebel Daughter Cookies website: https://rebeldaughtercookies.com Follow Rebel Daughter Cookies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeldaughtercookies/ — Melanie (Mel) Bolin and Lina Dickinson are the co-founders of MERSEA, a luxury, travel-inspired brand that creates adventure essentials crafted for wherever you may go. Visit the MERSEA website: https://mersea.com Follow MERSEA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merseaco?igsh=MTF4eDlxbm9kcXloeA%3D%3D — Topics of today's episode include: origin stories for each panelist, lessons learned, biggest challenges and greatest success stories in their respective business ventures, the impact of being a mentor/being mentored by others, and more. ——————— This week's episode of Nina's Got Good News is brought to you by MASA Chips! MASA are classic tortilla chips handmade with only three natural ingredients— organic corn, grass fed tallow, and sea salt. Visit them online at masachips.com, and use code GOODNEWS at checkout for 20% off your purchase. ——————— Follow Nina on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ninabclarke/ Visit Nina's blog: www.ninabradleyclarke.com Visit Nina's LTK shop: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/NinaBClarke
Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Saul and Lucy every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!It's another episode of your favourite professional gardening duo, and this week, Lucy and Saul are (thankfully) getting back to practical horticulture. Saul has been busy admiring his magnolias at Stonelands, and Lucy has won the battle of the miscanthus bed on Mersea, and the thorny bed at Kingsland. Hurrah!! We also thank our marvellous listeners (yes, that's YOU!) for helping Lucy with her coastal conundrum - Griselinia littoralis is the clear winner. And spring IS springing! We're happy to be fools if it's not - because there are definite signs that this glorious season is on its way.Instagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulSupport the show
In this episode, Natalie interviews Jo Lowery from Cool Coastal Huts, who shares her journey of owning and renting out luxury beach huts. Jo's passion for beach huts began when she purchased her first hut in Frinton 18 years ago. The episode delves into Jo's experience of refurbishing beach huts, her appearance on George Clark's Amazing Spaces, and the process of setting up a beach hut rental business. Jo provides insights on beach hut etiquette, design tips for creating a modern and luxurious beach hut, and the costs involved in building a beach hut from scratch. KEY TAKEAWAYS Jo Lowery started her beach hut journey 18 years ago and now owns five beach huts, each with a unique design and contemporary feel. She got into beach huts after falling in love with them during a family trip to the beach and decided to buy one, leading to her passion for beach huts. Jo's beach huts are designed with a modern and luxurious touch, focusing on minimal clutter and hidden storage to create a comfortable and stylish space. Setting up a beach hut rental business involves checking with the council for licenses, using social media or booking platforms for marketing, and determining pricing based on location and hut amenities. Jo's beach huts in Frinton and Mersea offer different seaside experiences, with Frinton being a traditional quiet resort and Mersea having a more adventurous, island-like feel. BEST MOMENTS "I've now got five beach huts. So I've got a bit of a beach hut collecting problem." "I like to keep mine affordable. But mine are, I like to think, you know, higher end ones. And so mine are £90 in the summer." "I've had a few people trying to get into the wrong hut and occasionally turning up on the wrong day." VALUABLE RESOURCES https://www.coolcoastalhuts.co.uk HOST BIO My name is Natalie Young. I bought a beach hut to bring joy into my life after escaping an abusive relationship and a difficult divorce. Based in Christchurch, Dorset, my beach hut is affectionally called the Salty Seagull and is located on Friars Cliff beach with sea views to the Needles on the Isle of White. It is my slice of heaven. Owning and hiring a beach hut is more complicated than I realised and I am on a constant mission to discover the best ways to manage and care for your hut. I have researched the pros and cons of renting and the best ways to market and host. The beach, the sights and the sounds of the sea bring me huge joy. I hope this podcast will bring you smiles, laughter and joy too! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559730024536&sk=about https://www.linkedin.com/company/103555627/admin/feed/posts/?feedType=following PODCAST DESCRIPTION Welcome to the Bonkers about Beach Huts podcast, the show that's all about beach huts! Whether you are thinking of buying a beach hut and don't know where to begin or if you have had a beach hut in your family for generations this podcast is for you. As I travel across the UK exploring these coastal retreats and sharing personal stories of how the humble beach hut has shaped lives, I will also be creating the UK's first beach hut map. I will give tips on where and how to buy a beach hut. And share everything you need to know about beach hut maintenance plus advice on hiring a beach hut. We will be chatting with special guests from estate agents to lock specialists, beach hut associations to beach hut builders, and artists to interior designers. If you don't know what all the fuss is about, join us every week and you too will become a little bit Bonkers Bbout Beach Huts.
Interview avec Gintz, Anvi et Yun Poq pour parler de la soirée "La Double Release" au Molodoï avec les deux groupes Zengang & Seamer ainsi que la strasbourgeoise Asfar Shamsi. Réalisé en direct sur RBS dans Le 16-18 de Pierre Liermann le 26/10/23
Today I talked to Marty Wingate about her novel The Orphans of Mersea House (Alcove Press 2022). Olive Kersey is both penniless and alone at 37 – her brother and her boyfriend both died during WWII, her father not long after, and Olive spent all the years taking care of her ailing mother. Now her mother is dead and Olive has to vacate their rental. She lives in Southwold, a small town on the Suffolk coast of England and her choices are limited until her childhood friend Margery suddenly returns home. Margery has inherited a big old house, and hires Olive to run it, but the first two lodgers have secrets. Margery learns that she is the ward of an 11-year-old orphan, daughter of her first love. Olive adds little Juniper, whose legs were compromised by polio and requires braces, to her list of responsibilities in the old Mersea House. The officer in charge of placing children like Juniper begins keeping a close eye on the house, and in a small town, there are always those who want to expose secrets…… Marty Wingate began college life as a journalism major but ended up with an undergraduate degree in theater and a master's degree in speech pathology from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. She worked as a speech therapist in Phoenix, at a school for the deaf in El Paso, and at the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin, Ireland before settling in the Pacific Northwest where she met her husband and worked in public schools for many years. Her husband's job as a newspaper and freelance copyeditor drew her back into the world of words by way of horticulture. She returned to school and obtained a second master's degree, this one in urban horticulture from the University of Washington. She then wrote garden how-to books and magazine and newspaper articles and for several years could be heard taking gardening weekly on KUOW, the local NPR station. She segued from nonfiction to fiction writing with the appearance of her first mystery, The Garden Plot, in 2014. In the past nearly-ten years, Marty has written seventeen books. This includes eight books in the Potting Shed series featuring Pru Parke, a middle-aged American gardener transplanted from Texas to England; four Birds of a Feather mysteries that follow Julia Lanchester, bird lover, who runs a tourist office in a Suffolk village; three books in the First Edition Library series; and two historical fiction standalones including Glamour Girls, about a female, Second World War Spitfire pilot. More books are on the way. A Body on the Doorstep, the first book in The London Ladies Murder Club, set in 1921, will be out January 2024. Marty prefers on-the-ground research whenever possible, so she and her husband regularly travel to England and Scotland, where she can be found tracing the steps of her characters, stopping for tea and a slice of Victoria sponge in a café, or enjoying a swift half in a pub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
Located off the coast of West Mersea and long black timber building with small windows hoovers above the water line. The Packing Shed is actually resting on Packing Marsh Island, where a for decades Mersea Island's oysters were procressed and packed before being sent to London for sale. Now fully restored, the Packing Shed is an education centre, which is open to the public on certain days, telling the story of Mersea's oyster industry. Alan and Bry Mogridge took Owen out on a small boat to vist the small island and to show him around the Packing Shed. The Packing Shed Trust is a charitable organisation with more information on their website: www.packing-shed.org.uk Owen would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email essexbytheseapodcast@gmail.com Join him on social media: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Support with a small donation via ko-fi.com/essexbythesea
Today's guests Melanie and Lina are the founders of MERSEA. MERSEA's story began in 2013 with a singular passion in mind: Travel, and the nostalgic scents that come along with it. Fascinated by scent's ability to transport the body and soul to places old and new, this led our founders to uncover the creations of artisans found in corners around the world. Now, MERSEA is no longer exclusively a destination for scents and self-care, but a curated collection of travel essentials crafted entirely for your journey—wherever you may go. A California native, Lina spent her childhood summers in San Diego attending surf camp and soaking up the sun. After marrying her college sweetheart, she moved to Kansas City, got her MBA, and met Melanie at their children's small school. She is a lover of the ocean and adventure, and when she's not working or traveling for MERSEA, Lina enjoys playing cards with her four kids. Born in Texas but destined for the West Coast, Melanie lived in Los Angeles for many years embracing the creativity, adventure, and ample opportunities in the brand marketing world. Melanie then moved to Kansas City alongside her husband and two children in 2004—subsequently meeting Lina. At MERSEA, Melanie manages all things creative. We know listeners will love today's episode! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howdshedothat/support
Interview du groupe strasbourgeois Seamer pour parler du concept des Sessions Mersea, disponibles sur YouTube. Réalisé en direct dans Le 16-18 de Pierre Liermann le 6 avril 2023
On this episode of the California Now Podcast, host Soterios Johnson speaks with three San Francisco insiders and uncovers some great ways to experience the City by the Bay. First, Johnson speaks with Josh Armel, owner of the Painted Ladies Tour Company. Armel discusses the city's rich past and the unique advantages of touring San Francisco's historic neighborhoods in vintage Volkswagen buses. Each of the lovingly restored vehicles have their own personality, not to mention eyelashes that adorn their headlights. Next, Johnson learns how to plan the perfect literary-inspired weekend with Erica Messner, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The San Franciscan magazine. From taking in poetry readings at a local pub and tasting out-of-this-world focaccia in North Beach to whale watching around the Farallon Islands, Messner has no shortage of hidden gems to explore. And finally, Johnson connects with MeeSun Boice, owner of the bar/restaurant Mersea on Treasure Island. The island, Boice points out, is one of San Francisco's best-kept secrets and well worth a visit. And with a new ferry service coming soon, it's about to become much more popular.
This week Michelle speaks with Jessica Newman, she is a model represented by Zebedee Talent a revolutionary model agency representing people with disabilities and visible differences. At 14 years old Jessica was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata, an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss in some or all parts of the body. Jessica has dealt with lots of self-confidence knocks and emotions since her diagnosis but during the lockdown, she decided to share her story on Instagram. Jessica's brilliant and inspirational social media account has brought lots of amazing opportunities such as features on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch, a modeling contract, and raising money and awareness for Alopecia UK. Jessica lives next to a farm in Mersea, Essex with her mum and stepdad and has a beautiful cat called Scrappy. Join Michelle for weekly episodes as she invites guest speakers from coaches, personal trainers, yogis, business owners, creatives, and more to discuss their personal success stories and well-being. Oh, and of course PETS. To find out more about Jess follow her Instagram account @nevertooobold. All of our guests are pet owners and have such amazing stories about their beloved pets. So whether you want to start a journey of wellness, listen to inspirational stories about life and pets, we are the place to be. You can follow Michelle on Instagram and Facebook @Chattycatscare. As always please do rate, review, and subscribe.
Bay Area residents review farm to table communal dining in Richmond, a hidden Thai gem in El Cerrito, and upscale Chinese in San Francisco.
In Episode #12, Camille and Tanya discuss how the digital culture is at times, troubling our relationships as coaches, facilitators, and even friends. From racially charged spaces and discussions online, to people prying for gossip in a small town, they explore how we can truly create intimacy online and when it’s better to pick up the phone or meet face to face. Tanya shares an inspiring story about an online exchange that brought tears to her eyes and Camille her concern about trying to do business via text and the cries for intimacy she sees between the zero’s and 1’s. “One of the skills of the new leadership paradigm is helping people become more relational, lean in and understand that some of these compensations are really a reach for intimacy.” - Camille Adair Episode Transcript [00:00:01] Restoring the Culture is hosted by Tanya Taylor, Rubinstein Story mentor, and Camille Adair, family constellation facilitator. [00:00:11] In this podcast, these long term friends explore how stories serve our lives. Their inquiry meanders into the realms of science, theater, health and consciousness, moving the individual and global narratives forward as they draw upon their relationship as the laboratory for their experiments in true. So many of us feel isolated and alone in our deepest longing. Each one of us is necessary rediscovering the truth of our human story and listening to what is calling us forward so that we can restoring the culture together. [00:00:52] Hi, this is Camille. Welcome to Restoring the Culture Today. Tanya and I will be talking about restoring the digital culture. And I'd like to start off with a quote from the book Every day, A Boon to Living Better Together The African Way. [00:01:10] And the last name of the author is spelled N, G, O, M, A and E. A boon to refutes the notion that a person can ever be self-made because we are all interconnected. We should not be fooled by the myth of the self-made individual as no one exists in true isolation. [00:01:35] And this quote seems so fitting for I think it is a myth that when we have an online presence and as we are moving more and more to digital communication one on one and in groups and relying on social media emails, texting and even phone calls, that it's we don't we're not having the in-person experiences as much as we were before. So as someone who spent so much time building and on digital business online, what do you and what are your thoughts about this, Tanya? [00:02:17] Well, first of all, thanks for suggesting this topic today. [00:02:20] You were inspired around this, and I think nothing could be tight, more timely. We're still in the age of Kofod as we're recording this in early June 2020. And. [00:02:35] And right now, you know, people are in the streets. Black lives matters. You know, the whole culture is in an enormous moment of change. [00:02:46] And I have been online pretty seriously for 10 years. [00:02:53] I was an early adopter with a Web site 20 years ago, 19, actually. [00:03:00] But really started selling online about 11 years ago and have gone deep, deep, deep dives into all the social media. And I was attracted to it immediately because what I saw in it was the possibility of what has come to exist, to build a be in touch with a global web of people. So first of all, I so love the piece about community and that none of us are self-made. And the illusion that someone is self-made can really be perpetuated and kind of in a very exploitative way online. It's a kind of. I think about, you know, the guru paradigm and the guru paradigm and this this image of the self-made individual online is actually, I think, something that is shifting and breaking apart at this time. So if we were in like early childhood online for the last tower over many years, feels to me like we're moving into some kind of an adolescence, some kind of a shift or I don't even want to say adolescence, but there's movement. There's maturity happening. And one of the things of this time is that it is about community, that it takes many of us, as it as you and I have talked about a lot lately, about diversity, diversity on the outer and diversity on the inner, and that it takes many skill sets and many gifts of many, many talents and many life experiences to create anything truly meaningful. But I think the thing that I'm noticing in the digital space right now is those that have set themselves up as gurus and not really acknowledging the tremendous amount of energy and beingness and experience supporting them and that are the ones crashing and burning right now. There's there's there's a shift happening development, to be for sure, in the entrepreneurial space, in the online coaching and teaching and facilitation space. And personally, I'm excited about that because it's becoming the opportunities to become more relational and to show the relationships and lead with the relationships rather than with that sort of very patriarchal image of this soul, often white person doing it on my own. [00:05:43] So from a systemic relational standpoint, if that's such a potent image, when you say somebody crashed and burned as a system, how do we hold people? Like how how would you see holding the people that are crashing and burning? Because we're in it. We're a closed container species. Right. And on a closed container planet. And what happens to one person impacts everyone else, right, in some way? [00:06:11] Yeah, well, it's interesting. I'm seeing so much love and compassion happening now in the end. Activism. So I'm part of three different groups online that are about they're specifically white spaces, not segregated spaces, but white spaces that where there is accountability with black people and or other people of color. For us to decolonize ourselves, deconditioned ourselves from the sickness that is white supremacy, that just like patriarchy and capitalism, has been the water we've been swimming in so that the problems or the unconsciousness. So what I'm seeing is people are being challenged. They're being challenged in their power. They're also being called in as much as they're being called out. So right now, I've never seen resources like this. And I want to say, you know, maybe that's my own bias that led with sharing about the white spaces. [00:07:15] There's so many black educators online now teaching white people, you know, people like Rachel Carr, girl who's been, you know, really big in the online space, breaking this apart. [00:07:28] Leila Sayad, who wrote me and White Supremacy. [00:07:32] There's so many resources on the black literary canon. You know, I. [00:07:39] I mean, stuff like James Baldwin and his work and just Mersea by Bryan Stevenson like stuff now and stuff that's more historical. Toni Morrison, it's being shared. There are so many resources available for us to do our work. And so my feeling is the people that are kind of crashing and burning because they were riding in an unconscious way and only centering themselves. It's not even just whiteness alone. It's this it's this kind of entitlement, this kind of elite ism and this kind of guru thing. Because I've seen it in spiritual circles that happens in educational other institutional circles. It's like it's it's a lead us and it's lone wolf. Right? It's a kind of I'm better than everyone. It's elevated. And of course, that goes with a white supremacist narrative. But our male supremacist narrative and patriarchy. [00:08:40] So there people are reaching out. Those people are being called out, but also called in. There is so much community support for people. [00:08:50] Who want to shift and change? Rachel Rogers, who's an incredible entrepreneur and leader. She's having a town hall calling people in to reimagine business. So I think if anybody who's willing to be humble. And come in from a space of I don't know, and I make mistakes all the time, and I'm saying that for myself, I make mistakes. I'm no expert on this. I've been committed to social justice for a long time. I've made so many mistakes and some public mistakes. And the thing is, though, not collapsing into our fragility. So the practice becomes, I'm making mistakes, but I'm living out loud. And my heart is here. Teach me. I'm willing to learn and I'm willing to do the work. So for the crash and burn people, it's like, you know, sometimes some of the more well-known people who have gone down or, you know, their businesses, I think will be impacted forever. And this happened with. I'm thinking of a couple women right now. That happened too recently. But I saw this happen with the men, including like Tony Robbins and the Metoo Movement. And there was a conflict with this woman and, you know, all kinds of things. I think how people survive is going to be are you willing to go low? Are you willing to say, I don't know, I've been unconscious this conditioning, because you do family, ancestral constellation work is not just me. This is this is centuries and centuries and maybe all the way back to millennial millennium of unconscious conditioning. [00:10:25] So how do we go low? [00:10:29] And stay open and stay an inquiry. And for me, my practice is to be listening to black women and learning from black women. [00:10:37] Right now. [00:10:39] It's interesting, I think part of my practice is, you know, I have this background in teaching emotional intelligence, especially in health care. And, you know, one of the big things, you know, that that I learned is that if if you have a difficult issue, you just don't do it on social media. [00:10:56] You don't confront on social media. You don't you don't even do it in a text if it has to do with a sensitive topic or it could impact a relationship. You pick up the phone because it's just we are just more relational when we can hear the intonations in a voice than, you know, there's just so much lost in the visual digital communication realm. [00:11:20] And I think one of the ways that I've been working with it is. [00:11:25] That when I see someone actually doing that, engaging in edgy, sort of confrontational, trying to like work out relationship stuff through email or texting without picking up the phone or being able to meet in person is I think it's actually a way that they're trying to get closer. [00:11:47] Like, it pushes us away. [00:11:50] But this is what I have learned so much in my constellation work, is that these movements in the relational field oftentimes look opposite of what the inner desire is, the inner longing maybe to come closer. And so what do we do? We start to kind of maybe engage in some dissonant behavior to create some dissonance, because at least that's intimate. Right. It's relational. [00:12:17] Yes. And I mean, I've created some dissonant behavior like that. I've had I mean, I've done that by and I've called people out after, say, in the case. I always go to people behind the scenes first. And I do try and have phone conversations, are asked for can we clear the air? Because I think that's the thing. We can't be afraid of that. It's so essential that we go privately first with my own personal business coach, who's one of the people who, you know, I think has had her business impacted negatively in this time. [00:12:50] And hopefully she'll learn from that and, you know, take the invitation that's been given her. But here's the thing. When these it's a paradigm. So when people set themselves up as a guru, I asked to speak with her with a friend of mine last fall, and she didn't allow it. So what happened when all of this came down? It goes out on line when people haven't been available for the relational thing. [00:13:19] And there is a whole very patriarchal way of, quote unquote, leveraging a business. It's very accepted in the entrepreneurial way. And the way a lot of people do it is to pass everything off to their team so that they can remain removed as a rock star. [00:13:38] But they're not a rock star. They're a teacher. They're a coach. [00:13:42] And and then there's no intimacy with your teacher or coach. It's so big. It's such an enterprise. [00:13:50] And I've thought for decades this is problematic in any kind of setup for real teaching, learning, the intimacy is lost. [00:14:00] So when does something become too big to me? I can't even imagine wanting a business where one of my students. I couldn't make time for a 20 minute call to clear the air about something to me. Then it's it's jumped the shark. Right. [00:14:16] It's like the desire for greed and so much money and the the promise six figure seven multiple, six figures, not just six figures, but multiple six figure seven figures, eight figures is very much about moving away from intimacy with clients. And I'm speaking very much. But in the thing you and I both do, we teach clients. I work with people in story. You do Constellation's. We do work together. We do work with other people. [00:14:45] And it's it's it's not so big, you know what I'm saying? That's why that stuff happens online. I think I mean, some many reasons for those things to happen. [00:14:54] But that's one of the reasons is the person is set themselves so far apart that they're not available for a phone call, even if you reach out to them or a short talk. [00:15:05] And this is really you know, you're speaking from the entrepreneurial world. And I can also say that this happens in health care. It happens around policy and politics. You know, and and I do think that this is one of the skills of the new leadership paradise. It's really how to be how to help people become more relational and how to lean in and to recognize some of these compensation's as a reach for intimacy so that we don't personalize everything in a way that we're all then reacting and bumping up against each other. [00:15:40] I had an interesting thing happen the other day, and I was I actually have to say I was pretty proud of myself because it was a it was a reframe of a trigger. [00:15:49] So like I grew up in a very small town. There were 200 people in the town. There were 14 kids in my graduating class. You know, there were. [00:15:59] You know, I think, you know, kindergarten through 12th grade, we were all under the same roof. Two hundred in the whole school. I mean, it was really, you know, there were. It was more than 200 people in there, including the outlying areas. [00:16:11] But it was a tiny. I grew up in a tiny little town. [00:16:14] So you can imagine, you know, part of what happens in those towns is I think it's a it's like it bumps up against the need for differentiation and intimacy, like how do we differentiate and how do we come together? And I think then it can become sort of messy and and those two processes can overlap in ways that creates hardship. Right. So one of the ways that that happens is, is through sort of the got the gossip chain in a small town. [00:16:41] Right. You don't experience the gossip chain in the same way in a large city. You know, there are just so many people. [00:16:50] But I'm back now in Oregon for a time. You know, not in the town I grew up, but in a town close by. It's relatively small. My family is known here. And I went in to a public place the other day and I saw someone who knows me. And I could tell she was really trying to get the dirt on my shoe. [00:17:13] She really she really, you know. [00:17:16] But she did it in a way that was like really like prying. And it was pretty inappropriate relationally. It just I sort of felt violated. [00:17:22] And because of my upbringing, that sort of felt like a trigger. But you know what? I walked away and I thought, you know what? That's care. [00:17:30] Gone sideways. You know, there was like, she wants to connect with me. Right? She's wanting intimacy totally. And this is really the only way that she knows how to do that right now. Because when you gossip, you know, it can feel intimate in the moment. It can feel like connection, a form of connection. But it doesn't call you to be vulnerable because gossip is all about the other two. And so I think we are living in this culture of othering. And I think that othering is what's concerning me about the how we will restorer the digital culture, because I think there are there are parts of our biology and our neurology that are are being challenged and hopefully not atrophying. And sometimes that's an image that comes up for me, is that with all the ways that our brains are responding to different ways of communicating, I almost think it's easier to other because we don't see we can send someone a text and get a reply and we didn't see the look of grief on their face. Yes, yes. You know what I mean? We didn't hear the tone in their voice that told us they were vulnerable. I mean, one thing that happened with this person who I recently had an experience with around gossip was that that helped me to bridge. What maybe she really was reaching for intimacy in and it was coming across as gossip, right? Yes. Was that I actually kind of saw the desperation when this person she was desperate. She was leaning toward me. She wanted something. It felt inappropriate and it felt a bit like a violation. But I also know that I have a sensitivity to that because of how I grew up. And it felt so good to actually feel like I could sort of bring her closer to my own heart and to feel some compassion for her, in a way. [00:19:29] Totally. You know, I think with emotional intelligence, I know I feel like people are practicing that more unbind. So there was one woman yesterday in a new group by men, and it's around people sort of looking at their privilege. And I can be very charged. Right. There's a lot of emotion. There's a lot of fragility. There's a lot of fear and terror about saying the wrong things. Shame could get triggered. I mean, it's a not a safe space. It's a brave space, but not a safe space. And even with conscious intention and she was a little bit I felt like a comment stepping on my toes and I didn't respond. And then she threw in an extra response. And this changed everything for me. She said, I just want to let everyone know in the space that I'm autistic. And so sometimes I come across in a way where it appears that I'm cold and I don't feel that way. But I come off this as cold. And in response, I said, I'm so grateful you shared that I'm a bit ADHD myself and I'm really an introvert. And I said, but with the ADHD, my brain can be moving so fast that I can come across as dismissive. And then she said. Thank you so much for sharing that. And she said, you know, we can have space here for disabilities to differences. Now, nobody's ever used the word about my ADHD disability, but I suffer from it. Privately a lot. And it just brought tears to my eyes. And then I wrote back and I said, when you use that phrase, it just fractures to my eyes and let me have more compassion for myself. So what I want to say is we bonded through the ether's and we've never seen each other's face. I have a profile picture. She doesn't. So she see my face digitally. But when I was I realized was that I've had this certainly on Zoome calls a lot with people. I think our brains are changing and we're adapting as a species. [00:21:43] And if we use our language, if we use language from the heart and slowed down long enough to move past what we're trying so hard to be heard about or like make our point. [00:21:56] And remember to bring that emotional language in. She was she. She went. She was vulnerable first when she she shared about being autistic and how she was perceived that it was the perfect thing to say to open me right up. [00:22:10] I thought, my God, I don't know this woman, but we just have this beautiful, authentic exchange. [00:22:17] It really did bring a tear right there to me. Nobody ever said that to me in my quote unquote, real life. [00:22:24] It's really it's a great example. It's a beautiful story. And I have to admit, I know people sort of make fun of emojis, but I do think emojis were created probably for that reason, because not everything can be conveyed even in language typed language. But so to see in a Mojie, it's like someone saying, here's my intention. I'm saying they're totally but I'm saying it with love or I'm. [00:22:48] And it really had a shorthand. It's a shorthand. [00:22:51] Well, and it's also a symbol. And the brain responds differently to a symbol than it does to written language. And I think it's really an interesting thing to think about, as I was, you know, kind of listening to you. I also had this image of wouldn't it be wonderful if every time we had to send a digital message message, we actually had to do an emotional check in so that prior to the message being sent, we used symbols, symbolic language or color or something that would let people know where we were in the moment. That didn't have anything to do with them. So if somebody is grieving, right. You know, prior to reading their their written message, you know, that they're in this place as they're sending it or somebody may be feeling, you know, particularly expansive as they're writing something. And I think that's the stuff in a way that we're we're missing, you know, because that's a lot of stuff. [00:23:48] It's a time of tremendous innovation. As you said that I thought as soon as you say that it's already manifest somewhere, we'll be doing that. We will be doing that. People are ready. You know, one of the things I'm asking for all my groups now is to insist that everybody show their face. We don't have to have makeup on. You can be in your bathrobe. I don't care. But like having some people show their face and others not. It does lead to intimacy, totally leaning into the conversation, being up close and having your face in rather than be like super pull back, you know, and I see it from other cohorts I've been in and what works and what doesn't. And with my students and all. And it's like taking conscious breaks, but it's a conscious break so that then when you're in the group that, you know, there's presence getting up and stretching whatever. But these emotional things you're talking about, you know, it's part of our work right now, especially as facilitators. You and I are both coaches and facilitators. And we we work intimately with people online to help them do things. This is part of our work to figure out how to create intimacy in the online space. Does it replace real life? No. It's a different experience, though. And how can we make it in some ways? What if it has? I know it has gifts, right? We know it has gifts that the real life space does it so that they both have gifts, they both have a place. But during this time of covert in particular, we've been given this offering with everyone at home for so long to take this as an inquiry like we're having now and to innovate around it. [00:25:34] Yeah, and I just want to say, you know, before we kind of wrap up the conversation, I think if there's anything I would suggest based on my experience and what I've read through research and what I've learned is that if it's sensitive, pick up the phone. [00:25:50] Yeah. And be available for people online to stay available. I reach out now to people who are just Facebook friends for conversations, you know, and. And it's great. And sometimes it's not even a sensitive thing. It's just like, wow, we really have a residence. Why don't we have a phone call? I just did this with this coach who we've been Facebook friends for four years, five years. We like each other a lot. [00:26:12] And I was like, quit, just talk. And she's like, I'm thinking of that for so long. [00:26:16] Let's do it, you know, so that it's not even about the problem. Right. But to take that connection off line when we can. [00:26:24] Well, and I I just sold a house and it was what you know, one of the people that I was interfacing with a lot is a millennial. And it was like. I've never experienced anything like that trying to use to do an entire real estate transaction primarily on text. [00:26:43] And that really was it was it was actually really hard for me. [00:26:46] I really thought this just doesn't feel right. You know, there's a lot of emotion and a lot of personal stuff, you know, behind selling a property, behind turning something, you know, that you've loved and you've lived in from one person to another. And and I thought, you know, I think that's you know, I guess, you know, I am you know, we are old enough now that we can start kind of doing our elder hood stuff. And I want to be really careful that I don't want you know, I don't generalize, you know, the generations. Mm hmm. With that said, I think I do have a concern for the millennials. And I I guess I wonder what they would say, because I do see an increase in trying to navigate big relationship issues through email and text. [00:27:36] And I think, yeah, that's a concern to me and I think I mean, my intuition around this is and different people and different younger people, including a woman who's worked for me. And I see her returning to the older ways. She and her husband and their millennials. They live in Brooklyn. They're very into like cooking clubs and sort of doing things even very retro. And like they have these book, you know, there there is a return. My my feeling about this is people will navigate a different. That's different. Right. Than just navigating stuff in the online space. Is talking about digital communiqu. Yeah. I think that though people will find the limitations and we all do. And then there's is we all have to sort of crash and burn right in our way. And what does and doesn't work around that. But yeah, and I have a lot of faith too. And some of the younger generations I know, they know stuff we don't know. And they're they're going to figure out their intimacy stoutly around it because, of course, there's always consequences for taking anything too far. [00:28:46] I think those are the two things that I'm curious about with the future generations have to do with. [00:28:54] Intimacy and. [00:28:58] Yeah, I think I mean, I think it's it's about it's about intimacy. I'm curious to know how we are evolving as a species in that way. And I could. That's another podcast. [00:29:09] That's another podcast. We have a lot to think about. Yeah, I'd like oh, if I say what I'm really thinking. Right. That we'll go another hour. Oh. Oh, I know what I was going to say. [00:29:21] Right. It's intimacy and instinct. [00:29:25] I'm really curious about. How intimacy and instinct are evolving in the human species. Because I wonder, like how is our instinct impacted when we're not in person so much? I've talked about this before on this podcast, but it was a it was something I read in some research that kind of blew my mind that when we're in a state of grief, yeah, we emit a undetectable scent. And so, I mean, we are human animals. We are biology. Right. And our biology is also an incredible metaphor. And I think we're moving away from our biology. Like that's like the digital is is gonna, you know, take over. [00:30:12] I mean, it is for now anyway. And for me as a story person, storyteller, story coach, it makes me realize that languaging our emotions. It's going to be more important than ever. Like, I like to stretch into vulnerability and to stretch into vulnerability and stretch the way with language, things or even what we're used to languaging. Take another step for the CIA correlational fields. Right. [00:30:41] Be curious, listening, working on not taking things personally at all our questions and leaning in instead of pulling back. [00:30:49] I think it's easy to to pull back and create distance and to other emotional intelligence for the digital age is going to be slightly if you than just emotional did it. Absolutely. So how can you and I it makes me think we needed offline conversation and how can we integrate it even more into our groups? And I agree on teaching it because, you know, this is the calling for it now. I agree with you. That's a great place for us to start wrapping up. Yeah. Thanks for the wonderful conversation. Always. Camille. [00:31:28] Thank you for joining Camille and Tanya for this episode of Restoring the Culture. [00:31:35] If you were inspired, we would deeply appreciate it if you would leave a review on iTunes or any other platform where you heard our podcast. For more ongoing inspiration and support, please join our no cost global Facebook community. Restoring the culture. You can support our podcast by making a donation here. And remember, we are each restoring the culture as we reach story. Our own lives. See you next time.
This Sunday we meet to worship together as we continue to think about, in these world-shaking times, what it means to build our lives upon 'The Rock'. Based on one of the topics coming out of the Who Cares? survey, this week we're looking at money. Rob starts by asking us some of the questions you would go through at the start of the CAP Money Course. Money is something that can control our lives, but we should not let it. We can be content with what we have, and prioritise God in our lives. When we can give, we should give, as giving reflects the image of God. What distracts you from God? The Bible says to commit your ways to Him, and he will give you your desires for good things. We need to make our priorities what matters, and not money. The Bible talks about storing up our treasures in Heaven, as that is a firm foundation - building our lives upon The Rock. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The danger of the love of money is the focus on money at the expense of everything, or everyone else. We should be careful, and follow what God wants for us, and not be driven by money. Reading Deni and Steve gave us our reading this week, from Luke 12:13-34. Favourite song We spoke to Champa, who has spent much of her time recently reading books and cooking - trying various new recipes. Her favourite song is Make me a channel of your peace, which gives her hope. Join Alpha It's never too late to join Alpha! Alpha is a course that gives you a place to ask questions, consider who God is, who Jesus is, and explore faith a little bit more. It's a place where you're free to ask questions, learn more about the Holy Spirit, and think about prayer. We'd love for you to take part - you're welcome to join whether you're new to church, or have known God all your life. We're holding it online, so you can join from wherever you are in the world. For more information, or to sign up, visit our Alpha page or email live@merseafree.church. Share on the wall It's absolutely great hearing from you, discovering things you've been doing, and sharing your encouragement. We would love for you to continue to send in pictures, tell us what you've been up to and learn of the ways God has been speaking to and encouraging you. We'd also like to share these to help encourage others at this difficult time. There's more information about how you can share this with us on our website.
Jesus is risen! This Easter Sunday we celebrate Jesus is alive! Join us in sung worship, learn with us through readings, and watch scenes from Neville B. Leevit, investigating at the time of Jesus' resurrection around AD 33 - is he really alive? Did he really die? What actually happened? The Easter story is a story full of surprises; Rob speaks about the changes these surprises made to people's lives, and how it can change ours. Can we be surprised by the Easter story ourselves? God had a plan for us - and he made a 'design flaw' in death, so that death might be conquered. Jesus rose from death, and made certain that death was not the end. If you ask God into your life, you too can have eternal life through Him. Share with us During our live streams you can share with us through the 'sharing box' or by commenting through Facebook on the stream. You're also welcome to share with us your photos, crafts and any Bible verses you've found encouraging - you can do this through email.
On Good Friday, we remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross so that we might be forgiven. The service begins with an introduction, followed by sung worship and readings leading us through the story. Responding to this, you are invited to take communion with us. You don't need to have wine and bread, but any drink, and any food. We remember Christ through communion - his body, broken for us; his blood, poured out for us. Jenny then considers the story, responding the the events at the time, looking at the perspectives of those around Jesus, and what Jesus might have felt. Share with us During our live streams you can share with us through the 'sharing box' or by commenting through Facebook on the stream. You're also welcome to share with us your photos, crafts and any Bible verses you've found encouraging - you can do this through email. Coming up We are live streaming our service this Easter Sunday at 10:30am. We will be celebrating Jesus' resurrection from the grave, and we'll be praising Him for what He did for us.
This Palm Sunday we begin our series of Easter services, where we remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the spreading of palm leaves before him. With a reading from friends at Orchard Baptist Church, Jenny speaks about how important songs are to understanding how we understand Palm Sunday; recognising it is God who transforms, God who listens, and God who saves. During our service we also had our 'favourite worship song' slot, where this week Celeste shared her favourite song: "Still" by Reuben Morgan. Share with us Alongside our live 'sharing box' that you can use in real-time during our live stream, we'd also love for you to share with our church family in these other ways: We've created a new 'photo wall' that you can send in a photo of you and your family to, and we can share it with our church family each week. We'd love to be able to cover our wall! If you're sending in a photo, please also send it in alongside a statement that you give us permission to share it, or sadly we will not be able to use it during our service. Send us pictures you or your family have created! God is an awesome God who can show his love through our creativity! Contribute Bible verses that have spoken to you today, this week, or this month, or that you think might encourage others. We hope to be able to share this with our church family. If you're happy to share these with us, please send an email to live@merseafree.church. We look forward to hearing from you! Coming up We're planning to stream live again this next week: Toddlers, Wednesday at 11:00am We will be running a craft activity for you and your child - it'll involve a the inner cardboard tube of a loo roll, so if you finish a roll, please keep it aside for Wednesday! Good Friday service, Friday at 10:30am Join us this Friday as we remember Jesus' sacrifice for us. It'll be similar to our other service live streams, and we'll be sharing some of the things people have sent in over the past week. Easter Sunday service, Sunday at 10:30am Our weekly service will be celebrating Jesus' resurrection from the grave, and we'll be praising Him for what He did for us. We'd be delighted if you could join us for some, or all, of our activities this week!
For the first time, we live-streamed our entire service online this week. Before the service we have an interactive 'Spot the Difference' challenge (solutions below). Thank you to all who joined us this week! We hope to have you join us again next Sunday at 10:30am, either through our website, or Facebook Live. Solutions Solutions to the 'Spot the Difference' activity are below:
Melissa speaks this week about the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at the well. What can we learn? How does it affect us?
Melissa Castle
Rob used a video to illustrate part of the sermon.
Jen talked about the Hebrews that were up against the giants in the new land they were promised, she included a video from YouTube which was also used in a previous service, the link to this video is included and leads to the song on YouTube.
This week, the Foodie Chap finds an 'island oasis' at MerSea on Treasure Island in San Francisco. Liam meets with owners MeeSun Boice and Chef Parke Ulrich where they discuss their menu, the 'Jersey Girl Sandwich' and their unique container-style restaurant and bar. MerSea is attracting locals and visitors alike and is the culinary heart and soul of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. Each week, the KCBS Radio Foodie Chap, Liam Mayclem introduces us to the culinary stars behind the food & wine loved by so many in the Bay Area.
Returning to the theme of None Like Him, Jen speaks about God's infinite knowledge. Our knowledge simply cannot compete with God's infinite knowing.
Speaking about the rich, young ruler from the New Testament gospels, Rob speaks about how someone who has everything can get to the Kingdom of God. Many of us carry a type of spiritual boulder along with us, and God is saying to us: "Give it up - come and follow me." "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" In response to the sermon, we passed away our spiritual boulders whilst listening to 'All to Jesus I Surrender'.
For the third and final week of the Mission Impossible sermon series, Jen enacts a conversation with God, inspired by the book of Micah, helping us to realise God's intentions for us and the wider world. Jen's conversation with God demonstrates what we must do to better serve God's people - as well as the church.
For week 9 of the Nothing New? sermon series, Andy Jones speaks about Jacob and Esau who come from what is almost the stereotypical 'modern day family'. It's a story about jealousy and trickery, but also about how God is with us through everything, and God always fulfils His promises, even when we are not able to see the fulfilment ourselves.
The second sermon in the Nothing New? series, Jen looks at the story of Cain & Abel, and how God can look upon His children "with favour" whilst loving us all equally. How is God treating us fairly? Does He love some of us more than others? Is His love unconditional? Reflecting upon the sermon, we listened to Matt Maher's performance of Lord, I Need You.
This Christmas Day sermon, the last in the 2017 Advent series: Unbelievable: Good News in a Fake News World, collates and explains the Christmas story, and God's unbelievable plan for both Jesus - His Son - and us - His children. Rob takes us on a journey, just like the journey taken by Mary and Joseph, as we consider how God's plan came to be. Accompanying the sermon, we listened to Somewhere In Your Silent Night by Casting Crowns - a song that shares God's incredible plan for the world when He gave us His Son.
For Week 3 of the Unbelievable: Good News for a Fake News World series for Advent 2017, Andy Bacon talks about the nativity story, following the performance by the Causeway Kids and Hype groups in their Christmas sketch.
During Week 2 of the Unbelievable: Good News for a Fake News World series for Advent 2017, Colin speaks about God's angels - his unbelievable messengers throughout the Bible, and how these angels are prominent throughout time. How many carols can you think of that contain the words 'Angel' or 'Angels'? Colin also used a short presentation to highlight some of the key areas of his sermon, which can be downloaded by clicking 'Notes' below.
For the first instalment in the new Gifts of the Spirit sermon series, Rob talks about how God has given, through people, gifts to the church. Are we using all that God has given to us? Are we all given spiritual gifts? Rob also introduces the rest of the series, with sermons on topics such as Prophecy, Healing and Apostleship, with services in the series running through to December. You can learn more about the Gifts of the Spirit by visiting the series page.
Andrew French speaks about coming to find and know Jesus through answering two questions from John 14. We don't know where Heaven is, so how can we know the way? Thomas asks Jesus this question in John 14:5, and what Jesus answers Thomas with an explanation of how to reach our Father in Heaven. 5 Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Don't you know me? How well do we know Jesus? Have we stopped trying to learn more? God continues to reach out to us, and we need to ensure we don't block Him out - everything we do should be through the power of God. 9 Jesus answered: 'Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?' As part of Andrew's talk we listened to 'This Changes Everything' by Lou Fellingham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YbnU7rBi6s
We are visited this week by our regional minister, Rev. Simon Goddard. The sermon looks at what it takes to become a 'father (or mother) of faith'. Having faith should contain an element of risk: Reality Checkpoint Imagining the Inheritance Saying 'Yes' to God Kingdom Coming As part of the sermon, Simon uses a short presentation containing key words and images, available to view or download below.
In our all-age service celebrating the dedication of a child into the church community, Rob looks at the potential in each of us to serve the Lord. Prior to the sermon, we also spent a short time remembering and praying for the people involved in the Manchester attack, which you can listen to by clicking here. Watch the Clips: See Judy being judged in Zootropolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEj5qwsDn3o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8hYj0ROMo4
Week 4 of the Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' sermon series. Peter Grinham looks at the relationship between God and science, asking the question: "Has science made God redundant?"
Week three of the Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' series for 2017. This service focuses on the role of Christianity in Politics. What do you think of when you hear the word 'politics'? Should Christians be involved in politics? What annoys you most about politics? What do you think of politicians? The sermon also brings ties together serving politicians through interviews and a few videos, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXazfLhPgw https://vimeo.com/102915182 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLCcRaGx48 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4canKcoYo
A service on the Armour of God as part of the series of All-Age services held on the first Sunday of the month in 2017.
The second sermon from the Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' series for 2017. This service answers the question: "Is the God in the old testament the same as in the new?"
The first sermon from the Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' series for 2017. This service focuses on the topic of Christianity and Other Religions, mostly comparing God's representation in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
Service accompanying the baptisms of Ben, Nic and Hayley.
This service looks at comparing our promises with the promises of God.
The third instalment in the 2016 Advent series: Who Do You Think You Are?: Outcast Held on the weekend of the annual Christmas Tree Festival, the sermon looks at Jesus as an outcast.
All-Age service by Rob Hughes based on Zootropolis and a quote by William Carey. Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. William Carey (1761-1834) Zootropolis - Official UK Trailer Song Response - Control (Tenth Avenue North)
A talk & sermon by Tim Abbott, Director/CEO at Christian Youth Outreach in Colchester (cyocolchester.org.uk), for the Church Anniversary Service celebrating 211 years of the Free Church on Mersea (opened for worship on Tuesday, 1st October 1805). If you would like to read more about our church history, please visit our church history page.
Sermon by guest preacher, Rev. Brian Snelling.
Sermon by Rev. John Pantry to commemorate the 2015 church anniversary.
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