Family friendly christian church located in Knowle Park Bristol England with kids, teen, family, prayer and worship groups. Great music, fun pastor and friendly congregation, we welcome you anytime! Pastor Christian Ache
Do unto others
This saying is a definition of empathy: treat other people as you want them to treat you. Put yourself in someone else's shoes. How would you like it if you were treated like that?Jesus spoke these words as part of a very demanding piece of teaching, which called his followers to love their enemies and not seek revenge when they were mistreated. The teaching, known as The Sermon on the Mount, has had a profound influence on people such as Francis of Assisi, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King...
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:27-31
Barbecue
July 28th 2007
This day in 1750 saw the death of one of the greatest composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach. The Japanese conductor Masaaki Suzuki is a world-famous authority on Bach and founder of the Bach Collegium in Tokyo. Together they will be performing the Mass in G major at the proms next week. Suzuki also sees himself as a missionary. "I am spreading Bach's message, which is a biblical one," he says. "Bach's music is the fifth Gospel."
Suzuki makes sure his musicians, mostly non-Christians, have a deep understanding of the spiritual foundation of their music. He is the driving force behind the current Bach revival which has seen large numbers of Japanese turning to Christianity as a result of encountering the music of Bach.
It's not only Bach's overtly sacred texts that have this impact. The theology is written into the music. Take the Saint Anne Fugue, for example; a triple fugue based on the hymn tune "O God our help in ages past". The interwoven lines of music demonstrate with mathematical complexity, Bach's understanding of God, three persons in one substance. It's a notion almost impossible to describe in words - but Bach demonstrates it in the music. Truth takes many forms. It's the business and the calling of scientists and historians but also of artists, composers, writers and broadcasters.
We pray today for all who deal in ideas and seek to express truth.
For artists and their audiences, academics and students,
For politicians and for journalists; writers and broadcasters,
We pray that there may be respect for the truth
And a freedom that comes from living by it. Amen
BBC4
Den of Thieves
The phrase owes its popularity to a colourful attack by Jesus on the street-sellers who crowded the streets close to the temple in Jerusalem. Expecting to find the temple a place of prayer, Jesus was scandalised to see hucksters ripping off the pilgrims with over-priced goods. He made some powerful enemies when he overturned the sellers' tables and told them...
Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"? But you have made it a den of thieves."
Mark 11:17
26th July 1847: Liberian independence proclaimed
Matthew 5
Matthew 5:44,46-47
Interesting Facts
2. A crocodile can’t stick its tongue out.
3. A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
4. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.
5. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
6. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
7. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
8. Horses can’t vomit.
9. Sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
10. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.
11. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
12. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
13. If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?
14. In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
15. A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
16. 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.
17. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
18. Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.
19. Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.
BBQ and Hoe Down Saturday 28th July
hoe·down /ˈhoʊˌdaʊn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hoh-doun]
–noun 1. a community dancing party typically featuring folk and square dances accompanied by lively hillbilly tunes played on the fiddle.
2. the hillbilly or country music typical of a hoedown.
bar·be·cue /ˈbɑrbɪˌkyu/ Pronunciation Key - [bahr-bi-kyoo]
–noun 1. pieces of beef, fowl, fish, or the like, roasted over an open hearth, esp. when basted in a barbecue sauce.
2. a framework, as a grill or a spit, or a fireplace for cooking meat or vegetables over an open fire.
3. a dressed steer, lamb, or other animal, roasted whole.
4. a meal, usually in the open air and often as a political or social gathering, at which meats are roasted over an open hearth or pit.
–verb (used with object)
5. to broil or roast whole or in large pieces over an open fire, on a spit or grill, often seasoning with vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper.
6. to cook (sliced or diced meat or fish) in a highly seasoned sauce.
–verb (used without object)
7. to cook by barbecuing or to entertain at a barbecue: If the weather's nice, we'll barbecue in the backyard.
Also, barbeque, bar-b-que, bbq.
[Origin: 1655–65; < Sp barbacoa < Arawak (perh. Taino) barbacoa a raised frame of sticks]
Man Walks on the Moon - 20th July 1969
Thought for the Day - 18 July - Radio 4
Last week a friend from Kenya came to stay with us. She had never been out of Africa before. One morning she appeared with three beautiful baskets and asked where the nearest market was in order to sell them. I explained we had no such market but that we'd ask some neighbours if they would buy them. It wasn't difficult persuading them. The fact that the money was going direct to source, the craftsmanship of the product, and that they had engagement with its maker helped make for a quick sale.
Regrettably, in this age of mass consumption, we rarely have connection with the manufacturers of the goods we are purchasing. Some retailers have tried to address this (photographs of coffee producers are an good example of trying to put faces to things) but usually the human provenance of a product - the narrative behind it - is hidden or unknown. The purchase remains a disembodied, impersonal transaction.
A story this week highlights the consequences of the dis-connect between the things we consume and the people that make them. One of Britain's largest retail chains has allegedly had its Bangladeshi garment workers working on 80 hour week shifts for 4p an hour, in order to make the cheap clothes that we enjoy buying from its supermarkets. Some people, it seems, are paying a heavy price for our want of a bargain.
The market may help create the illusion of a consequence-free purchase, (as long as the dismal story behind the making of a T-shirt is out of sight, it's out of mind) but the reality is that the purchase binds me in a complex chain of moral and spiritual relationships; and if the cheapness of the product cheapens the life of the person who makes it then the relationship is already imbalanced and the purchase immoral.
For as long as we want goods at lower prices and supermarkets seek ways of lowering costs, someone else will take the hit. Our quality of life must be questioned if it's built on what looks like the slow suffocation of someone else's. What we spend our money on and how we treat people in that process is a moral and spiritual issue. The prophet Jeremiah actually equates knowing God with our willingness to defend the cause of the needy versus setting our hearts on oppression and extortion.
The market is not the enemy - it's the place we have to work these things out; indeed it could actually play a redemptive role in this (the word redemption even come from the marketplace). By helping us engage with the people behind the things we buy, the supermarkets - with their massive resources and reach - could do a great deal to make this possible. As well as ensuring the rights of their workers - the living wage; rest from work - they could be creative in helping connect the manufacture to the consumer.
Think how different our consumption might be if the things we bought could tell their stories. Let's use the communication technology we have to hear the stories of the things we buy, let's see the faces of the people that make them. As well as asking what the carbon footprint of a product is - let's see the human fingerprints that got it here. I may not meet the person who made my t-shirt but at least I can acknowledge their presence in the market place - and their dignity in it.
Jumble Sale - Saturday 11th August
Thank you to everyone for last Saturday's sale, even though we were a bit short staffed. Quite a few new faces, hopefully we will see you on Sunday!
Counting the Cost
Counting the cost is all about good planning. You work out how much you'll need to pay and whether you have the money on you before you get into the taxi. Otherwise, things could get awkward at the other end of the journey.
Here's how Jesus put it. He was telling people to count the cost before deciding to become his follower, because it was going to be personally costly...
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish"?
Luke 14:28-30
The Home Guard
1940
World War II: Britain faces the threat of a German invasion by forming the Home Guard - Unpaid force formed in Britain in May 1940 to repel the expected German invasion, and known until July 1940 as the Local Defence Volunteers. It consisted of men aged 17–65 who had not been called up, formed part of the armed forces of the Crown, and was subject to military law. Over 2 million strong in 1944, it was disbanded on 31 December 1945, but revived in 1951, then placed on a reserve basis in 1955. It ceased activity in 1957.
Its members worked at their normal occupations and undertook military training in their spare time. In 1940 they were armed with a motley collection of shotguns and privately‐owned weapons, but by 1942 they were a well‐trained body liberally provided with automatic weapons and light artillery.
Why God uses cracked pots
If God chose only well-rounded people with no character flaws, some of the credit would inevitably go to the people and not to the Lord. By choosing flawed people with a bad past, a shaky present and an uncertain future, God alone gets the glory when they accomplish amazing things by his power.
And best of all, since God delights to use clay pots instead of high-dollar china (2 Corinthians 4:7), there is plenty of hope for you and me. We’re not all we’re cracked up to be, and most of us are cracked in more than one place, which makes us excellent candidates for the grace of God. That’s good news, especially for those clay pots with a few extra cracks.
Dr. Ray Pritchard, Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries
Jumble / Table Top Sale Sat 14th July 10-12
Mission Dinner and Concert - Saturday 7th July
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| Mission Evening - Saturday 7th July |
Click on the album cover for pictures of a fantastic evening! Thank you to all those that made it so special.
07/07/2007 - Let us not forget.
Mission Dinner and Concert - Saturday 7th July
Royal Army Chaplains Department
No army chaplain is permitted to carry or use weapons.
The Royal Army Chaplains' Department is based at Bagshot House. All recruited chaplains in the British services are Christian (as of 2007), but the armed forces retain civilian chaplains to care for their Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Muslim recruits.
My job as a padre - as the Army refers to its priests, chaplains and so on - is not to oil the wheels of war but to help the humanity caught up in it. We do wear fatigues, but the fact that we do not carry weapons is symbolic of our peaceful role.
Clinton Langston, army chaplain
The U.S. armed forces have 1400 chaplains, all Christian except for about 30 rabbis and 15 imams (2003 figures).
Very Busy Day in History - July 4th
In Britain, the beginning of the NHS - the National Health Service.
1946I
ndependence for the Philippine Islands from the United States of America.
1943
Polish prime minister Wladyslaw Sikorski, leader of the Polish Government in exile during World War II, is killed in an aircrash.
1919
In Toledo, Ohio, American boxer Jack Dempsey beats Jess Willard to become heavyweight champion of the world. Williard is knocked down 7 times before retiring in the third round.
1906
Britain, France and Italy guarantee the independence of Ethiopia.
1904
Start of construction work to build the Panama Canal.
1903
USA President Theodore Roosevelt inaugurates the Pacific Communications Cable by sending a message around the world.
1892
James Keir Hardie is elected MP for Holytown, Lanarkshire to become the first socialist to win seat in British parliament.
1884
The Statue of Liberty is presented to America by the people of France.
1881
American outlaw William H Bonney, known as Billy the Kid, is shot dead by lawman Pat Garrett.
1863
American Civil War: Union forces defeat the Confederates at the Battle of Vicksburg.
1848
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish their Communist Manifesto.
1840
The Cunard Shipping Line begins its first Atlantic crossing when the paddle steamer Britannia sails from Liverpool en route to Halifax. The voyage takes 14 days.
1829
First regular scheduled bus service starts in London - a horse drawn service between Marylebone Road and the Bank of England.
1776
American commander George Washington signs the Declaration of Independence during the war with the British. July 4th is now recognised as American Independence Day.
Holiday at Home
Tues 28th Aug to Thursday 30th August. Helpers needed for these days please. Times are from 9:30am to 3:30pm, there is a list in the curch foyer for volunteers, please state on the list when you can help. Preperation meeting next week to discuss in further detail.












