Learning to listen…
It’s been really great to jump into the start of the Autumn term with some really intentional Sunday messages! If you’ve missed any of our ‘Next of Kin’ series I really recommend heading to our Bracknell podcasts via your podcast app or on our website here or watching the preaches back on YouTube here. Which has been your favourite week?
I was really challenged again but the Communication week were we used the ‘community temperature reading’ from Emotional Healthy Spirituality resources. It was a great reminder about giving people permission to REALLY share what’s going on in their heads! ( if you liked this we run some great EHS course as small groups- Try one out next erm!)
The first time Ben and I ever tried it was in lockdown, our relationship had got pretty frayed and we promised ourselves we’d join in on an online marriage EHS conference. The conference itself would have had our production team shaking their heads with shame (LOL) but my most valuable take-home from the event was just how HARD these questions were to talk through together. I had wrongly assumed we were pretty good at communicating but it felt strange and uncomfortable to sit and work through these questions together .We had been close to the edge and this helpful tool had brought us back, although it was still raw for a while we healed well because of this great tool!
James 1:19 Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]..
Our next step along the relationships journey this term is unpacking some specific themes, marriage, divorce and singleness. We are so very blessed as a community that our Senior Pastor Simon Benham is passionate about digging into the difficult passages of Scripture in order to challenge the unspoken norms in church culture and to raise our expectation that the Bible is as relevant in todays culture as it was 2000 years ago.
I know I will be listening back a few times to Sundays message on Marriage. Simon has kindly released his paper on this subject to us so we can read in more depth. I know that Simon loves your feedback and to continue the conversation so if you have thoughts off the back of this talk please contact him via our info@kerith.church address or Ben and I would be so willing to make space to have any conversations off the back of your listening/ reading.
Bracknell Site Updates:
Our Together Marriage Day on the 15th October still has space for you! Geoff and Sherry Surratt from the States are a brilliantly honest and wise couple who have authored a book on this subject so will lead us expertly through a day together. Sign up here before the day.
Christmas is coming!!
You heard it here first- Our Bracknell Christmas Dates for your diary are below. Official Branding is out at the end of this month so pencil these in and we’ll get you invites soon!
Revive Christmas Party 26th November - the team will be needing our help again this year to throw the party of the season for all their Revive clients. Its always a super event
Kerith Christmas Experience Carols - Sunday 11th December 4-7pm Remember the fun of our indoor outdoor event, well its back and we need all hands of deck to pull off this super spirit filled fun afternoon. Pop the afternoon in your diary and be ready to invite guests and sign up to serve during a section of the afternoon!
Christmas Eve Unplugged Saturday 24th 9pm hosted on our Bracknell site, contemporary Christmas vibes!
Christmas Day 10am. All you want from a church meeting as Kerith family on Christmas Day.
New Years Eve we in the planning stage for this. What our feeds for more news this month!
Have a great week all!
Beccy and Ben Oliver
Interim Site Pastors