THE LOOP

The Loop is a regular set of short articles about life and mission here at Emmanuel Community Church.

MULTISITE COUNTDOWN

Sep 9, 2024

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”— 1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV As September arrives, we’re just weeks away from launching our new journey of becoming a multisite church—one church meeting in two locations. I know that after a summer break many of us may have forgotten some of the details that seemed so important before the holiday. This short edition of The Loop is meant to help...

SUMMER LETTER

Jul 6, 2024

As it’s almost the summer holidays, I thought I would do something slightly different this month in The Loop. Instead of writing a bunch of articles I thought I would write a summer letter. My suggestion is to grab a brew and head to the garden or a local park where you can hopefully enjoy reading this review and reflection slowly. Dear Church Family, ‘I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the...

MULTISITE: BEYOND MY ALLEY AND MUDDY BANK

Mar 11, 2024

Let me tell you about an alley and muddy bank that has had real significance when I was growing up. The alley had a gravelly driveway with a good quota of potholes and a series of dilapidated garages and best of all a muddy bank, which I still believe is the greatest...

Vision: Where are we going?

Feb 5, 2024

So if that’s the unchanging or timeless calling (see previous article) that we as a church have, what do we need to be focusing on over this coming season? Here is where we shift to thinking about vision. Again, we as elders want to suggest to the church that our...

Mission: Who are we?

Feb 5, 2024

These are some notes that I have adapted from the special vision evening we held on Thursday the 25th of January. Who are we? and where are we going? (see next article) are two fundamental questions that every church needs to ask and be able to answer clearly. These...

Ways of Life

Feb 5, 2024

In this final article I want to focus on an important aspect of what we as elders have been talking about together over the last few months. I want to call them ‘Ways of Life’ (or ‘rules of life’ as our predecessors called it). This is a way of stating and then living...

Preaching Seminar

Feb 5, 2024

On Sunday the 7th of January, a small group of guys gathered at Green Lane to explore Psalm 3. Why? At our evening communion services, we are going to be exploring the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). These are a collection of communal songs/poetry that were sung by...

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: MULTISITE

Jan 3, 2024

When there is an invisible elephant in the room, one is from time to time bound to trip over a trunk - Karen J. Fowler. If 2024 is going to be a season of change, then the elephant in the room that needs addressing is the whole subject of multisite (or ‘one church...

Long Read: NAVIGATING CHANGE

Jan 3, 2024

PSALM 125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his...

Grow 2024

Jan 3, 2024

Over the last two months it’s been brilliant to share how several people from Emmanuel Community Church are participating in different forms of training. Well, guess what? This month I have even more news about training! For those of you who were at the recent church...

LONG READ: SEEING CHRIST AMID THE SUFFERING

Dec 10, 2023

A reflection on Psalm 42 Note: This is a long article! However, I’ve written it to help us as a church consider the place of grief and hope in the life of a local church. Most of you will know that our dear friend and fellow church member recently passed away! He...

BIBLICAL COUNSELLING UK

Dec 10, 2023

Last month I shared the exciting news that four people from Emmanuel Community Church have started the North West Gospel Partnership training course. Well this month I’ve got more training news! Katie, Sara and Fran are all going to be starting the Biblical...

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