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Opinions/reflections - Jan - June 2024

The importance of giving and receiving challenge
Few of us enjoy criticism or confrontation. Yet the limitations and shortcomings of our humanness mean that it needs to happen – for our own good and for the wellbeing of the people we lead, writes Alan Wilson
Gaza: now is the time to make our ‘STOP IT!’ heard
Three months on - whether it’s Wailing Wall… or Separation Wall – no-one in Israel/Palestine will feel any safety until we all say ‘STOP!’ loudly enough, writes David Nelson
The hidden concerns amid epic growth 
Pastor Chi-Wai Wu, the former director of Hong Kong Church Renewal Movement who moved to the UK almost three years ago, offers three observations on the Chinese Christian community in the UK
'Remember the call I gave you...'  
While all the speakers at Fresh Streams 2024 highlighted how we are living in a time of significant change, there was a clear message from God too, writes first-time attender Simon Evans-White
Look outward in Lent 
For many Lent has become a time for self-examination and for deepening one’s devotional life. But the call to Christian discipleship is to look away from oneself - so let’s experiment in new ways of sharing our faith with others this year
'The Inter Faith Network is in peril - please support it'
The government is withdrawing funding from the Inter Faith Network, leading to its potential closure. Paul Weller, a member of the Baptists Together Inter Faith Working Group, is encouraging Baptists to urgently protest the decision
Bruno and other friends: encounters and reflections  
Baptist minister Ivan King explains why he has written a book honouring some of the ordinary people who have welcomed him into their world as a pastor
Gaza: our voices do make a difference
The news is indeed dreadful, writes David Nelson - but showing solidarity does have an impact
A bridge of hope? The Baptist witness in Israel and Palestine
Baptists in Israel and Palestine are a unique bridge between different people and cultures in the region, writes Mark Hirst, who recently visited Baptists there. He shares this and other reflections to help fuel our prayers
Mindful formation: a pathway to spiritual liberation 
When mindfulness is integrated with our contemplative tradition, it helps us become more like Christ, writes Baptist minister Shaun Lambert, whose decade-long exploration of the subject is about to be published
An insight into Waterways chaplaincy 
Chris Upton is the national lead for Waterways Chaplaincy, which oversees 100 chaplains along the canals and rivers of the UK. Being a chaplain helps church members deepen their understanding of how God cares for the margins, he explains
Looking back at the ministry of the Baptist Union Retreat Group 
BURG showed that amidst the busyness and activity of missional ministry there is also room for a contemplative spirituality. Though it has now closed, retreats, quiet days, and spiritual direction are not the strangers for Baptists they once were
Christian hope for a world in crisis 
The church has a crucial role to play in responding to today's security challenges, writes John Heathershaw, but we need to develop new answers. Here are three suggestions
Where is the bravery, the inner strength?
As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, there seems to be no forgiveness, no sense of servanthood, no transformative approach, writes David Nelson. We must pray and shout for justice
To fast or to feast? 
What are we as Christians to think about fasting? Colin Sedgwick shares six reflections
The Rooftop - joining Jesus in His mission  
Baptist minister Torquil Allen introduces The Rooftop, which exists to inspire and equip the church and church leaders to become passionate about, and effective in, making disciples who make disciples ‘outside the walls’ of the church building
Empowering ordinary churches to become disciple-making communities
We have found more and more leaders and churches wondering about how mission, evangelism and discipleship might be more effective if things were a little simpler, smaller - and more scattered around everyday life, write Chrissy Remsberg and Alex Harris
The Beautiful People - chaplaincy at the 2024 Download festival
I had the immense privilege of being a chaplain at the metal/rock festival Download, writes Baptist minister Ken Franklin. Like the other chaplains there, I had many conversations and opportunities to pray, simply because I was out in faith with my people
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