Self Sacrificial Love

Self Sacrificial Love

The Way of The Cross

A concern raised by critics of our preaching series is our failure to promote biblical literacy, especially Old Testament foundations for New Testament teaching. In the series below I have attempted to provide some Old Testament background and want to encourage preachers to have that in their thinking. I don’t want preachers to feel they have to use all the passages referenced below, nor that they can’t use other scriptures that they feel better able to exegete on those themes. 

Self sacrificial Love is at the heart of the ministry of Jesus and the example he sets us to follow. It is the grounding principle of this sermon series. It points the way to Easter. As for titles, the ones below are only working titles and if there are better ones that team come up with- I’m happy. The exact order of talks can be decided but I’d suggest starting with ‘Discipleship’ and ending with ‘Sacrifice and Salvation’. ‘Resources’ is for Stewardship Sunday, whenever that is at  central. 

Our evening talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• Sacrifice and Discipleship - 1st March

• Sacrifice and Leadership - 8th March

• Sacrifice and Worship - 15th March

• Sacrifice and Resources - 22nd March

• Sacrifice and Salvation - 29th March

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Self Sacrificial Love - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the Livesteam!

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Question Mark

Question Mark

Key Questions in Mark that Lead to the Cross

In this new March series, we’re exploring the defining questions in the second half of the Gospel of Mark - questions that lead us step by step toward the cross and the empty tomb. Each question invites us to look again at who Jesus is, what He came to do, and what it truly means to follow Him.

We’ll wrestle with identity, goodness, authority, suffering, and resurrection hope. Along the way, we’ll see how easy it is to think in merely human ways and how desperately we need revelation from God to see clearly.

The aim is to help those who are still exploring faith consider the most important question they will ever answer “Who is Jesus?” while also inviting long-time believers into a deeper understanding of Christ’s mission, His authority, and the life-changing power of His death and resurrection.

Our morning talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• Who do you say I am? - 1st March

• Why do you call me Good? - 8th March

• By what Authority?- 15th March

• My God, My God, Why have you Forsaken me? - 22nd March

• Who will Roll the Stone? - 29th March

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Question Mark - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the Livesteam!

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Renovation of the Heart

Renovation of the Heart

Unpacking the Power of Repentance

“The quest for spiritual formation (really, as indicated, spiritual transformation) is in fact an age-old and worldwide one. It is rooted in the deep personal and even biological need for goodness that haunts humanity.”
Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart

In this series we are exploring the transforming power of repentance. We want to look at confession, receiving forgiveness, healing, and taking spiritual authority in areas that were once places of defeat. The aim is to ground new Christians in these essential foundational practices but also to offer long-term believers a renewed experience of grace.

Our morning and evening talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• Repentance and Transformation - 1st February

• The Prayer of Confession - 8th February

• Repentance and the Heart of God - 15th February

• Repentance and Spiritual Revitilisation - 22nd February

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Renovation of the Heart - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the Livesteam!

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Repentance and Transformation
1st Feb at 11am with Nigel Savage

The Prayer of Confession
8th Feb at 11am with Hazel Askew

Repentance and Transformation
1st Feb at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

Prayer is the Key

Prayer is the Key

We want to start the new year with a focus on prayer which will include the WCF Prayer Week (18th-25th). During September 25 Prayer Week at Central we felt God say to us ‘prayer is the key’. We want to use this series to unpack what that means. The aim of this series is to encourage, provoke, teach and deepen our corporate and individual prayer life. 

Our morning and evening talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• The Future Now - 4th January

• Vision Sunday - 11th January

• Keeping in Step with the Spirit - 18th January

• Keeping Watch, Keeping Guard - 25th January

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Prayer is the Key - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the Livesteam!

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The Future Now
4th Jan at 11.00am with Clare Thompson

Keeping in Step with the Spirit
18th Jan at 11am with David Mitchell

Keeping Watch, Keeping Guard
25th Jan at 11am with Hazel Askew

The Future Now
4th Jan at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

Vision Sunday
11th Jan at 6.30pm with Rachel Riddall & Nigel Savage

Keeping in Step with the Spirit
18th Jan at 6.30pm with David Mitchell

Baptism Sunday
25th Jan at 6.30pm with Nigel Savage

Kingsized

Kingsized

“And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of lords! 
Hallelujah Chorus by Georg Friedrich Handel 

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.

What kind of king is Jesus? In the fear, confusion and division around the world many long for a ‘strong leader’ who will lead us through troubled times, but sometimes leaders are the ones causing the chaos. In bible times the Israelites were led by God through a relationship mediated by spiritual leaders, but in their insecurity they begged God for a king, “a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” thinking that this would give them status with their enemies, help them to win battles and expand their kingdom. They wanted an impressive, stronger, more visible leader, a kingsized leader! God warns them that that they will lose more than they will gain and true enough, they got their king and it brought them all kinds of trouble! (1 Sam 1: 8). But then God promises them, one day I will send you a king who will lead like no other king. He will be powerful and victorious but also holy and humble. This is the kind of king that Jesus is.  

Our morning talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• A Humble King - 7th December

• An Unexpected King - 14th December

• A Wise King - 21st December

• A Peaceful King - 25th December

See you on Sundays or catchup on the Livesteam!

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Disciplines of the Disciple

Disciplines of the Disciple

It is a truism to say that the discipleship life involves discipline. What differentiates it from legalism is about desire. The person with a desire to play a musical instrument or excel at sport chooses to make time to practice and develop skills and disciplines ‘because of the joy set before them’. It is not compulsion but choice.

Of course, sometimes the coach/tutor sets exercises that are demanding and not at first inherently pleasant, but even these become a joy once mastered. This series looks at Spiritual disciplines and picks up some areas of ‘discipline’ that we don’t talk as much about.

Our Evening talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• The Disciplined Life - 2nd November

• The Scriptures - 9th November

• The Tongue - 16th November

• Stewardship - 23rd November

• Pursuing the Spirit - 30th November

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Disciplines of the Disciples - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

The Disciplined Life
2nd Nov at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

The Tongue
16th Nov at 6.30pm with Jack Saunders

The Scriptures
9th Nov at 6.30pm with Tim Dobson

Stewardship
23rd Nov at 6.30pm with Deborah Marsh

Tough Talk

Tough Talk

Our November morning sermon series looks at some of Jesus’ teaching from the Gospels which can be hard. Hard to understand or hard to put into practice, or both! Jesus’ call to take up our cross and follow him comes at a cost but the benefits are always rich, deep and wide as we surrender every area of our lives to him and learn how to be his disciples.

Our Morning talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• The Way of the Cross - 2nd November

• Friend of Sinners - 9th November

• Love Your Enemies - 16th November

• Two Masters - 23rd November

• Authentic Faith - 30th November

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Tough Talk - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

The Way of the Cross
2nd Nov at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Love Your Enemies
16th Nov at 11am with Hazel Askew

Friend of Sinners
9th Nov at 11am with Nigel Savage

Two Masters
23rd Nov at 11am with David Mitchell

Kingdom Community

Kingdom Community

The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. Jesus calls us into His Kingdom, a community under His rule, living out His ways, and showing the world what love looks like. Over these weeks we’ll explore what it means to belong to the body of Christ, to practice the “one another” commands, to join in God’s work of Kingdom growth, and to honour Him even in our bodies and relationships.

Our Evening talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• The Body of Christ - 5th October

• One Another - 12th October

• Kingdom Expansion - 19th October

• Sex God? - 26th October

  Helpful Resources

  • The Dark reality and effects of pornography on a generation with Melinda Tankard Reist

  • Naked Truth Project

  • Restored UK

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Kingdom Community - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

The Body of Christ
5th October at 6.30pm with Dave Roderick

Kingdom Expansion
19th October at 6.30pm with Matt Dobson

One Another
12th October at 6.30pm with Laura Harris

Sex God?
26th October at 6.30pm with David Mitchell

Called to Worship

Called to Worship

This October we are looking to come together as a church to take a fresh look at worship and the place it takes in our lives individually and as a worshipping community in a world that worships many things other than God. The context for this series is the Exodus story but we also want to reference how this points to Jesus and how we worship him. The story of the Exodus is the pivotal salvation event of the OT. The story is driven by God’s desire for his people to worship him. He wants a people for himself who will worship him exclusively. God frees people from the powers of Egypt in one night but the challenge of idolatry in the hearts of the people takes many years to remove. There are many aspects of worship that are seen in the Exodus

narrative, from the Passover, the presence of God, establishing the tabernacle as a place of worship of God and being filled with the glory of God. It’s also a story of human failings, idolatry, grumbling and judgement.

Our Morning talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• Free(d) to Worship - 5th October

• Sacrificial Worship - 12th October

• Worship as Resistance - 19th October

• Encountering God’s Presence in Worship - 26th October

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Called to Worship - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Freed to Worship
5th October at 11am with Hazel Askew

Worship as Resistance
19th October at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Sacrificial Worship
12th October at 11am with Tim Dobson

Encountering God’s Presence in Worship
26th October at 11am with Jake Perrins

The Blessed Life

A life shaped by God’s Blessings

People are often looking for ‘The good life’. It could be the American Dream, or the eponymous rural idyll of TV fame. As Christians we are called to something higher, ‘The Blessed life’. It doesn’t mean an easy life, rather it means a life aligned to the good purposes of God, for us and through us. 

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• The Chosen Life - 7th September

• The Peaceful Life - 14th September

• The Consecrated Life - 21st September

• The Given Life - 28th September

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

The Blessed Life - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

The Chosen Life
7th September at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

The Consecrated Life
21st September at 6.30pm with Rachel Riddall

The Peaceful Life
14th September at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

The Given Life
28th September at 6.30pm with Nigel Savage

Jesus' Priorities

Aligning our Hearts with His Priorities

As we start a new academic year, we want to begin by looking at what’s important to God. What are Jesus’ priorities? We want to share about 4 key areas which were Jesus’ priorities for his early followers and ask ourselves are these our priorities too.  We want to have an opportunity to share vision as we start the new year.  

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• Children - 7th September

• Witnessing - 14th September

• Prayer - 21st September

• Harvest - 28th September

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

Jesus’ Priorities - Discussion Notes

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Children
7th September at 11am with Nigel Savage

Prayer
21st September at 11am with Hazel Askew

Witnessing
14th September at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Harvest
28th September at 11am with David Mitchell

Life to the Full, a Deep Dive into Colossians

Life to the Full, a Deep Dive into Colossians

Paul writes to a young church in modern-day Turkey, likely planted through the ministry of Epaphras, his co-worker in the gospel (Col 1:7-8). This church, early in its journey, is being unsettled by a local “philosophy”, voices urging them to trade the freedom of Christ for the weight of religious rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” (Col 2:21).

Concerned, Epaphras brings news to Paul. And Paul responds with clarity: Jesus is enough. He is not just part of the story, He is the centre. Supreme. Sufficient. The only Saviour. In Him alone is true life, beautifully captured in the soaring hymn of Colossians 1:15-20.

“15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at the below topics:

• A Worthy Life - What is our focus in life?

• Death to Life - How is Baptism a picture of this?

• New Life - Putting on your new self

• A Peaceful Life -Living in peace

• Sharing Life - Prayer and sharing faith

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

A Worthy Life
3 August at 11am with Clare Thompson

Death to Life
10 August at 11am with Tim Dobson

New Life
17 August at 11am with Jake Perrins

A Peaceful Life
25 August at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Sharing Life
31st August at 11am with Dave Mitchell

A Worthy Life
3 August at 6.30pm with Matt Dobson

Death to Life
10 August at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

New Life
17 August at 6.30pm with Nigel Savage

A Peaceful Life
25 August at 6.30pm with Laura Harris

Sharing Life
31st August at 6.30pm with Jack Saunders

Navigating Life with the Psalms Series

Navigating Life with the Psalms Series

Our emotions can be mystifying. Science struggles to fully explain their origin and for Christians, they can be both life enhancing and seriously undermining! God created us to experience emotions, but wants to give us godly ways to manage them.

The Psalms—ancient Jewish poems of prayer and praise— can give voice to some of our deepest emotions. They are timeless, profoundly human, and deeply spiritual prayers that can help us process life. One aspect of the Psalms is how they can help move us along when we get stuck! They guide us on journeys from sorrow to joy, fear to faith, longing to fulfilment, despair to hope.

Over the next few weeks we will be enlisting the help of the Psalms to help us process some of our most common emotions. As we take the opportunity that summer brings to recharge our relationship with God, we want to dig into the literary and psychological genius of these three thousand year old prayers.

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at:

• An Attitude of Gratitude - 6th July

• Overcoming Fear - 13th July

• Navigating Uncertainty - 20th July

• Contending for Contentment - 27th July

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Navigating Life with the Psalms - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

An Attitude of Gratitude
6 July at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Overcoming Fear
13 July at 11am with Dave Mitchell

Navigating Uncertainty
20 July at 11am with Jake Perrins

An Attitude of Gratitude
6 July at 6:30pm with Ruth Morgans

Overcoming Fear
13 July at 6:30pm with Nigel Savage

Navigating Uncertainty
20 July at 6:30pm with Dave Mitchell

The Holy Spirit for Everyone Series

The Holy Spirit for Everyone Series

As a church, we want to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. As Pentecost Sunday approaches on the 8th June, we will be thinking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. But there’s more to it than that.

Living the Christian life is impossible without the help of the Spirit. Our character growth depends on the fruit of the Spirit. Our prayer life depends on the unction of the Spirit. Our ministry depends on the power of the Spirit.

On the day of Pentecost the promise of the Spirit was for everyone (Acts 2:39). This series looks at some of the aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit - for everyone.

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at:

• Everyone’s Invited – 1st June

• Good News for Everyone – 8th June (Pentecost and Global Partners Weekend)

• Generosity for Everyone – 15th June

• Freedom for Everyone – 22nd June

• Worship for Everyone – 29th June

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• The Holy Spirit for Everyone - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Everyone’s Invited:
1 June at 11am with Clare Thompson

Good News for Everyone:
8 June at 11am with Johnny Walker

Freedom for Everyone:
22 June at 11am with Clare Thompson

Worship for Everyone:
29 June at 11am with Dave Mitchell

Everyone’s Invited:
1 June at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

Good News for Everyone:
8 June at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

Freedom for Everyone:
22 June at 6.30pm with Matt Dobson

Worship for Everyone:
29 June at 6.30pm with Ed Marsh

Our Culture Series

Our Culture Series

This May and June, all of our congregations across the Woodlands Church Family are sharing a preaching series called Our Culture where we’ll be looking at four values that shape our life together.

Our talks in this series will look at how we aim to be:

• Welcoming

• Authentic

• Empowered

• Expectant

As a church family spread out over eight sites, we're increasingly trying to call together the distinctives that help us understand the shared mission and journey that we're on. It's difficult to boil all of our culture and values down into simple, memorable phrases, but we're going to do our best in this series.

A particular distinctive about the Woodlands Church Family is the ‘both/and’ idea and concept that runs through so much of what we do in our theology and our practice. And you'll find it running through this sermon series as well.

We want to unpack some key things that you'll find and experience if you come into any of our celebrations, gatherings and communities around the city and region.

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week. We hope you find the questions useful to help you look at these values in more detail.

• Our Culture - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Our Culture: Welcoming
4 May at 11am with Tim Dobson

Our Culture: Authentic
11 May at 11am with Hazel Askew

Our Culture: Empowered
18 May at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Our Culture: Expectant
25 May at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

Our Culture: Welcoming
4 May at 6.30pm with Dave Roderick

Our Culture: Authentic
11 May at 6.30pm with Nigel Savage

Our Culture: Expectant
25 May at 11am with Dave Mitchell

Our Culture: Empowered
1 June at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

Dinner with Jesus Series

Dinner with Jesus Series

As we lead up to Easter we are looking at Jesus in the gospels through the lens of meals he shared with people. We get to see Jesus’ heart toward others and how He used meals to minister to those around Him. Meals welcome others into our lives and help others feel invited and included.

This seven week series will help us see how we can use meals, like Jesus did, to reach out and connect to those around us. In our discussion notes below, we’ve included a handful of questions for you to discuss as a group as well as a challenge to apply the teaching in a practical way each week.

Our talks in this series will look at the following topics:

• 16th March – Supper with Sinners

• 23rd March – Would you like a fish sandwich?

• 30th March – The Uninvited Guest

• 6th April – Who’s coming to the dinner party?

• 13th April – One Last Meal Together

• 20th April – Easter Sunday

• 27th April – Breakfast on the Beach 

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Dinner with Jesus Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Supper with Sinners
16 March at 11am: Dave Mitchell

Supper with Sinners
16 March at 6.30pm: Tim Dobson & Ella Harbord

Would you like a fish sandwich?
23 March at 11am: Rachel Riddall

The Uninvited Guest
30 March at 11am: Hazel Askew

Who’s coming to the dinner party?
6 April at 11am: Rachel Riddall

One Last Meal Together
13 April at 11am: Nigel Savage

Easter Sunday
20th April at 11am: Nigel Savage

Would you like a fish sandwich?
23 March at 6.30pm: Rachel Riddall

The Uninvited Guest
30 March at 6.30pm: Dave Mitchell

Who’s coming to the dinner party?
6 April at 6.30pm: Matt Dobson

One Last Meal Together
13 April at 6.30pm: Dave Mitchell

Easter Sunday
20th April at 6.30pm: Rachel Riddall

Prophecy Mini-Series

Prophecy Mini-Series

As a charismatic church, from time to time we press in on teaching around our values on the work of the Spirit and the kingdom of God. Last year, we focused on healing and this March we are looking at prophecy.

We are a prophetic people and we are all encouraged to pursue the gift of prophecy. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14 - “...eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy."

This mini-series over two weeks will explore the prophetic:

• What do we mean when we talk about prophecy?

• How do we discern and weigh prophecy?

We hope that these talks will help us find our way forward as individuals and as a community.

Talks in this mini-series are titled:

• 2nd March: The water we swim in

• 9th March: Test everything

Watch this 90-second video with Dave Mitchell explaining the vision for the series.

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Prophecy Mini-Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Clare Thompson | 2 March 2025 at 11am

Nigel Savage | 2 March 2025 at 6.30pm

Seasons of the Soul Series

Seasons of the Soul Series

Finding God in every season of life

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
- Ecclesiastes

We all love to be in seasons of prospering, success and fruitfulness, where we sense God’s blessing on what we are doing. Of course! Most of us have also experienced seasons of suffering too, where external pressures or internal pressures can impact our sense of well-being and make us question what our lives are meant to look like. Seasons come and go and these ancient words from the book of Ecclesiastes tell us that all of this is normal human experience. It may be more accurate to say that parts of our lives can appear to be in different seasons - whilst one thing is dying, another may be coming to life.  Age sometimes seems to correlate with seasons, maturity bringing fruit into our lives that was elusive in younger years.

One idea that can help us navigate the ebb and flow of blessing and hardship in our lives is the idea that just as there are seasons in nature, our lives can follow similar patterns. A winter season can look very dark but God may be at work in the darkness doing essential work in us. Work we can cooperate with or resist. Some people talk about the ‘seasons of the soul’  --  if you had to choose the one you are currently in, what would you say?

This series is called Seasons of the Soul and is all about finding God in every season of life. The series is really asking the question ‘What is God doing in your lifeat the moment? How can you cooperate with the work of the Spirit in your life as he seeks to renew and heal your mind and body to make you more like Jesus?’ We want to give you an opportunity to think, reflect and pray about where you are at with God and allow him to work in the deeps of your soul.

Here’s what we’re hearing about each week in our messages on Sundays:

• Winter - 2nd February

• Spring – 9th February

• Summer – 16th February

• Autumn – 23rd February

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week. This also includes recommended reading and signing up for our Wholeness Course as well:

• Seasons of the Soul Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Winter | 2nd Feb 2025 at 11am

Spring | 9th Feb 2025 at 11am

Summer | 16th Feb at 11am

Autumn | 23rd Feb at 11am

Winter | 2nd Feb 2025 at 6.30pm

Spring | 9th Feb 2025 at 6.30pm

Summer | 16th Feb at 6.30pm

Autumn | 23rd Feb at 6.30pm

Immanuel Series

Immanuel Series

God with us

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
- Isaiah 7:14

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name
Immanuel, which means, God with us.
- Matthew 1:23

People often go home for Christmas. No matter how many messages, virtual meetings, or posted cards and gifts - there is nothing like someone’s actual physical presence in the room. When someone you love comes home, tears often flow. Human beings are wired for this — we are reassured and filled with joy by touching, hearing and seeing someone in our time and space. When Jesus entered into human history he entered our reality, our circumstances, our families, our work lives, our most secret and public lives. And it changed everything.

Perhaps still reeling from the experience he had just been through John started his letter with these words about Jesus: We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
- 1 John 1:1 NLT

C. S Lewis called earth ‘the visited planet’. This Christmas amongst the busyness and festivities we are taking time to ponder again the profound mystery of Jesus entry into our world. He is “Immanuel” which means “God is with us”.

Here’s what we’re hearing about each week in our messages on Sundays:

• 1st December: God With Us

• 8th December: Peace Bringer

• 15th December: Life Giver

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week. This also includes recommended reading and a video to watch as well:

• Immanuel Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

What's So Amazing About Grace? Series

What’s So Amazing About Grace? Series

What does living in God’s grace look like?

Grace is the foundation for so much of the Christian life.

In John’s gospel, we read:
’From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’

We live in a time where ideas around grace and truth are hotly debated. This series explores how the bible’s ancient wisdom is still relevant, powerful and essential, as we navigate following Jesus in our complex world.

Here’s what we’re hearing about each week in our messages on Sundays:

• 3rd November: My Truth Your Truth

• 10th November: Amazing Grace

• 17th November: The Grace Givers

• 24th November: 21st Century Grace

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week. This also includes recommended reading and a video to watch as well:

• What’s So Amazing About Grace? - Discussion Notes (PDF)

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Coming soon!