C4T, a new vicarage, & the big picture

I wouldn't want you to think we always go to the pub.

In fact, for our C4T monthly lunches (Christians for Transformation in Bermondsey & Rotherhithe) we usually have a bowl of soup in a church hall but, today we did go to the pub, and a very fine lunch we had at Wetherspoon's Pommeler's Rest in Tower Bridge Road.

Today we were joined by John, from Churches Together in South London, who has done some very interesting research about black majority churches.

Many of us share our buildings with such churches (as we very happily do at both St James and St Anne's) and the number of these churches has been growing steadily, although John thought that the growth may be starting to tail off with perhaps more black Christians wanting to worship in multi-racial churches.

After that it was back home for the one-year check up on our new vicarage. The contractors came to examine any final snags and repairs that need to be done before the contract is completed. In truth, there have been very few problems, except for some glitches with the heating, and we're living in a palace.

Then it was off to week two of our Bermondsey Christian Training course, the Big Picture, and that crucial question: what has gone wrong with the world? or, as we put it in the course publicity: 'would you Adam and Eve it?'

Everyone really got into the story and some great points were made.

For me the really powerful thing about Genesis 3 is that it shows the world as it is now and it is the basis of everything else that happens in Scripture.

Its as if the bible writers are saying: here's the problem (Gen 3) and now here's the answer (everything that follows right through to the end of revelation).

Next week: Abraham and the beginning of God's solution.