Salt and light

To St Mellitus College in Kensington for a day conference organised jointly by that college, the Evangelical Alliance and the agency, Home for Good, which encourages churches (and church members) to be actively involved in promoting fostering and adopting.

Their website points out the need:   "Every day more than 50 children are taken into care in the UK. They are removed from chaotic, traumatic, abusive, neglectful or desperate situations. Some of them need a home in an emergency. Some of them need a temporary home until they can return to their families. Some of them need an occasional home to give their families a break. Some of them need a permanent home with a new forever family."

Today's conference, Adoption, Justification and the Hospitality of God, featured some heavyweight theology by a superb panel of speakers, showing how the idea of adoption is central to the Bible's picture of how someone becomes a Christian, and then dealt with the practical challenge of fostering and adoption.

We were reminded that all Christians are adopted children of God, that God is the great adopter, and, therefore, it is no wonder that Christians have led the way in the work of fostering and adopting.

An excellent, stimulating, day.

Meanwhile back in Bermondsey, it was the fifth session of our current Bermondsey Christian Training course, Fruitfulness on the Frontline.

Tonight we were thinking of culture, defined as 'the way things are done round our way.'

It was good to think about the ways things are done round here (ie Bermondsey), and on our frontline (our job, school, college, club etc), what is good, what is bad, and what can be changed by God's people living out their lives in the local community as salt and light.

It was a good evening and good to be reminded that we can all make a difference, wherever we are, as agents for God's kingdom of peace, joy, justice & forgiveness.