The Story is the paraphrase of Luke and Acts that is being studied at the moment by the Circuit with Jordan, and also through PresenCE, the Portaferry cross-community group. We are now half way through and so far each week has raised questions on interpretation. It is interesting that these issues arise in what are relatively familiar books of the Bible so I thought it might be of interest to remind ourselves of a traditional Methodist approach, the Methodist quadrilateral. […]

I go for my first Covid jab on Sunday and feel privileged to have this opportunity. What is so disturbing is the extent of the misinformation around the vaccination. Truth is a vital component of a healthy democracy but we also need trust, and for some that has been sadly eroded in recent years, so giving space for the conspiracy theorists. However I wonder how many people really believed this story. My sister works for the Ministry of Defence and […]

As a short forty-something, I don’t make a habit of climbing trees, but today’s an exception. Rumour suggests a celeb’s coming. I’m up here to see him, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. All my life, I’ve so wanted to be tall, not bullied. My grandmother telling me that all the men in my family line had been short was no consolation. I longed to be one of the gang. ‘Go away shorty,’ [that’s the benign version] was […]

This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:12 NIVUK) There you go! Christmas all wrapped up. Sadly, today most are content to leave the Christ child all wrapped up. When all wrapped up in cloths the baby Jesus is no threat to them. They can bring Him out each Christmas for a few days, go to the carol service or the school nativity play, they do […]