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Author: Ian Purcell

The Lord Announces The Word, And The Women Who Proclaim It Are A Mighty Throng

The Lord Announces The Word, And The Women Who Proclaim It Are A Mighty Throng

While a record number of 220 female MPs have taken their seats in the new parliament (34%), there have been a number of significant changes lately among the rural chapels and with women in the news here too! The bible has many stories of heroic women and where would we be without women taking prominent roles in our local communities? Many of us have known Sandra Williams – for years a faithful supporter of the rural chapels and an inspiration…

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Safeguarding Course

Safeguarding Course

This is a note from Evi Williams from Norton Baptist Dear Friends, In 1994, BUGB published ‘Safe to Grow’, a booklet about how to keep people with additional needs, children & young people safe – at church, youth clubs, on outings and during home visits. Since then, legislation and safeguarding practises have changed. In accordance with new regulations, folks from our chapel will attend a Safeguarding Course in the spring, to achieve Levels 1, 2, and 3. This training will…

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The Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower

Before the theme and season of Harvest moves too far on … “Jesus told them a story. A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. So they organised a conference to help them better understand why this happened. Some argued that there needed to be an immediate cull of such birds to put an end to the problem, others that they…

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Let’s Find Our Voice

Let’s Find Our Voice

This summer we went to Portugal on holiday. One of the few tourist attractions we visited was the Sand Sculptures at Pêra. I thought that the sculpture of Elvis Presley looked more like my neighbour than the great man himself!   He was joined by other singers including David Bowie and Bob Marley. There was no musical accompaniment though. Just silence … It made me think of a good friend of mine who recently returned to Britain after over ten…

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Outside The 4 Walls

Outside The 4 Walls

When I was growing up I could never understand the relevance of God outside the four walls of a traditional service on a Sunday morning. How was God relevant in my anxieties, fears, work pressures, study deadlines or relational problems as I was growing up? He wasn’t, as far as I was concerned! But of course that changed because I discovered that actually, HE IS! And some of His answers to my concerns were mind blowing! Today our chapels are…

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Telling our Story

Telling our Story

Stories of Hope for Rural Communities is a booklet telling 12 different and wonderful stories of how Jesus has made a difference in a life in the midst of struggles, loss or a breakdown in relationships, written by members of the rural churches. Do get in touch if you want your own copy. In the days ahead workshops will be held to help us all tell our own story. You may ask why we need help. Diane Tidball, the previous…

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