Garden Centre Coffee

In our church we have a pattern whereby we all know that if we are free on a Thursday morning at 10.30 am, we gather at the local garden centre cafe for coffee. We always sit in the same area, so it is easy to find the group. Usually about 8-10 of us come each Thursday and so enjoy having time to chat and catch up on what is going on in each one’s life. Usually the conversation is just enjoyable chatter, but sometimes someone has a particular question to discuss or need to pray for. Over the months we have really deepened friendship through these informal times together.

After the Service on Sunday mornings we always have coffee or tea in the church hall. But we find that often we are so occupied with welcoming new people or talking with more needy members of the congregation that we don’t have time just to chat with our friends in the church.

This coming Sunday Elizabeth is preaching in our church in the village (St. Andrew’s) while I have been asked to preach in the other two congregations in our Benefice – St. John’s, Great Amwell and St. Margaret’s. A few months ago I was asked to preach in our village church on Karma and Reincarnation because this subject is so hot in our country these days. In a survey a few years ago it was found that abut 35% of all British people believed in reincarnation. And after my sermon a teenager in our church told me that she was the only person in her class who didn’t believe in it. So now I have been asked to preach on the same topic in these two other congregations.