Beckenham Baptist Church

  Dear Friends, This week sees the beginning of the COP28 Climate Summit taking place at Expo City in Dubai. The conference runs from 30 th November until 12 th December and will be attended by a number of major world leaders, leading scientists, journalists, as well as members of the public. Themes being discussed will include food and agriculture, finance and accountability, technology and innovation, health and education, children and youth, gender and inclusion, and it is hope that there will be some positive progress on the state of the ‘Loss and Damage Fund’ that was established at COP27 in Egypt last year with the aim of assisting nations that are most vulnerable to the climate crisis. As this conference begins and many people will be looking with hope perhaps tinged with uncertainty and doubt about the future, I’m reminded of words from the Psalms, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established

Dear Friends,  In my daily Bible Study notes we have been thinking about ‘thankfulness’ and thanksgiving which enables us to look back and recall what God has said and done in our lives, to be grateful for what he is doing and what he has provided, and to look forward with grateful hope and expectation. We read in the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus, in a section about instructions for Christian living, that we should ‘be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 5:18-20). That call to give ‘thanks to God for everything’ we sometimes may find difficult to do. When life is going well for us, thanksgiving to God may be easy, but what about when we are facing life’s challenges, or when we see around us those things that are destructive and unhealthy to ourselves and others, what

  Dear Friends,  During this early part of the month of November we are drawn in the church calendar to ‘remembering’, and as a friend recently reminded me it is sometimes called ‘remembrancetide’. Some remember the saints of old in All Saints Day on November 1 st and others remember loved ones who have died on All Souls Day on November 2 nd . Perhaps our focus for remembering falls on November 11 th , Armistice Day, and November 12 th , Remembrance Sunday, when we will once again remember the fallen and all victims of war. We will call to mind the cost of wars and conflicts, both historic and present day, the huge numbers of precious lives lost and the damaging and lasting effects that such battles leave. It was the former prime minister Neville Chamberlain who is quoted as saying in 1938, ‘In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.’ In the world today we need to redouble our efforts in working for peace and in praying for peace. Th

  Dear Friends, The first Sunday in November always marks the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), an opportunity to remember and pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. From the Release International magazine, Voice of Persecuted Christians , we read the story of Twen Tedros from Eritrea. Twen was 21 and had been a Christian for only two years when she was arrested and imprisoned in 2004 and then again in 2005. She was sent to Mai Serva prison near Asmara where she spent nearly three years locked in a metal shipping container. During the daytime the prison guards shut the door and window of the container making it very difficult for the prisoners to breathe. Twen called out to God for help and some verses from 1 Peter 4 came to her, ‘Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suf