Beckenham Baptist Church

Dear Friends, In 1985 the Congregational minister and hymn writer Fred Kaan reflected on ‘For the healing of the nations’ saying, ‘Of all the hymns that I have written, this is the text that has been more widely reprinted and incorporated in major hymnbooks than any other’. It was first used in 1965 and it expresses something of the deep longing and desire for peace and reconciliation, for God’s justice to be known, and for an end to all conflict and violence. Fred Kaan was a committed pacifist and, in an obituary, following his death in 2009 at the age of 80, it read, ‘His theology reflected a God committed to and immersed in a world crying out to be set free from every form of injustice. Fred’s poetry centred on a Jesus who embraced the whole of creation and excluded no one and nothing from his love. In Fred, the Christian peace movement found its voice.’                      ...

Dear Friends,  This week, 27 th January, marks Holocaust Memorial Day and this year’s theme is entitled, ‘ The Fragility of Freedom ’. From the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust resources we read,  ‘Freedom means different things to different people. What is clear is that in every genocide that has taken place, those who are targeted for persecution have had their freedom restricted and removed before many of them are murdered. This is often a subtle, slow process. The ten stages of genocide, as identified by Professor Gregory Stanton, demonstrate that genocide never just happens. There is always a set of circumstances which occur, or which are created, to build the climate in which genocide can take place and in which perpetrator regimes can remove the freedoms of those they are targeting. Not only do perpetrator regimes erode the freedom of people they are targeting, demonstrating how fragile freedom is, they also restrict the freedoms of others around them, to prevent people ...

Dear Friends,  This week sees the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 18 th January-25 th January, and this year the theme comes from the churches in Burkina Faso in West Africa and focuses on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, asking the question, ‘Who is my Neighbour?’. Dr Nicola Brady, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, introducing the theme writes, ‘In choosing this passage of Scripture… the churches of Burkina Faso have invited us to join with them in a process of self-reflection as they consider what it means to love our neighbour in the midst of a security crisis. The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known passages of Scripture, yet one that never seems to lost its power to challenge indifference to suffering and to inspire solidarity. It is a story about crossing boundaries that calls our attention to the bonds that unite the whole human family… In this week, the Church is being challenged to stop and tend to ...

Dear Friends,  Happy New Year! January is a time when people make new year’s resolutions like giving something up, taking up a new hobby or learning a new skill. You may be familiar with the ‘Thankful January Challenge’, naming something you are thankful for during the 31 days of the first month of the year. We can be thankful for the little things as well as the big things in life, those things we can be grateful for and show our appreciation. The apostle Paul writing to the believers in Thessalonica says, ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It is a reminder that our joy, prayers and thankfulness doesn’t depend on our circumstances or feelings but on our faithfulness in Jesus Christ. Following these three commands – be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks – often goes against our human nature, and yet when we do make a conscious decision to do what God says, it is the...