Pause for Thought: It doesn’t get more biblical than this!

I started by getting to know people and showing them unconditional love in a practical sense – listening to their stories, helping with various matters, from housing issues, food distribution and social groups, to more serious matters such as substance abuse and domestic violence.

As confidence in me grew, I began to get questions asked about my faith, and in that, I was able to share the gospel, my personal story of salvation and the hope of a life in eternity through Jesus.

We started to meet on Fridays over a bowl of soup and a sandwich and opened up a safe space to share life experiences and ask (sometimes difficult) questions about God and religion. Within a few short months we had a committed group of people coming to explore God’s word, sing, and pray.

We took a whole year to read the gospel of John and dig into its stories, meaning, historical context, and how that translates to Christian life today.

Over the course of that first year, we saw approximately 10 people give their life to Jesus, which we celebrated with each declaration.

But the best news to date is that as this edition of The Star goes on sale, we are taking three coaches on a community seaside trip to Bridlington, and the best thing of all for me as Chaplain, is that we are baptising six new Christians in the sea.

Just as John the Baptist called for the Israelites to repent and be baptised; in the same manner he also baptised Jesus in the River Jordan, whereupon the heavens opened and the holy spirit descended on Jesus’ head in the form of a dove and a voice from the heavens declared “this is my Son with whom I am well pleased”. As Christians we are called to repent and be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Praying that the sun shines, we will celebrate with fish and chips on the beach. It doesn’t get more biblical than this!