Apologies that this is coming on a Wednesday evening! It’s the beginning of sniffles season and I’ve had a cold for a few days. I’m feeling much better now though.

So, this week (now last week), involved 2 nights away at a conference, a day sermonating, a churches together council meeting, toddler group, seeing family, a day off in Chester and a full but fantastic Sunday.

It’s hard to pick one highlight, but the conference was fab, as was the Sunday evening service at St Bride’s in Liverpool.

The conference was called Leading Your Evangelism into Growth, and it led on from the church growth conference I attended in June. I went with a member of ASSF, Gill, and a lady from my curacy church, Jenny. We had a great time, and I learned a lot, too! It’s weird to think that I haven’t had much training in evangelism (talking to people about Jesus), but it definitely felt like that. Now, though, I’m much more confident, and I’m very excited for the future!

On Sunday evening, I took the service and preached at St Brides at Open Table Liverpool. If I haven’t explained this yet, at ASSF, we host Open Table Sefton, and the Open Table movement is a network of churches who hold services designed to welcome and celebrate people from the LGBTQ+ community. Open Table is one of my favourite bits about being Vicar at ASSF. So when, a few months ago, I was asked to take the service in Liverpool, I was very keen indeed!

The service was beautiful. The words in the service were chosen by one of the leadership team, and it was an honour to say them. The service celebrated Bisexual Awareness Week, which was brilliant! I preached on a reading where Jesus asked the disciples ‘Who do you say I am?’ But I also asked ‘who does God say you are?’. The truth is that God says we are created, chosen, forgiven, worthy, accepted and worth caring for! I good message, I think, especially given how badly The Church has treated some members of this community.

Open Table Liverpool record their sermons and turn them into a podcast – the link to my preach is here.

I got to preside at the table and give out the bread as well. It was a powerful and healing time for me, and I felt very much welcomed and at home.

I can’t really top either of those things in this blog, if I’m honest! I feel so humbled, inspired and encouraged by both the conference and the Open Table service.

I did have a lovely day off with Sophia, though. Nathan wanted a good chunk of time to work in the garden, so rather than get under his feet, Soph and I went off to Chester. We surprised Granny and Grandpa over their morning coffee, and after a bit of a mooch, we went to the zoo.

Sophia’s latest phrase is ‘woyya doin Mama?’ What are you doing Mama? She was also intrigued to learn what rain was – she pointed to the spotty window one morning and asked ‘wha dat?!’ That, Sophia, is rain! You’d best get used to it, this is England!