Reflections and Stories | Page 19 | Student Christian Movement

Stories of Faith: Why Church Matters

8 Dec 2015

I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to engage so fully with a church in my university city. I’ve been called into a role of leadership for the music of my church, and although I have family here too, nothing else has made Durham feel more like home.

I’ve been lucky enough...

My Favourite Book of the Bible: Exodus

8 Dec 2015

We were slaves. We had no freedom, no power, no hope. Evil ruled over us, and we were subject to its regime. We groaned and cried out. All around us was a system of injustice and oppression, and there was no way out, or so it seemed.

Then, God.

God heard our cries, God saw our...

Finding God in your job

23 Nov 2015

As a Christian, I believe that all good things come from God. That includes my own skills and abilities, and every good opportunity to use them. The Bible talks about taking up your cross, and dying to yourself – giving all our hopes, dreams and ambitions, along with those skills and abilities,...

Stories of Faith: Called by Name

18 Nov 2015

If I tried to tell you my whole faith story in this short blog, we wouldn't get very far. It could be a book, a long conversation, a lifetime of words and thoughts and feelings.

And so, I am going to tell you about a part of my journey. About being called by name. Our God is, after all, a...

Anglican by Upbringing, Baptist by Circumstance

16 Nov 2015

Like many people, I feel part of more than one denomination; for me it's the Church of England and the Baptist Church. I find many more similarities than differences between the two rich traditions. Both incorporate such a wide range of cultures and styles that there often appears to be more...

Dream Big, Dream Bold, Dream Beautiful

16 Nov 2015

Being here today is kind of strange for me, because I couldn’t afford to go to my graduation.

Maybe I secretly knew I would get the robes eventually! I feel very grand. I like it.

I’m a University of Derby graduate. I studied International Development at the Keddleston Campus. It’s...

A Story of Racism

15 Oct 2015

One of my most significant memories of growing up in a migrant African Caribbean family in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was my first day at school. I arrived at the gates of an infant school in September 1969, the first child of Noel and Lucille Reddie. I was five years old. I remember being placed...

Of Holy Hills and Forbidden Walls

24 Sep 2015

It was truly an opportunity of a lifetime to visit the Holy Land in the month of June this year. The trip was made possible by a grant from the Society of Friends of St.Andrew’s Jerusalem, Church of Scotland. The whole experience could be briefly shared in two interconnected sections: One is the...

Exodus and Exile

21 Sep 2015

From beginning to end the Bible is a narrative of migration, compiled from the stories of migrants. Adam and Eve are exiled. Abraham leaves his home for the Promised Land. Joseph was a resident alien. Moses and the Israelites find freedom through emigration. Displacement follows empire. Jesus...

Life after university

22 Jun 2015

Firstly, if you are graduating this year: well done!

Secondly, you’re probably thinking about what life will be like. Leaving university or college can feel both exciting and scary with the balance fluctuating wildly between the two, especially if you’re enjoyed your university...