Reflections and Stories | Page 15 | Student Christian Movement

The Joy of Preaching

5 Dec 2016

Since January 2011 I've been leading worship on my own at least once a month. Recently due to changing jobs and moving churches, I've not preached in almost four months. I've led team meeting prayers and appreciated the opportunity to worship with colleagues, students and chaplains – most...

A Light in the Darkness

10 Nov 2016

As my accent has no doubt already given away, I am American. And as an American, there is only one thing on my mind this morning. My nation has done the unthinkable, electing a man so reprehensible that I refuse to speak his name here.

I had a reflection written for this morning. Two, as...

Take My Hand: Touching Difference in Art and Faith

7 Nov 2016

Towards the end of the film The History Boys, Hector, the teacher played by Richard Griffiths, says that ‘[t]he best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set...

Why You Should Serve and Get Involved in a Cathedral at University

19 Oct 2016

It’s not news to anyone that over the past decade, the church has been continuing to struggle with decline. It is, however, news to most people that in contrast to that, Cathedrals have grown on average...

Repost: Wrestling with Doubt and Uncertainty

10 Oct 2016

It makes headlines when faith leaders acknowledge the possibility of doubt. Back in 2014, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, ...

The Church and Social Class: Breaking Down Divisions

4 Oct 2016

Recently a friend relayed an episode to me in which they offered a difficult answer to a senior church minister. The minister in question, bemoaning the fact that their churches were struggling for membership, was surprised to hear my friend’s response. “Go into your churches and listen to the...

A Faith Of My Own: Debbie’s Uni Story

3 Oct 2016

Growing up in the Church of England – both of my parents are Anglican priests – meant that going to church was part of the rhythm of life. Although my faith was a vital part of my identity and who I was, I often didn’t feel hugely comfortable expressing that outside of ‘churchy’ contexts.

Ecumenical MythBusters: Does the Catholic Church Desire Unity?

12 Sep 2016

On a day now called ‘Reformation Day’, 31st October 1517, Martin Luther hammers his ‘95 Theses’ onto the door of All Saints Church in Wittenburg, Germany. The theses were summarised by one of my friends recently as ‘gripes against Catholicism’. It is an action that has reshaped the direction of...

Keeping My Faith Alive at University: Gemma’s Uni Story

12 Sep 2016

My time at university has been the period where my faith has developed the most. At university I have encountered people from a far more diverse range of denominations and backgrounds than I ever had at school. Studying theology has made me aware of a broader range of different theological...

Three Hours Sleep – A Personal Diary from World Youth Day

22 Aug 2016

After three hours of sleep, two bags of luggage, two bags of airplane starbursts, one screaming baby, and 1,230 miles travelling from my parents’ front door to John Paul II Krakow international airport, my World Youth Day pilgrimage had officially begun!

We had arrived a week early for ‘...