Reflections and Stories | Page 16 | Student Christian Movement

Belonging: Finding Space for Room

13 Feb 2017

“And on this rock I shall build my church” (Matthew 16:18)

As I leave the walls of church behind me, in the ice-cold wind, I ponder. For indeed each brick found a place to belong to the next, as churches were constructed all over the land, in such abundance. Beautiful architecture of its...

All Are Welcome: Nathan's Story

7 Feb 2017

In 2006, my mum, a Methodist minister, was appointed to be the minister for a couple of churches in and around Hexham – a small market town in rural Northumberland. With this being my mum’s first appointment, it was a big change for all of the family. For me, it was a scary but exciting time....

The Challenge of Welcome

1 Feb 2017

“We are a welcoming church” is something churches often use to describe our congregations - but if we are honest, it’s easier said than done. Welcome is an interesting word, with meanings around greeting, invitation, and hospitality. On one level, a welcome is fairly easy - a friendly hello does...

What It Means To Be Accepted

25 Jan 2017

I was born in Italy in a Catholic family and environment. My parents cared a lot about my spiritual wellbeing, making me go to Sunday school every week to learn the teachings of Jesus. From as early as I can remember, I could feel a difference between things I used to hear at Church and things I...

The Summer I Met Martin Luther King Jr.

16 Jan 2017

In the summer of 1964, the Revd Ian Whyte – then a divinity student at the University of Glasgow and SCM member – was spending his time at the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, often preaching at the local church in Alabama. Outside the beautiful surroundings of the college,...

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...

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...