Reflections and Stories

Humans Of The Movement - Alex//

5 Feb 2020

I’m 21 and I come from a village near Southampton. Now I’m training in London as a classical singer. The first queer person I met was at sixth form when I was 16. It took me a painfully long time to come out, but she was the best listener and she helped me start to unbind myself. Church-wise I...

Read more

Stellenbosch: How Learning More About Bonhoeffer Changed My Life

3 Feb 2020

Hello fellow SCM’ers!

My name is George, I’m a Theology Youth & Community student at Nazarene Theological College in Didsbury, Manchester. Over the summer I won a bursary from Project Bonhoeffer to attend the Bonhoeffer conference 2020 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. 

It was an...

Read more

Shouting from the Closet: From Allyship to Acceptance?

30 Jan 2020

As a polite, church-going Christian, acceptability is my forte. In my first year of university, my friends would joke that I was a “good Christian boy”, primarily to get me to act out in one way or another. At church, I am frequently told how good/helpful/nice I am. I rarely face any situation...

Read more

Queerly Beloved: Encountering God in the Every Day

27 Jan 2020

It feels somewhat strange to be writing a blog post on being an LGBTQ+ person of faith during a period of increased dissonance, upset and anger within the Church of England. In a lot of ways I’m lost as to what to say, sad at the system, and confused as to what my role is in all of it. I’ve been...

Read more

Rach's Reflection: Heaven on earth

21 Jan 2020

When I was preaching last Sunday at a church in Salford I led the congregation in looking at some of the images we use to describe God, particularly the Good Shepherd, using Psalm 23.  

I wonder what it means for you that God is a good shepherd? Better than the hired hands who care only...

Read more

Student Cross: A Mystery That Draws You In

20 Jan 2020

Since becoming a practising Christian I have gone to a few extra church services around Holy Week and Easter, but otherwise it has just been a normal week for me. Last year, though, I decided I wanted to do something different. For a long time pilgrimage has been of interest to me, specifically...

Read more

When I'm With You I Feel at Home

14 Jan 2020

You make me feel safe, you make me feel warm.

You make sure I'm warm when ever I'm cold.

...

When I'm with you I feel at home.

~ Lucy Spraggan 'Safe'

When I think of 'home', I think of my parents' house: busy day-to-day life, with home...

Read more

The Advent of Adulting

16 Dec 2019

Technically this is my fourth Advent as an adult, but it’s my first since graduating, and therefore the first Advent where I genuinely feel like I'm part of the ‘real’ world. It’s odd. I’m just about used to buying my own Advent calendar, but am still not good enough at budgeting to plan for all...

Read more

Rest: The Lost Art of Stopping

12 Dec 2019

Recently I went on holiday with my wife and the in-laws to Norfolk. Unfortunately, whilst I was there I got pretty sick, and ended up spending a good few days in bed. Not an ideal holiday! When you’re lying in bed with very little to do, and with very little access to the Internet, you tend to...

Read more

Reflections from the WSCF European Regional Assembly

7 Nov 2019

There are lots of reasons why people have faith, but a key reason for me is about being part of something bigger. I think that’s why I’m also passionate about being involved in the global movement of SCMs – The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). It gives me the opportunity to connect...

Read more