Welcome to our blog. The following items are from our Minister, Rev. Mark Welch, unless stated otherwise.

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Regent Hall Band of the Salvation Army Spring Brass Festival

7th March
It was a huge privilege to play in this concert. Wonderful vocal solos with piano, and an amazing fantasia for band and piano. Wonderful solos on cornet and on trombone from David Dawes. So what do you do when you are on stage and God speaks straight into your heart and mind through the devotional time? You get on with job of course, but play on through the breath of the Holy Spirit, you forget about yourself and God takes over. Quite an experience. An amazing finale. I have played in many memorable performances, but this tops them all. I also had the privilege of listening to a grandmother who had lost her daughter and is now bringing up her granddaughter and helping a homeless person find shelter, having worn my uniform on the train home.

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War and Scripture

4th March
I commend this excellent blog post by Rev Dr Helen Paynter, also drawing on Dr Ashley Hibbard and others, as a corrective to the abuse of scripture within the American Military at this present time.
Click here to read it.

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Reflections on war

3rd March
How to reflect on the Israeli and American Middle East War?

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have Mercy.

Firstly, I’m offering pastoral support to our small but growing number of Iranian folk. Some Iranian Christians are saying, “God has used Donald Trump to overthrow Ayatollah Khomeini.” (That does not necessarily mean they are supporters of the Trump Administration.) If I am hearing them correctly, their theological reflection is much deeper than that. I listen attentively and deeply. Their years of suffering for their faith and having to leave their country mean they are thoughtful people. They are recognising that God can use even degenerate people to bring about some of his purposes, even as they pursue a degenerate agenda. From Old Testament passages, we know that this does happen.

But I pray together with my Iranian Christian brothers and sisters that a more tolerant and open Iran where Christianity is tolerated may come, and for the safety of their family members and all the people of Iran, where both schools and hospitals have been hit.

My Muslim friends are not supportive of the hard-line theocratic regime in Iran because they value Western democratic and tolerant values, and are not supportive of the Trump Administration either for obvious reasons.

And me? I’m unconvinced that Military intervention will achieve regime change. Uncertain that the motivation is rational or good, and concerned that the UK have breached international law, even though technically they are only supporting defensive measures by allowing the US to use British Bases, because the offensive initiative was American. The case made by the British Government is a null and void legal argument, since you can’t have a defensive offensive.

So I’m praying for the people in my care and for their relatives back in Iran, and for everyone who is affected by this escalating conflict and economic disruption. As so often in life, the best prayers of the heart spring from liturgical spiritual formation so the words are loaded with the cries of our hearts.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have Mercy.

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On Grieving

28th February
As I negotiate the process of grieving, I cannot help but reflect on my upbringing and how it has shaped the process. We were very well looked after with a wonderful nanny, but within the family, emotional expression was not encouraged. We were pretty much an Edwardian family transplanted to the 1960,s onwards. Duty, a stiff upper lip, emotional control, and devotion to the Tory Party and the social status quo of a Cathedral City were the largely unspoken creed, and as children do, we absorbed this unquestioningly and without much awareness of ourselves, or our environment.

This has not helped me in admitting to, or processing grief. Add to this a professional life which is privileged, but requires the putting aside of my own emotions so I can concentrate on the needs and healing of others, particularly where death and its rituals and ceremonies are concerned, and you have the perfect recipe for producing an emotional basket case.

So how has grief manifested itself? Perhaps the best answer to that is, you tell me. But for the benefit of others who are negotiating a grieving process, here’s what I’ve noticed within myself. Life is a never ending to-do list and coping with that normal pressure subtly morphs into a work centredness that creates unsustainable routines. You might say that our normal unhelpful traits can become magnified as an unconscious way of avoiding confronting one’s own grief. Add to this personal neurodivergent conditions that make writing slower, or rather the process of editing the poorly rapidly typed text of sermons and an ever changing 64k word book manuscript into perfect spelling and grammar, and you have the perfect recipe for a spiral of ever expanding hours leading to ever decreasing productivity and displacement.

The thing is, these things happen below the radar of our self awareness until the pattern becomes evident to us, probably after it’s become obvious to others. So I’m having to understand why my actions may be, to use a technical psychological term, a bit bonkers. So part of the process of grieving is recognising that whilst managing a complex and crowded multi tasking life I may be, under the surface just a little bit, (OK well quite a lot really,) out of my normal mind. So as I pick up on the signs that surprise even me when I analyse them, here’s what what I need to do. Recognise that staring into the darkness is both necessary and healing, and that displacement or avoidance activity needs stopping. Give myself permission to allow grieving emotions to be felt , and (in the right circumstances), to be expressed.

So, if you are grieving too, maybe my self disclosure may ring some bells or help your journey

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What to pray about

26th February
I don’t know what you pray about. For me, it might be a passing ambulance, a news headline wirh real people behind it, a pastoral issue. I love living in St Albans, a place where you can go into the independent booksellers and join in a passionate discussion about Wuthering Heights without anyone thinking you are mad, or enter into the prayer inducing scriptural delight that is Choral Evensong. The downside is an asking price of £825k for a two bedroom terrace house.

So today I am praying for the young people for whom Masters Degrees don’t lead to employment, or who have no hope of owning a property, and for those who struggle just surviving mainstream education. For the hidden but ever present poor, for a world in which so much wealth is held by the top one percent and capitalism is only working for the few, where money speaks so loudly that genocide is only whispered about and Governments look the other way whilst selling the arms that enable it. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

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Makes you think

21st February
Makes You Think

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Ash Wednesday

18th February
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.

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Salisbury Choral Evensong

16th February
Evensong at Salisbury was spiritual dynamite this evening. The visiting choir was absolutely faultless, perfect diction , perfect pitch and an ensemble sound to die for with flawless dynamics. This is high praise from me, (when conducting and band training it’s been said, “He’s forensic, he misses nothing.”) I’m sure that I do miss things, but probably not much, so this evening's singing was really stratospheric. Prayers were led beautifully by the new Vicar of the Close Jules Barnes, and the readings were the call of Jeremiah and John Chapter 3. All in all deeply prayerful and moving, God spoke very clearly through it all.

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Proclaim as a herald

11th February
Is it possible that being theologically conservative can make a Church denomination or movement less than Christian?The core preaching of the early church is known as Kerygma, the English word derives from a Greek verb κηρύσσω meaning 'to cry or proclaim as a herald’. The Kerygma has been summarised as "Jesus loves us, died for us, is alive and near us all.” All of which is an essential message that the church must proclaim. But here’s the thing, in contrast to the preaching of the early Church, the message of Jesus was bigger than this. As Matthew 4:17 reminds us, ‘From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near". The message of Jesus was not limited to a faith that can be confined within a Pietist framework. (Everything is about Jesus and me, and social justice doesn’t matter.) Entering into a personal relationship with Jesus is essential, but Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God requires us to aspire to something bigger than simply getting people into church to indulge in emotional encounters that leave the rest of the world unchanged. We are not meant to exist in a bubble of high-octane spirituality that is an escape from the world. Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Your kingdom come, and then, in a classic Hebrew parallelism, added a second clause that explained what that looks like: “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). In other words, our personal relationship with Jesus is meant to lead us into the aspiration, ambition and actions that change the world for the better by bringing a little bit of heaven to earth. If we want to change the world, as well as the essential Kerygma, (“Jesus loves us, died for us, is alive and near us all.”) we need the full witness of scripture as part of our proclamation. For example, we need the witness of Genesis 1:27 that reminds us that all humanity is made in the image of God, and everyone is worthy of dignity, respect and reverence and compassion. “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them". When we apply this by challenging racism, the persecution and demonisation of minority ethnic groups by speaking out against the far-right for example, we are engaging in aspirations, ambition and actions that change the world for the better and are enacting Matthew 6:10. If a Christian movement restricts itself to the Kerigma and remains silent in the face of overtly racist political rhetoric and movements like the hanging of St George's flags to intimidate and bully minority ethnic groups, is it still a fully Christian Church? It can’t be because it is not seeking the kingdom of God, which was the essence and content of Jesus' message. When the leadership of “Christian’ movements allow themselves to be intimidated into silence about the kingdom of God by the more conservative factions within it, the movement ceases to be Christian. We must proclaim the Kerigma, but unless we also bear witness to all of scripture and the kingdom of God, we are no longer following Jesus who taught about it, and asked us to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth. We need to pray for our leaders, that they may find the courage to articulate a fully Christian message in the public arena and recover a theological grasp of Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God.

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The Meaning In The Miracles

11th February
Jeffrey John is a gifted theologian with the rare gift of making complex theological things seem simple. I would particularly recommend “The Meaning In The Miracles.” Accessible to anyone, utterly orthodox, thoughtful and reflective. A master class in moving beyond the banality of a literal reading of scripture to the richness of the intended meaning without denying the historicity of the miracles.

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Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find somewhere to park, and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets and a lift.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of songs and hymns, prayers, Bible reading and a sermon. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

After the service we serve tea, coffee, squash and biscuits in the Cross Street Centre. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.
What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Junior Church (4-11 years)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up for the first part of the service. They then go to their groups. The children's group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

A Sunday School activity

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.