Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
Mark 2:27
WHAT’S ON
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Chine McDonald and Michelle Powell as new members of our Church Board of Trustees. They'll be working alongside Philippe Granger, Katy Nyman, Hugh Stickland and Rachel Thomas to help guide our mission and ensure that we continue to serve church and community. Keep them in your prayers as they begin this important work.
SUNDAY
Morning worship : Ascension : 12nn (prayer @ 11:15)
Evening worship : Evelyn Community Centre : 6pm (meal + worship, food prep @ 4pm)
MONDAY
Bear cubs : Leander Centre : 9:30-11:30am
🎭 "Ohio" theatre trip: Young Vic : 8pm
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
🎥 After the Flood screening: The Bear : 7pm
THURSDAY
Bear cubs : Leander Centre / outdoor play : 9:30-11:30am / 1-3pm
FRIDAY
Bear cubs : Leander Centre : 9:30-11:30am
SATURDAY
👨🍳 Men's BBQ: Jem & Sarah's house : 7pm
THROUGH-OUT THE WEEK
Early morning prayer : zoom : 7am Mon-Fri
IN OUR COMMUNITY
Sabbath: How do we move it from an idea to a practice
From Bex
In Scripture, God sanctifies time by setting apart the Sabbath. The command to make time holy is an invitation to stop working and start resting. It’s not just a pause from productivity but an act of trust; trust that God’s resources are unlimited and that our worth isn’t tied to output.
Sabbath recalibrates us. It loosens our grip on the things that easily become idols—our work, our striving, our constant busyness. It reminds us that wholeness comes not from acquisition but from restoration through our relationship with our creator.
Sabbath is not a ritual to perform, but a rhythm to embody, together. Throughout Scripture, Sabbath was always a collective practice—a rhythm that fostered community awareness and shared rest.
Sabbath asks us to remember—after six days of labour—that life is not sustained by our own graft. Walter Brueggemann calls Sabbath “resistance”, a refusal to be defined by the culture of now.
Yet it’s hard to make space for rest in a 24/7 culture that prizes autonomy, consumption, and entertainment. For nearly a year, we’ve been exploring the Sabbath and I am still finding it difficult to move it from a good idea into an actual weekly practice. This week Alex is speaking on Sunday about Sabbath. The year’s not out, let’s keep exploring!
CLASSIFIEDS
The Bear Sunday Talks + Greenbelt talks: the Sunday morning talks from the last couple of months are now available via The Bear Sunday Talks on Spotify. Apologies for the delay, technical hijinks were afoot. We've also made available a selection of talks from Greenbelt Festival.
Wreath-making call out: it’s harvest and pruning time for vines, so if you have any long runners, Brigitte is asking if you can you try to twist them into a wreath shape or bring to church as is. Brigitte will run another wreath making workshop as a fundraiser for the bear building project as we did last year. Date and venue to be confirmed very soon.
The Sam Sharpe Lecture 2025: Each year the Sam Sharpe lectures seek to broaden and advance the legacy of Sam Sharpe by exploring subjects in mission, race, class, and injustice. This year's lecture, by Dr Seline Stone, is entitled ‘Free Indeed: From Theological Mis-Education to Teaching for Liberation’. Selina will explore how theology can either bind or break us - and how we might reclaim theological education as a tool of spiritual and social transformation. Come along on Monday 27 October @ 7pm for an inspiring evening of theological reflection, justice-seeking, and liberative learning. Find out more here.
Net-zero Officer job vacancy: the Methodist Church are looking for District Net-Zero Officer who will take the lead in advising, supporting and encouraging on all things net-zero related with our Churches and Circuits across London. They are looking for someone with a have knowledge of sustainability, some skills in IT applications, some admin know how, fabulous grant writing capabilities, and the ability to bring some slick confidence to the role. Find out more including the job description here.
ESSENTIAL* RECOMMENDS…
🙈 to see : Sabbath Bible Project
🙉 to hear : Walter Brueggemann - Sabbath as Resistance Nomad podcast
🙊 to read : "Rest is Resistance: Free yourself from grind culture and reclaim your life." by Tricia Hersey
*Sabbath edition