Category: ‘Yours on Sunday’

The Same Old Story?

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2025]

Easter is one of those events in the ecclesiastical calendar that present us with a challenge. Like Christmas and, to a lesser extent, Palm Sunday, the story has become so familiar that we feel that we need to find some way to ‘revitalise’ the story each year.

But should we think like that? Is there a risk that the quest for novelty or entertainment value may become a digression?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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A Glimmer of Hope

[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 13/Apr/2025]

The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
Matthew 9 v37-38 [NLT]

I was encouraged to read a recent study commissioned by the Bible Society showing that church attendance in England and Wales has increased by 50% over the past five years![1] One of the standout findings is a significant rise in the number of young adults – especially young men – attending church. While it’s true that the UK Church isn’t out of the woods just yet, and some mainstream denominations remain on life support, this is a powerful glimmer of hope for the Christian faith in our nation.
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Contributor: Martin Shorey
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Why Are People Not Interested?

[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Apr/2025]

I’ve been thinking a lot about reaching out into our community, and in particular the way Jesus touched so many lives.

A great example is found in the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (in John’s gospel Chapter 4), Jesus (1) strikes up a conversation, (2) does something amazing, and THEN (3) speaks life-changing words to her. He caught her attention in a personal conversation, ‘read her mail’, revealed his identity to her, and offered her eternal life (living water). (more…)

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Contributor: Dennis Ginter
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The Gift of Motherhood

[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 30/Mar/2025]

Today is a very special one for my family, as it is not just Mothering Sunday but also the 35th anniversary of the day I brought my older son David home – the happiest day of my life. Since then, God has given me a second adopted son Michael and nearly 30 years later a foster daughter Amy.

When I left work to adopt David, one of my colleagues wrote on my leaving card:
“Good luck in your new job. Pay: miserable, hours: long, rewards: immense.”
He was right on all counts!
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Contributor: Helen Ruffhead
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The Golden Rule: Love Without Loopholes

[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Mar/2025]

We must’ve heard it a thousand times: “Treat others as you would have them treat you.” It’s been on posters, coffee mugs, and social media captions. But when Jesus originally talked about loving others, He wasn’t just throwing us a cute moral slogan—He was flipping the entire religious system of the day on its head.
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Contributor: Dazz Jones
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Freedom From The Love Of Money

[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 16/Mar/2025]

Many people will be surprised to learn how much the Bible talks about money. There are numerous verses in the Old and New Testament about caring for the poor. Jesus himself said: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6 v24) and told parables about the dangers of greed. 1 Timothy 6 v10 says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”.
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Contributor: Helen Ruffhead
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