Dear Friends, Before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 souvenir tradesmen exploited the situation. Visitors could buy cans of ‘genuine’ West Berlin air for the few East German visitors to breathe when they returned home, and for West Germans to relish as a sign of their freedom. But to enjoy a can of air […]
Russell’s March 2016 Newsletter – remembering Revd. Stephen Brown
Dear Friends, Remembering Rev’d Stephen Brown If first met Stephen in September 1985 when we both arrived at Luther King House in Manchester, the new home for Northern College. We made a connection straight away, not least because we were the only 2 students in our year who were studying for the University of Manchester […]
Russell’s Newsletter – February 2016
Dear Friends, Love is in the air! As I write, Valentine’s Day is looming and I have my annual panic about trying to find the right card for my wife, Nicola, that says what I would want to say without also making her feel sick. Trying to put love into words is no easy […]
Russell’s Monthly Newsletter – January 2016
Dear Friends, Happy New Year! Church Meeting, on Sunday 17th January, will be asked to approve a new Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk. The Elders, both serving and non-serving, have spent some time considering what should be included in the policy, using expertise and advise from the wider church, both the United […]
Russell’s Newsletter – November 2015
ear Friends, I do not remember 1914. Of course I don’t! Even Olive Himsley, now aged 101, does not remember 1914. But we do not forget. We vowed we would never forget – the horror, the death, the war that was to end all wars – and we do not forget that it didn’t end […]
Russell’s Newsletter – October 2015
Dear Friends, At a meeting of our Synod Area (URCs across South London) Rev’d Jennifer Millington, known to many of you from her time as assistant minister in Purley, reflected on the changes in attitude to and practice of ministry since she had been ordained in the mid 1980s. She concluded the changes were significant […]
Russell’s September 2015 Newsletter
ear Friends, It has been a fascinating summer of travelling for the Furley-Smiths, with at least 5 European countries visited (Greece, Albania, France, Belgium and Germany) and the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people, from even more countries. Throughout the whole experience I remain amazed, particularly given my well-known inability to master any language […]
Russell’s June 2015 Newsletter
Dear Friends, This month the nation commemorates the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. Effectively the first written constitution in European history, the Magna Carta is widely acknowledged as the foundation of British law, and is credited with influencing legal systems and frameworks across the globe: from the US Declaration of Independence to the Universal […]
Russell’s May Newsletter
Dear Friends, For the majority of my lifetime the Church in the Western World has been going through an identity crisis. Participation in ‘organised religion’ has been on the decline and ‘church’ has been seen to be more and more irrelevant to the lives of individuals. Of course there are notable exceptions, but for denominations […]
Russell’s Newsletter – Easter 2015
April 2015 Dear Friends, “It doesn’t make any sense!” the elderly woman said to her visitor. “That daffodil has reseeded itself in the concrete! And it’s changed colour and its now a double daffodil. I can’t explain how it has happened but somehow it has. See for yourself.” She took the visitor to the back […]