Stories of Hope

Are you looking into the Christian faith or wanting to build good foundations of what it means for you to follow Jesus?

We use a very simple way of looking at the Bible, one small chunk at a time, in an open and non-judgemental group of fellow learners, one hour at a time.

As people met Jesus 2000 years ago, they were challenged by who He was and what He did. We can be like them today, finding out who He is and the hope He gives us to be forgiven, become empowered to follow Him, and knowing our identity as a loved child of God.

What happens when we meet?

We have seen that people discover spiritual truth when they read the Bible for themselves, see what it actually says, in an environment where being curious is ok. Our experience of simply reading the Bible together and asking God to speak to us is very powerful, miraculous, even!

We don’t do a traditional “Bible study”. No study book with questions, or a video talk, we have a Bible and God’s help understanding it. And a brew. We read a short passage twice and try to remember it (often a story of Jesus meeting someone) before we answer three questions: “What does it say about God?”, “What does it say about people?” and “What does it say to me?”. We stick to the passage we have read. Each time you will explore a different passage. Applying what we have learned is important. We focus on asking lots of questions about what we’ve read so we really get it, then maybe retell the story to a friend or family member later in the week. We finish after about an hour.

Why do you call it “Stories of Hope”?

Hope is one of the things we all need in life, and it seems in very short supply. But there is much to give us hope through knowing Jesus. We have looked at hope for forgiveness, hope for our eternal future, and hope through finding out that God is able to meet our deepest needs for security and acceptance because of what He has already done for us. And more.

What do people think of it?

We love to see people finding faith for the first time through the Stories, and many attendees testify how the Bible speaks to them in their everyday lives.

Here is what some people have said:

"It's been an easy-to-follow method that allows everyone to be involved whether they are totally new to Jesus or experienced followers"

"It's a great way to learn about what Jesus did but also about His character and what it means for us and our lives today"

"I can often relate what we discuss to daily events and people I meet in my life."

"Stories of Hope is an amazing way to learn about God. It’s simple but effective and is truly a blessing."

How do I join in?

We don’t run it as “a course” or a series as such, so you can come and go as you need to but obviously you will get a lot more out of it if you can commit regularly. Just so we can cater for the right numbers, we would appreciate you joining by signing up using the button or contact the Church Office (see below).

There is no charge for coming, just come with an open mind ready to ask questions you might have.

We’re always happy to accommodate others who want to observe what we do with a view to maybe running a small group themselves or learning how to use a story as a way of speaking about Jesus to a friend.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.