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Dear Guest,
I write this as explosions reverberate around the Middle East and the politics of that region faces upheaval and uncertainty. All this news takes my mind to the course that I am currently writing for later this year – ‘Politics in the Bible‘.
I am reminded that much of the Bible’s story, from the migration of Abraham through to the death of Saint Paul, took place against a backdrop of political uncertainty. The stories of Moses, David, Daniel, and even of Jesus’ birth were directly shaped by violent regime change.
At every twist and turn of the Bible’s narrative, people of faith – like Isaiah, Jeremiah – turned to prayer to understand what God was doing in the turmoil they were seeing in the world and lives around them. Sometimes those understandings were unexpected and challenging.
Whether or not you wish to explore the ‘Politics in the Bible’ with me in June, I encourage you to turn to God in this season to seek his insight into the disturbing news we are hearing every day.
Click here to see some prayers and resources our communications team have pulled together.
Rob Harrison
Director of Ministry and Leadership
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Catch up with Course Recordings
Interested in one of our Zoom courses but worried about missing a session? Fear not! Every session is recorded and sent to everyone who has signed up, giving you the flexibility to catch up whenever you need.
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As we grow and age we face different joys and challenges at various stages of our lives. Many of these things are the same regardless of the generation you were born into. From learning to talk, to teenage independence, from first job to retirement. But these shared stages are impacted by the time you are living in…being 40 in 2025 is different to being 40 in 1995.
This course, which will be led by Anna Naish, helps us to think about the different stages of life today (and to reflect on our own experiences).
There are two sessions, each focussing on different stages. You can register for one or both sessions.
Saturday 7th March – Childhood into early adulthood
Saturday 25th April – Adulthood
Time: 10am-4pm (please bring your own lunch)
Venue: St Paul’s Church, Foleshill Road, Coventry, CV6 5A.
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In Old Testament law, some foods are declared to be ‘clean’ and appropriate for eating, and others declared ‘unclean’ and forbidden. These laws are still observed by Jewish people today.
Have a go at this short quiz to see if you know which animals are considered clean or unclean.
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Christian Worship through the Ages aims to explore how Christian worship has developed and been experienced through nearly two thousand years of history.
Over 5 weeks, we will explore how Christians in different eras have responded to the call to praise God and proclaim the Gospel in their own contexts. Key questions we will tackle are, how did development in theological thinking and political history shape Christian worship? What might we learn about our own worship from those who have gone before? What might the worship of the future look like in a technological age?
This course will be led by Philip Morton, Vicar at St. George’s church, Rugby.
Wednesdays 15th April – 13th May, 7pm – 9pm at St. George’s Parish Church, Rugby
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Upcoming Courses & Events
Click the titles of any of the below courses and events to read more about it.
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In this Zoom course, Rob Harrison will explore what we know of Paul’s life, and what we can infer about his character and motivation, before taking a fresh look at his letters.
Rob, who has written a fictionalised novel about Paul, writes, “A lot of Christians feel a certain discomfort about St Paul, and find his letters hard to understand. I hope that those who attend this course will come to love this complex and passionate man, and discover a fresh delight in his writing.”
Wednesdays from 15th April – 13th May, 7:30 – 9pm on Zoom.A
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This course focuses on three habits: Be Curious; Be Present; and Reimagine. In the sessions it does this by reflecting on biblical stories, a recent story and creating space to include how our own story and experiences shape our thinking. These habits can have an impact on our everyday lives & relationships and affect how we relate to people and the life of the communities that we’re part off.
This course will be led by Anna Naish.
Wednesday 15th April – Wednesday 20th May 2026, 7:30pm – 9pm, Zoom and Online
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Women are visible throughout the New Testament in their care for Jesus, their passion for faith, in leading others and crossing boundaries.
During this course we will meet with a variety of women and spend time exploring who they are and the part they play in the story of God.
This course will be led by Anna Naish.
Thursdays 16th April – 21st May 2026 (no session on 30th April), 12pm – 1:30pm, Zoom
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Preaching isn’t just about talking to people but helping them to include themselves in the message.
This session will explore techniques and ideas for actively engaging the congregation in a sermon, and consider the sermon as a learning experience rather than a teaching opportunity.
This session will be led by Rob Harrison.
Thursday 16th April, 7pm – 9pm, All Saints, Harbury
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When churches and schools have a positive relationship, everyone benefits. This session will look at the breadth of ways we can develop positive relationships with children, families and staff. It will look at the impact these relationships can have on staff wellbeing, opportunities to be involved with the school and children exploring faith.
This session will be led by April Gold and Anna Naish.
Thursday 30th April, 7pm-9pm, Camp Hill Parish Church, Nuneaton
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This session will explore:
– The culture of a good team (this might be a pastoral team, refreshments team, children’s team, PCC etc etc)
– How we can expand and invite people into teams in helpful ways.
– How we can foster support if there is a lone person in a role.
This session is aimed at anyone leading a team or thinking about creating a team. This might be a team in church (pastoral team, children’s team, PCC, worship team etc) or you may be thinking about other teams where you want to create a more supportive atmosphere.
This session will be led by Anna Naish.
Wednesday 13th May, 10am-12pm, St Paul’s Church, Foleshill, Coventry
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For children who are neurodivergent (e.g. have dyslexia, autism, ADHD) churches can be a really difficult space. There are certain expectations, rules, people, lights, noise, silence that make it tricky. And yet, we are called to welcome everyone.
This session will help us think about the breadth of neurodiversity, how our church might feel for a family with additional needs and how we might make our church a more welcoming and accessible space.
This session will be led by James Henney and Anna Naish.
Thursday 4th June, 7pm-9pm, All Saints Church, Bedworth.
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Wherever and whenever humans gather in large groups, there are politics. Wherever and whenever there are politics, there are differences and difficulties. The political landscapes of the Bible’s history were no less complex or challenging than those of our own day.
In this five-week zoom course Rob Harrison will explore the many and varied political landscapes against which the history of the Bible unfolded, and note how God’s people, from Abraham through to Paul, navigated their life-journeys across those landscapes.
Along the way, we will reflect on our own relationships with the changing political landscape of our time.
Starting Wednesday 10th June, 7:30pm-9pm on Zoom.
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All of our upcoming courses and events can been seen on our calendar.
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Worshipping God |
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Making new disciples |
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Transforming communities |
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Worshipping God |
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Making new disciples |
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Transforming communities |
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