Each year during May the Mental Health Foundation promotes Mental Health Awareness Week. In the Corona period and after Covid-19 many of us were blessed to have received kindness from others, on countless occasions and in countless ways, and we would all acknowledge the benefits it brings. Beyond the benefits of receiving kindness, research has… Read More Mental Health Awareness Week
Exposition / Politics and Skepticism Conspiracy Thinking and Radical Skepticism There is a strong mistrust in society today, a spirit of suspicion and skepticism that is almost pathological. The COVID-19 experience has bred a lot of it, with debates about vaccination, wearing masks, etc. Conspiracy thinking is very much on the rise. Subject matter experts are… Read More Conspiracy Thinking and Radical Scepticism
From the Lampstand, Adelaide, Australia How easy it is for God to bring the world to its knees! The world is flummoxed because of a tiny virus. The world as we knew it will never be the same. But, COVID-19 hasn’t just affected the world; it’s also a trial for God’s ecclesia, and trials expose… Read More An Appeal in Troubled Times
For some long time there did not take place meetings in our ecclesia halls. But having lesser restrictions in civil life, we are also opening the ecclesiae spaces to come together again. Though at the moment we still advise to be very careful and to wear a mouth mask when with many people in a… Read More The “New Normal” – When we meet again.
At our ecclesia, the same as in many other ecclesiae, last year and this year we had no opportunity to meet each other face-to-face. Like the apostle Paul in his time, we also do know that doesn’t make any difference, because at the present time we have to live on the safe side, avoiding infecting… Read More This Sunday Looking at Colossians ch 2
The mountainous country with an extensive plateau covering central Anatolia, Turkey has caused Europe enough headaches in 2020 and 2021. Though a multiparty republic with one legislative house; its head of state the president is governing the country like a dictator and trying to make it a totalitarian Islamic state. Its land area is greater… Read More Turkey 2021 update
As a country predominantly Roman Catholic; also Eastern Orthodox), Poland became a member of NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004 but took on a not so social attitude to help others, like the refugees who tried to enter the country. Many Polishes have some extreme right ideas and are against other religious… Read More Poland 2021 update
A short visit to see two sisters in the Oslo area took place in January. Two further visits booked for the first half of 2020 had to be cancelled because of Covid-19. Although no visits to Norway have taken place since the pandemic began, contact with our three isolated sisters has been maintained, one of… Read More Norway 2020 report
Last year the decision was taken to meet in homes rather than renting a meeting room. Largely this has not happened, and meetings have been via Zoom, and these have been supported by some of those who have visited the island. The members have largely benefitted from online meetings, as some were not able to… Read More Malta 2021 update
Visits to Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine take place usually outside of the winter months, since travelling around at those times of year can be very difficult. This means that visits would normally start no earlier than March and finish by late October/early November. As a result of this, the Covid-19 pandemic had the effect… Read More Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine update
The English language and Christianity helping to unite dozens of ethnic groups, who come together in the cosmopolitan capital of Kampala, a verdant city whose plan includes dozens of small parks and public gardens and a scenic promenade along the shore of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake. Covid-19 has dominated our activities in Uganda… Read More Uganda 2021 update
Comprising about 115 islands, with lush tropical vegetation, beautiful beaches, and a wide variety of marine life, normally the Seychelles live of tourism. Covid-19 has had a considerable effect; not because the island was severely affected by the spread of the disease, but because tourism dried up. So many hotels laid off staff. This included… Read More Seychelles 2021 update
Mauritius, the island country in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, has suffered significantly from the Covid-19 pandemic. As an island, with a reasonably advanced Public Health system, it was able to rapidly close its borders to visitors and initiate a strict population lockdown, resulting in just 500 identified cases and… Read More Mauritius 2021 update
There are about 8,700 members in 177 ecclesias, and it is pleasing to report about 280 baptisms during the year. Sadly, the year began again with a need to support brothers and sisters affected by flooding in the southern areas of the country. The environmental issues felt across the globe continue to impact those whose… Read More Malawi 2021 update
The internal conflict that has been troubling Cameroon since it flared up into strikes, sporadic violence, and displacement of sections of the population has sadly continued during 2020 with little sign of improvement. Inevitably along with Covid-19 pandemic there have been widespread detrimental effects to ecclesial activity. There have been cases of brethren being kidnapped… Read More Cameroon 2021 update
Some notes taken whilst this morning service went on. My mind and pen being too slow to follow and write down all the thoughts. But perhaps it are some useful points I could write down. Let it also be a good reason next time to join us, so that you do not miss anything. Today… Read More Today’s service from Mons
Fortsetzung von: Das Leben in der Pandemie #1 Hilfe in diesen unruhigen Zeiten Das Leben in der Pandemie Ian Sampson (Pinetown, Südafrika) Übersetzung: Natascha Ramsden Teil 2 Weisheit Seit Beginn der Pandemie sind zwei große ,Götter‘ zum Vorschein gekommen, die uns den Weg weisen sollen – Politiker und Wissenschaftler. Jeden Tag erzählt uns irgendein Politiker… Read More Das Leben in der Pandemie #2 Weisheit
Das Leben in der Pandemie Ian Sampson (Pinetown, Südafrika) Übersetzung: Natascha Ramsden Furcht und Weisheit sind eine Hilfe in diesen unruhigen Zeiten Eines meiner letzten Vortragsthemen lautete „Den Verstand bewahren in einer verrückten Welt“. Ich hielt ihn, bevor die Worte „Coronavirus“ und „COVID-19“ bekannt wurden und doch hat er jetzt mehr Relevanz als zu jedem… Read More Das Leben in der Pandemie #1 Hilfe in diesen unruhigen Zeiten
Having our ecclesiae operational is a good witness to the public, providing of course that we are following the regulations. The gloom and darkness which hangs over many parts of society needs the brightness and positive message to shine from our ecclesial lampstands. It has been rightly noted that current worldwide problems might not prompt… Read More Ecclesial work in coronatimes
Wherever we look in the news at the moment, the headlines are about COVID-19, the Coronavirus and vaccination. It was incredible how the Coronavirus infection seemed to spread with ease, knowing no borders. The many measures taken by the authorities (some of them drastic) have done little to stop the virus from reaching many countries.… Read More Coronavirus, Vaccinations and an Old and New World
Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven 