Next meeting

We'll be back on Thursday 10th January at the usual time - hope to see you all there!

Consequences poetry

An evening of fun and games was planned,
Everybody was nicely tanned.
People were paddling in the shallow sea,
Children were shrieking, giggling with glee.
They jumped and skipped and ran about,
One was so excited some wee came out.
It made a suspicious stain on the floor
They stepped over it and left, slamming the door.
The tinsel fell off and mum was quite cross.
Into her head popped Matt Goss, from Bros.
What a horrible image, her mind recoiled.
She pushed away her dinner, her appetite spoiled.
Even the sprouts were left untouched.
Which meant that the toilet went unflushed.

Snow is lying on the hillside
But inside the fire glows in the grate
And the children want to stay up late.
They were forbidden to do so as they had been naughty,
And were all sent to bed without any supper.
There was much rumbling of hungry tummies and many grumpy faces.
Bah humbug till the turkey and sprouts arrive.
The bad mood lasted until the evening.
It was eventually dispersed by loud music and wild dancing.
Much fun was had by all, the party raged on well past midnight,
And nobody had an early night, they all had a ball.
They all froze, however, when HE came to call...

I wonder what Santa will bring for me?
What will he leave beneath my twinkling tree?
"You'd better not peek till the morning."
Was the sombre warning.
Everyone listened with solemn faces
As they wished themselves in other places.
Suddenly the Tardis appeared and there stood Doctor Who!
His long scarf flapped - he'd know what to do!
He removed it in haste and waved it in the air.
He took off his hat and fluffed out his hair.
"Good day to you fine people" he declared.
He delivered his speech, most carefully prepared.
HIs words were received with rapturous applause,
And presents galore, form old Santa Claus.

Letter to man from God

In a future SofaChurch meeting, we'll be watching and discussing the latest video from Dans le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip: 'Letter to man from God'. Have a look ahead of time and let us know what you make of it... 

Watch the video on YouTube by clicking here.

Christmas games evening

Next Thursday night, we'll be having a social. Bring along any games you might have that you think we'll enjoy and maybe a few nibbly bits too... we'll have some fun and get in the festive mood! Normal time: 7.30 to 9'ish.

Why men hate going to church

Tonight Colin led a really interesting discussion on the question of why there are so many less men in church than women.

It's interesting to remember that a lot of the heroes of the Bible were men. And in the case of the disciples, they weren't softies but big butch fishermen.

Looking at the church today, it could be argued that it has become a place that encourages mainly feminine qualities (relationships, support, harmony, nurturing), with women taking most leadership roles. Even the church's activities seem to have a feminine bias: baptisms, weddings, fetes, creches and suppers.

We questioned whether there was a sense that men wanted to be 'real' men (drinking beer, looking at women and driving cool cars) rather than the kind of men the church encourages them to be (drinking grape juice, looking at Bibles and driving the church van).

There is a theory that there is a 'masculinity bank' which can be depleted by engaging in more feminine pursuits. We discussed whether perhaps men outside of the church are not attracted to come along because they fear they will have to be a different (and somehow less manly) sort of man.

We finished by thinking about how men enjoy being part of a team, forming relationships side by side, whereas women form relationships face to face. We asked whether we need to create opportunities within the church for men to enjoy this sort of relationship. We also questioned whether the church would benefit from a more masculine style of leadership - perhaps a more forceful 'tell it like it is' style.

It was a fascinating evening; a topic I'd not ever considered. Of course I had noticed that there are way more women in the church than men - quite an issue when I was a single lass! (Thank God for Greenbelt)

We concluded that the issue is the same as with kids in the church - if there aren't any there to begin with, new ones just aren't attracted to come along.

Do feel free to leave your thoughts, whether you were with us tonight or not - I'd be keen to hear what you think, especially all you blokes. Thanks Colin for a really interesting and well thought out evening.

Waiting

This week we'll be thinking about the theme waiting, how those times when we've had to really wait for things are often times that God uses.

See you there.