Andy unpacks the story of the church at Antioch, and the power of unity and diversity in the church, and what steps we can take to build a genuinely multicultural community.

This week at our Mile End service, Andy Tilsley preached from John’s Gospel and its connection to our longing for ‘Eden life’ – the fullness of life intended by God since creation in Genesis 1. We look at how Jesus, as the ‘second Adam’, re-enters Eden through his death and resurrection, and invites us back into deep personal connection with God, and commissions us to bring others into this life they were created for.

This week in our Central service, we had guest speaker Haejin Shim Fujimura. Haejin Shim is an experienced lawyer and co-founder and CEO of Embers International, who work to restore and empower victims of injustice and prevent human trafficking. In this talk, she explores the story of the paralysed man in Mark 2. We look at the faith and intercessory love of his friends, who carry his burden to Jesus for healing and forgiveness, and what this means for our faith and call as disciples.

This week, Andy (Sutton Service) speaks on the Philippian church in Acts 16, focussing on their call to reach the unchurched. As recent UK trends show a growing openness to faith, we see how the passage urges both prayer and action in our context – recognising salvation is wholly God’s work in and through us as followers of Jesus.

Eric and Erica Anderson, from Ark Church in Copenhagen, came to share about some of the amazing things they’ve seen happen in their church over the last 18 months and, speaking from 1 Kings 19, encouraged us to pray and pursue more of God’s presence.

This week, Joel (Central Service) looks at the early church’s growth in Samaria (Acts 8), where ordinary believers spread the gospel while facing persecution and resistance. We look at the need for selfless motivation in serving God, in contrast to the demonic allure for personal power (exemplified by Simon the Sorcerer), and how the invitation to the Way of Jesus opens the door to participate in God’s mission with love and humility.

This Easter Sunday, Natalie (Central Service) looks at the true confidence that comes from Jesus’ resurrection, over any earthly confidence which are temporary and fleeting. Whether we consider ourselves Christian or not, we can all recognise the life-altering significance of Christ’s rising, and are invited to deeper explore this foundational claim.

For our baby dedications at Mile End, Lyndsey recounts the story of Paul and Silas's miraculous prison release, the jailer’s conversion, and his entire household being baptised. Through it, we look at how the story of Scripture transforms our understanding of who we are as God’s 'image-bearers’, and how this can teach our children not just to believe in biblical principles, but to be ‘Jesus-people’ in our world today.

This week in our Sutton service, David looked at the importance of building a resilient faith, and the role persecution has often played in that regard in the Bible and church history.

This week, Adnan teaches on the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8. We look at what the story reveals about listening to God’s Spirit, believing that he has something to say to each of us, and how hearing God is rooted in Scripture.