Tag: hospitality

Before I had said a word: Challenging my own expectations in Sri Lanka

WHAT DOES IT MEAN to encounter Christians whose context is very different from our own? That was one of the questions behind my visit to Sri Lanka in July as part of the Mutual Encounter and Exchange for Transformation (MEET) programme at the Queen’s Foundation, where I am training for Methodist ministry. MEET is deliberately …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2026/09/29/before-i-had-said-a-word-challenging-my-own-expectations-in-sri-lanka/

Common ground is spiritual currency: Sharing good news differently

WHAT MIGHT CHANGE if we approached conversations about faith not as opportunities to persuade, but as invitations to listen, learn and encounter one another? A reflection on what happened when I set out to share my faith and found myself listening instead. Along the way, I discovered new questions about belonging, grace, authenticity and the kind of communities we are called to create.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2026/09/15/common-ground-is-spiritual-currency-sharing-good-news-differently/

Grace before agreement: What living ecumenically has taught me

What does it mean to practice Christian unity today? Drawing on my own journey across Christian traditions and the story of the Open Table Network, I explore unity, grace, and the courage to stay at the table – especially when we don’t agree on everything.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2026/03/02/grace-before-agreement-what-living-ecumenically-has-taught-me/

Will you welcome #HomelessJesus this Christmas?

TODAY the YMCAs in the Liverpool City Region gathered for a carol service in the city’s Parish Church, opposite the world famous Liver Building. As the chaplain for YMCA Liverpool and YMCA St Helens, I gave a reflection on the Christmas story and what it means for the people the YMCA supports

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2019/12/13/will-you-welcome-homelessjesus-this-christmas/

‘So what is a chaplain then?’ – Inspiration from St Martin

Stained glass window of St Martin of Tours, from St Martin’s Church, Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire.

As the chaplain at YMCA Liverpool and YMCA St Helens, I am often asked this question by residents.
Rather than get into complicated church jargon with people whose experience of church may be limited or negative, I have found it helpful to share a story that is often told to illustrate the origin of the word ‘chaplain’ and an example of chaplaincy in action.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2019/11/11/so-what-is-a-chaplain-then-inspiration-from-st-martin/

Radical hospitality – The fourth step on the #JourneyOfHope

An ‘inside-out’ journey beginning with hosting ourselves and moving out to consider host-guest dynamics within congregations and communities.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2019/05/30/radical-hospitality-the-fourth-step-on-the-journeyofhope/

Photo A Day – November 12: Drink! #FMSphotoaday

TONIGHT WE HAVE cleared the kitchen to make way for the decorator tomorrow. As I cleared the room I discovered these fine beverages. When we catered the reception for our civil partnership in May, we had wine left over, and received some alcohol as gifts too, so for a while we had an unprecedented and indecent amount …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/12/photo-a-day-nov12-drink/