Riverside Church - Whitstable

Keely kicks off our new Coastlands sermon series by unpacking how we are called to be a people revealing God to the communities around us.

Simon and Keely focus on five of the many ministry’s going on at the moment with the help of the group leaders to explain the exciting developments. It was also an opportunity to meet and interview our great new Assistant Pastor Jacob.

Sam talks about the dangers the persecuted church face around the world and the hope God gives us to face these.

The best place for our hope is in God who calls us to generously reflect his nature.

Keely explains how God wants our hearts to be so big that they can contain everything that God has given us but then overflows into our workplaces and our towns.

Simon starts the new ‘Overflow’ series by explaining what it means to live a joyful life of generousity. Before that Keely explains the transition taking place of Mark and Rachel taking on the heading up of worship at Riverside and Darlene standing down from the roll.

Chris unpacks the statement ‘God is love and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them’. The song that was played and referred to near the end was ‘All you need is love’ by the Beatles.

Simon unpacks the story of Jesus’ healing of the sick women from Mark ch5 v24-29.

Before Simon’s talk explaining God’s love through the parable of the prodigal son, we hear one of the many testimony’s this morning of how God had met with us in a personal way in the last week.

Simon introduces the series by exploring the truth that God's character is love...

At this evening Christmas Eve eve service Simon explains the significance of the three gifts the Magi brought the baby Jesus.

Simon’s short talk during our evening Carol Service explaining the hundreds of messages we get on our phones and ignore but will open the message of good news that God sends us?

Julian Barnard shares an advent message on betrothal. He considers Joseph's reaction and response to Mary’s life changing news. God meets us through our brokenness and gives hope for the future.

This week our guest speakers Nigel & Jo Hemming from Winchester Vineyard Church start the advent season by explaining how God uses ordinary people like Mary to do extraordinarily things to enable his purpose.

Simon explains why thanksgiving is an essential part of our lives as Christians as we orientate our life in a continuing way towards him.

Chris explains the different types praise offered to God in the Psalms.

Joel explains why there are more songs of Lament than there are of praise in the Psalms and that Lament isn’t just about complaining it’s a structured way of telling God how we feel.

Chris explains why trust is mentioned so many times in the Psalms and how by trusting in God in our daily lives is so important.

Simon kicks off the new series where we will be looking at how the Psalms help us deepen our connection with God in prayer. They help us grow in expressing every range of human emotion and situation.

Simon explains how we should live life as if Jesus is in charge. Before that Pauline tells us about her feelings of peace and happiness through her amazing encounter with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting in Herne Bay last week.

Firstly, Baiba from Friends International talks about their work among students in the Canterbury area and Julian unpacks the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus.

Keely looks back to celebrate all that God has done this year in the life of Riverside and Simon looks ahead to what we believe God has for us in the coming year.

Fantastic to celebrate with Tom, Mark and Jo today as they are baptised. Before Simons short explanation of baptism we hear their great testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives.

Continuing on from lasts weeks ‘Eyes Being Opened’ talk, Simon explains how the giving of sight to the man in this story is a sign that Jesus can open both physical eyes and spiritual eyes.

Using the story of Jesus healing the blind man in the gospel of John chapter 9, Simon explains how heaven touched earth at that moment and how we should use kingdom opportunities.