Back to Basics - Faith has a PR problem! Pete Collison - Week 1

Forge Church Catchup

How would you sum up the story of the Bible in a sentence? It’s a weird thought in some ways … to try and pack thousands of years of history, personalities, stories and people’s real lives into a short sentence … but if you were pushed … what would you say? Maybe you’d say something like, ‘follow the rules and God will like you!’ Maybe you’d say ‘the world went wrong and God was pretty annoyed!’ It’s understandable that we might take ideas like these and throw them into a headline … however trying to unpack the story of the Bible without involving the word ‘faith’ isn’t going to get us very far … Our lives are full of headlines, whether it’s mainstream news media, social media or every day conversation with others … and if we’re honest it’s often what we want too … rather than studying every minute detail of every story, every situation and every viewpoint we want something succinct, time efficient and to the point - that moves us towards truth and understanding. Yet the headlines that each of us see each and every day often fall short of this desire and instead seek to manipulate or sensationalise a story, to sell it to us or to draw us in and click the link. But if we’re honest we know that sometimes a headline simply isn’t enough …. not if you want to truly grasp the full picture. See headlines can be misleading, misguided, deceptive or more often than not — just not deep enough to bring us to a place of understanding … In this series we’re going to dispense with the headlines … and search out the true foundations of faith by getting back to basics. The Forge Community Church is a church in Suffolk with a mission to help people find and follow Jesus. The Forge meet physically in Debenham Community Centrer and have environments for adults kids and youth. We also offer church online so you can connect with the Forge anywhere, anytime, not just those in Mid Suffolk. OUR MISSION: To help people find and follow Jesus. OUR VISION: To be a church community that unchurched people love to be part of. We know that life is tough; now more than ever. We’re sure you’ve got questions and uncertainties, but we believe Jesus can make difference, that faith can bring hope; even in these times and that the Church should be light in the darkness. We’re embracing this new all-digital landscape and can’t wait to interact with you online. We will ensure you receive a warm welcome whether you tune in every Sunday, or if church is new/unfamiliar territory for you. We love that you are able to be part of our community from the comfort of your own home. Feel free to interact through the week on social media, using the links below, or join us at Debenham Community Centre every Sunday at 10:30am www.forgechurch.com/ ww.facebook.com/forgechurchuk www.instagram.com/forgechurchuk/ / forgechurch #ForgeChurch