2017 | Gospel in the City

Lunchtime Carol Service

28th November 2017

This year Gospel in the City will once again be hosting our Lunchtime Carol Service on Wednesday 20 December 2017 from 1:10-1:50pm in the downstairs venue of May Street Church (Where Urban Soul cafe used to be).

This will be a traditional carol service with well-known Christmas carols led by a brass band, with mulled punch and a short message from Christoph Ebbinghaus. It is intended to be accessible to anyone who enjoys a traditional Christmas service and we hope would be perfect for a pre-Christmas office trip out for your whole team.

Romans: Back to the start……..again!

24th November 2017

Over the last few weeks at Gospel in the City we’ve been looking at why our world is the way it is from the first chapters of the Bible.

For the next two weeks we’re going to fast forward to the decades after the life of Christ and see how the Apostle Paul uses Genesis 1-3 to explain what’s wrong with the world in his letter to the Romans.

29th November: Romans 1. 1-17. God’s Powerful Gospel

06th December: Romans 1. 18-32. Why is God so Angry?

Our speaker for this series will be Johnny McClaughlin (Hamilton Road Baptist Church)

Each week we’ll also be including a short slot that aims to equip us very practically for living as a Christian in the workplace. We will be continuing our series focusing on 10 tips for everyday evangelism from New York Pastor Tim Keller.

Everyone who is in the city centre is very welcome to join us on Wednesday lunchtimes at 1:10, upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain St. Sandwiches available (suggested donation £3).

Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested in coming along.

Genesis: Back to the start

2nd November 2017

What’s wrong with the world?

There are lots of ways to answer that question. But we think the best way to answer it will be to go back to the very start of history.

We’re going to see who God made us to be and what went wrong. Join us for three talks exploring how Genesis 1-3 explains our world.

08th November Genesis 1: “And God said”

15th November Genesis 2: “The breath of life”

22nd November Genesis 3: “Cursed is the ground”

Our speakers will be Trevor Johnston (All Saints Church), and Stephen Kerr (Gospel in the City).

Each week we’ll also be including a short slot that aims to equip us very practically for living as a Christian in the workplace. We will be returning to our series focusing on 10 tips for everyday evangelism from New York pastor Tim Keller.

Everyone who is in the city centre is very welcome to join us on Wednesday lunchtimes at 1:10, upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain St. Sandwiches available (suggested donation £3).

Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested in coming along.

Reformation rediscovered: How the Reformation changed the world

16th October 2017

This October is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of his controversial “95 Theses” in Wittenberg. The theses took issue with a number of problems in the medieval church, including the sale of indulgences. From such small beginnings a popular movement began that would radically change the world.

Here in Belfast we can still see the impact of the Reformation all around us: in obvious ways, like the different denominations of churches and the sectarian conflict. But also in more subtle ways, the Reformation changed how all of us think about God and the Bible, and how we think about life and work.

So join us for two weeks as we rediscover why the Reformation changed the world:

25 Oct How the Reformation rediscovered the goodness of God

1 Nov How the Reformation rediscovered the goodness of work

Our speakers are Dr Stafford Carson (Principal, Union Theological College), and Sam Bostock (Gospel in the City).

Wednesdays, 1:10-1:45pm, upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain Street. Sandwiches available (suggested donation £3).

The Call of the Kingdom: for the many or the few?

12th September 2017

For our first autumn series of short Bible readings and talks we are looking at Luke’s Gospel, chapters 13-15, under the title: The Call of the Kingdom: for the many or the few?

At this busy time of year we’re praying that these talks will refocus our priorities for life in the workplace.

In the first passage in this section a man asks Jesus, “will those who are saved be many or few?” (Luke 13:23) It wasn’t an academic question! Is the kingdom of God basically for a few hardened believers, or is open to everyone? If everyone’s invited, why aren’t more people embracing it?

Join us on Wednesday lunchtimes as we discover how Jesus responds.

13 Sept – For the many or the few? Luke 13:22-35
20 Sept – Discipleship and the greasy pole Luke 14:1-24
27 Sept – Come to the party! Luke 14:1-24
4 Oct – You need a plan Luke 14:25-35
11 Oct – Lost and found Luke 15
18 Oct – The heart of God Luke 15

Each week we’ll also be including a short slot that aims to equip us very practically for living as a Christian in the workplace. This autumn we are focusing on 10 tips for everyday evangelism from New York pastor Tim Keller.

Everyone who is in the city centre is very welcome to join us on Wednesday lunchtimes at 1:10, upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain St.

A copy of a flyer for this series is available to view and download here. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested.

Kingdom Secrets

20th June 2017

During June at Gospel in the City we’re returning to Mark’s gospel for a 4 part series we’re calling “Kingdom Secrets”. Focusing on chapters 3 and 4, we’ll see how Jesus is rejected by people, including his own family, and how he begins to build a new family in God’s kingdom.

We will be thinking about our witness in the workplace by answering the question “if Jesus is God why don’t more people believe in him?” through four key passages:

7 June: “Far from the madding crowd” (Mark 3:6-21)
14 June: “The strong man bound” (Mark 3:20-35)
21 June: “The four soils” (Mark 4:1-20)
28 June: “The secret word” (Mark 4:21-34)

Dead man walking: the case for the empty tomb

29th March 2017

Many people today see Jesus as an interesting religious thinker (like the Buddha) or a revolutionary prophet (like Che Guevara). But to contemporary people Jesus was either a dangerous heretic or he was the son of God. Put another way, they either believed he had been rightly executed by the Romans, or that God had raised him from the dead, offering life to the world.

This Easter we will be joined by Stephen Shaw QC to consider the evidence for the empty tomb. Stephen has practiced at the Northern Irish Bar for over 30 years and has been Senior Counsel since 2001. Stephen regularly speaks on the evidence for the Christian faith and we are delighted that he is able to join us for this one off event, organised by Gospel in the City.

Wednesday 12 April 2016, 1:10 – 1:50pm
May Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast (see below for directions)
All welcome. No booking necessary.

A copy of a flyer for this event is available to download here. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested.

Lent Bible Readings: The Controversial Christ

6th March 2017

In the run-up to Easter, we are returning to Mark’s Gospel after a couple of months’ break. After the excitement and enthusiasm of the early days of Jesus’ public ministry, the mood has turned sour as Jesus is challenged again and again about his unique claims.

We’re going to be looking at five “conflict stories” in Mark 2-3. In each we’ll see how Jesus’ claims are at the same time wonderfully good news and strangely controversial. Ultimately, we’ll see that Jesus’ commitment to bringing life sets in motion the events that lead to his death.

08 Mar The Christ who blasphemes Mark 2:1-12
15 Mar The Christ who eats with sinners Mark 2:13-17
22 Mar The cutting-edge Christ Mark 2:18-22
29 Mar Christ the law-breaker Mark 2:23-28
05 Apr The Christ you want to kill Mark 3:1-6
12 Apr Dead Man Walking: the Case for the empty tomb

This series will be great for anyone exploring what Jesus’ life was all about, and there will lots for Christians to chew on as we consider together what it means to follow a controversial Christ.

Our speakers for this series are Moore Casement (Cornhill Belfast), Sam Bostock (Union College), Christoph Ebbinghaus (Kirkpatrick Memorial Presbyterian Church) and Jim Crooks (the Crescent Church). The series will finish in Easter week with a special talk from Stephen Shaw QC, “Dead Man Walking: the Case for the empty tomb” (12 April).

A copy of a flyer for this series is available to view and download here. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested.

A Vision from Revelation

13th February 2017

The book of Revelation is one of the Bible books we often find confusing. But in the first chapter, John gives us a powerful introduction that helps us understand Revelation’s central message. Even more importantly, this chapter gives us a vivid picture of the God who speaks to us and who makes us into a kingdom of priests. It’s the kind of image we need to have filling our imaginations if we are going to live as salt and light in our workplaces.

So we hope you’ll join our meetings on the next two Wednesday lunchtimes as Trevor Johnston opens up Revelation 1 with us.

15th Feb: God revealed (Revelation 1:1-8)
22nd Feb: A vision for the workplace (Revelation 1:9-20)

Trevor Johnston serves as Rector at All Saints Church on University Street.

City on a Hill: Developing a Public Faith

8th January 2017

What does it mean to be a disciple of King Jesus in our workplaces?

For the first few weeks of 2017, we’re going to be looking at the opening to the Sermon on the Mount. With potent images Jesus sets out what life in his kingdom looks like: comfort for the mourners, joy for the persecuted, salt of the earth, light for the world, a city on a hill.

Jesus gives us a vision for a kind of “public faith” – a way of shining brightly as citizens of his kingdom in a world that rejects his rule. As Tim Keller has said:

“To be “public” doesn’t mean being strident, nor to force the subject into conversations. It simply means that Christians should not hide who they are.”

Join us for a mixture of Bible teaching and interactive seminars over five Wednesday lunchtimes as we work out how we might bring light to our workplaces by being who we are.

11 Jan Time to be blessed
18 Jan Salt of the earth
25 Jan Light of the world
01 Feb Kingdom living in my workplace (part 1)
08 Feb Kingdom living in my workplace (part 2)