There are some big questions out there! What should our response be to the current debate about gender and sexuality? Does the Bible have any relevance and authority in the 21st Century? Are traditional beliefs about salvation and Jesus outdated and from a different culture? What should the churches response be to the growing epidemic in mental health and emotional wellbeing?
Here at Jubilee we try to make our Sunday teaching relevant and applicable to real life. We also have a unique responsibility to proclaim the core truths of the Christian faith on a regular basis as well as seeking to be culturally aware and relevant. We are blessed with a diverse family and are often seeking to cater for an eight year old and an eighty year old in the same gathering. Our small group network is equally diverse and a small group can include a seeker and a Christian of 40 years’ experience.

As elders, we recognise the immense strength and prophetic edge to this diversity in a world that is increasingly compartmentalised and generationally isolated. However, we are also keen to provide a context for people at Jubilee to discuss some of the big issues that might be missed in our current gatherings.

Consequently, over this church year we are hosting six “Big Issues” evenings on a Sunday evening. Our first evening, where we looked at Scripture, was a great evening of honest debate and discussion. On the 5th November, we will be hosting our second evening and we will be looking at the key subject of Biblical Sexuality. Each time a paper will be produced by an individual with a passion for and a level of expertise in the area being discussed. We would encourage all those attending to read the paper beforehand (available on request 7-10 days before the event) and to come ready to discuss.

These evenings are not meant to be lectures nor do they represent “what the elders believe” on the subject in question. They are intended to be evenings of informed, spirit filled, debate where we discover God’s heart on these issues. Our hope is that these evenings will inform both our pastoral care and our gospel mission in our neighbourhood, our nation and the nations.

In November, our paper on Biblical Sexuality is being prepare by Andrew Bunt who is on the leadership team at Kings Church Hastings and is a key member of the team planting into Bexhill. Andrew has a degree in theology from Durham and an MA in Biblical Studies.