The photograph shows our “Sermon on the mount” stained glass window situated on the North wall of the chapel a littlle above the balcony. This sermon is widely acknowledged as encompassing the fundamentals of the Christian moral code and is the basis for all Christian ethics. You can read it for yourself in Matthews gospel chapters 5 to 7.
It is not however a comprehensive statement of everything that Christians believe and practice. St John’s is part of the worldwide Methodist Church whose calling ” is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission." This quotation is from the national web site of the UK Methodist Church in the UK (https://www.methodist.org.uk) and expresses succinctly what we try to do. You will also find an introduction to Methodism, on that site. There are around 4,600 Methodist Churches in Britain including ours`.
These churches have links with about half a million people in the UK. Worldwide, the figure is around 50 million. Not all Methodists believe exactly the same thing. But they all claim to be on a journey in which they feel, however weakly, that faith has a part to play, and that Jesus has some part in it. No one has all the answers, but we at St Johns, may be able to offer clues about next steps on the journey. So we invite you to undertake your journey of faith with us. You would be made welcome and would not be pressurised or embarrassed.
Meanwhile, the following links may be helpful. Particularly useful for general information about Jesus and Christianity is the site re-Jesus. However all we know for certain about Jesus is to be found in The Bible, which is available on-line, either as a download or as an app. Some organisations will send you a free print version on request.
As the Bible is a collection of books, originally written mainly in Hebrew and ancient Greek, you will need a translation of which there are many. My favourite is the New Revised standard version. Guidance on versions are on the web site of the Bible Society
If the existence of God is a concern then http://www.existence-of-god.com/index.html may help.Virtually all of us have questions and queries about Christianity. This same website offers some responses to many of them. But wherever you are on your journey of exploration, please remember that: