The Leaking Rock

Jul 6, 2025

Tonight at our Little Big Church service we looked at Exodus 17:1-7, the story of a leaking rock. We have been learning about Moses (and how God protected him as a baby when Pharaoh wanted to kill all Hebrew baby boys) and how God used him to lead the people of God out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea in a wonderful display of God’s miraculous power.
The Israelites did not find it easy to trust God in the wilderness, however, feeling that they would die of thirst. We tasted some unfamiliar drinks to find out if we liked them (strawberry and lemon were quite popular, coconut water much less so!) and found out that God provided water for the Israelites to drink through a most unusual source: by Moses hitting a rock with his staff!
God provides for us in frankly unimaginable ways. He provided manna from heaven and quail for the people to eat and gave Israel the water they needed to survive for forty years in the wilderness. We can’t always ‘work out’ how God will protect, guide and rescue us, but He has promised ot do so. With God, all things are possible, and so we must learn to trust rather than testing God, arguing, quarrelling and doubting Him. Jesus is the living water (John 7:38) and when we drink from Him, we can be satisfied spiritually. We need to be filled with His Spirit (Eph 5:18) so that we can endure the desert times and thrive with Him.

Giving Thanks

Jul 6, 2025

Garry spoke this morning from Colossians 1:9-12 about joyfully giving thanks. Thanksgiving is a vital part of the Christian life. When David had the ark brought back to Jerusalem, he appointed Asaph to lead worship and gave instructions as to how this should be done (see 1 Chron 16:8-36). One aspect of this is conveyed in the Hebrew word ‘yadah’, which is often associated with lifting hands in worship. There is so much more to thanksgiving than simply verbal thanks.
Paul gives thanks to God in many ways: in public prayers, in blessing food, in expressing gratitude. We give thanks because God’s love endures forever (see Ps 136) and because He meets our daily needs. We thank God because He works on our behalf (Ps 9:1) and delivers us (Rom 7:25). We thank God for His grace and favour, for His presence, for His mercies.
Giving thanks must be done in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18) and for everything (Eph 5:20). Not everything which happens in life is good, nor are we thanking God for evil. But we can give thanks no matter what because we know God works for our good in all situations (Rom 8:28) and even when our lives seem shattered, He can build something beautiful from our broken pieces. Suffering can produce growth (James 1:2-4) and we can give thanks always because we know who God is and what He has done.
Understanding God’s purposes may well take time, but joy comes as we see who God is and appreciate the way He works for good in everything.

Anniversary Celebrations

Jul 5, 2025

Today has made it crystal clear to me (pun intended after all that crystal art, ably managed by the superb Kathy Multi Tasker for whose skills I simply could never muster enough praise) that even when you hold an anniversary celebration to thank God for giving us the building we currently use, church is really all about people.

We’re so grateful to have this building as a base; we’re so grateful for all the organisations who support us. But it’s always the people who make life worth living and church worth doing! (After God, of course!! I really can’t thank HIM enough!!)
Thank you to the people who came today. Thank you to Lynn Utting from Coalfields Regeneration Trust who works tirelessly in our community, offering real, practical help to community organisations like ours.
Thank you to Grimethorpe Pastor Joy who has supported Garry and me over very many years and who turns up smiling at so many community events. Her persistence, love, faithfulness and encouragement are precious beyond words.
Thank you to former church members who came along. We appreciate your support.
Thank you to current church members who worked so hard (baking, preparing, serving drinks, washing up, tidying away, mopping floors, taking photos… the list is endless!) We really couldn’t do this without you and never want to. Your partnership matters so much to us.
Thank you to the children who came. Seeing their fascination with the photos was really amazing.
Thank you to local residents who attend groups we run who turned up (armed with buns – thank you, Beverley Wassell), smiles, and the willoingness to give up precious Saturday time to be with us. Your support means more to us than we can ever say and we want you to know how important you are to us!
Thank you to all who couldn’t come but who sent messages of encouragement and support. That matters a lot.
Thank you to Sam Batley for allowing us to screen ‘The Town I Love So Well’. We had 26 people watch this stunning documentary about Barnsley creativity, culture and community and it was so wonderful to see Goldthorpe locations feature in the film!
We showed over 1100 photos of the past 15 years, and whilst food featured in a fair number of them (we like to eat!), people featured in even more. That’s because people matter. They matter to us and they matter to God. Words like ‘family’, ‘love’, ‘community’. ‘friendship’, ‘acceptance’ were used today to describe the past fifteen years. Our thanks to you all for reminding us what church looks like. People working together. People who love God loving their community. We belong here; we belong together, and we’re very, very grateful.

Anniversary Coffee Morning

Jul 5, 2025

Do join us today for our anniversary coffee morning between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., celebrating 15 years since we moved into the Market Street building. There will be light refreshments, crafts, and LOTS of photos to peruse!

After the coffee morning we will be showing the film ‘The Town I Love So Well by Goldthorpe man Sam Batley. This hour long documentary has been commissioned by BMBC to celebrate Barnsley’s creativity, culture and community and many local places and people feature, including GPCC, Dearne Community Arts’ Festival, Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir and Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Sam has described this film as a ‘love letter to Barnsley’ and we are so pleased to be able to celebrate our community by showing the film.

 

Dare To Dream

Jul 4, 2025

DARE TO DREAM

Dare to dream.

Don’t let the ordinary quash your imagination.

Become as a little child.

Revel in the splash of colours.

Roll in the mud.

Jump till your ankles ache.

Giggle till your belly hurts.

Become that unicorn, rescuing princesses.

Become that sword-wielding prince,

Slashing through the tumbleweed and thistles to get to the love of your life.

Sleeping Beauty can awake after a century of slumber,

If only your tenacity will hold and your vision will see beyond the ruins of failure.

Embrace the child’s impossible reality,

For with God, all things are possible.

 

Dare to dream

Of a world where there’s no injustice,

Where peace reigns,

Where togetherness works in practical, comfortable unity.

Get dressed in your overalls

And perspire through everyday toil,

Embracing the ordinary and the mundane

To build a kingdom that’s everlasting.

Sing loudly.

Laugh at misfortune,

Weep with those who weep

With the tender compassion of the child who does not fix the problem –

How can it? It’s beyond its capabilities! –

But who sits alongside,

Offering silent support in the suffering.

 

Dare to dream.

Run through the park barefoot,

Clamber up the climbing wall,

Swing from the monkey bars,

Dangle upside-down.

Get the play-doh out and relish the mess.

God turns our mess into a message.

He takes our broken lives and builds beautiful mosaics from the shards of our sin.

 

Keep on believing.

Kick off your shoes.

Feel the ground beneath your feet

And dance.

Get those hands clapping,

Those feet tapping,

Those hips wiggling,

Those shoulders sashaying.

Our God is an awesome God.

Live like you believe it

And dare to dream.

Don’t Be Independent

Jul 4, 2025

Today is Independence Day in the USA, one of the most significant days in that country’s history as they remember their independence from England in 1776. As we prepare for our anniversary coffee morning today (setting up the tables, crafts, photos, bunting and balloons which will form part of our celebrations), I’m reminded that independence is not something which applies to Christian churches.

We believe that independence is highly desirable and encourage our children to become independent from an early age. But when it comes to our relationship with God, we are not encouraged ever to become independent of Him. Instead, each day teaches us to rely on Him fully, to depend on Him for our every need. Just as the Israelites had to collect manna daily while they were in the wilderness (except for on the Sabbath), so too we must learn to live by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) We are called to a relationship of trust and dependence – something that often irks us! We don’t have all the answers; we don’t know what the future will hold. But we do know that we walk with God, hand in hand, so to speak, and therefore we have both hope and confidence, for He who promised is faithful. (Heb 10:21)

We are also called to live in community, in an interdependence with other people, which is what church is all about. We are not Christians in isolation. We belong to each other; we need each other. GPCC needs you! We need fellowship with other Christians, which is why our involvement in Dearne Churches Together is so important to us.

Don’t seek to be independent and live without thought of God. Don’t seek to be isolated and go through life on your own. Trust in God; find your community of believers, and stick with them through thick and thin.