Welcome to FaithSpace

An opportunity to reflect and explore

Faithspace is a gathering that includes opportunities for food & conversation; time to pause and ponder, and is open to anyone who wants to explore faith at their own pace. click here for some words to introduce our gathering


Candy Canes

candy canes and cards

At recent gatherings in Eccles, St Helens and Skelmersdale, we've been giving away candy canes and encouraging those who are there to share them with others. Click here to find out why ...

The Season of Advent

red candles in advent cluster

In our Christian tradition, Advent is much more than a frenzied countdown to Christmas, but a time to embrace the reality of waiting. We believe that the coming of Jesus into our world is a turning point in history. This does not mean that every struggle has ended and every problem is solved but that there is a future and a hope that extends into eternity. more...

The Season of Lent

thorns

Whether it is by giving something up, observing periods of fasting or just feeding our attention regularly with suitable prayers and reflections, Lent invites to make time and space to reflect on our values and priorities in the light of what our faith teaches us about God's Kingdom. It takes as its framework the 40 days and nights of prayer and fasting that Jesus spent in the desert. Click here for more

Queen Elizabeth II - 1926-2022

image of queen in carriage

Many of us have been deeply saddened by the death of our late Queen Elizabeth, but we are also deeply thankful for her life and example. She was someone who was unafraid to declare her Christian faith, and many of the qualities we admire in her were shaped by her commitment to live as a follower of Jesus. She often referred to this in her Christmas addresses. Here are some prayers, reflections and a hymn you might find of help as you remember and give thanks for her life.

This hymn reminds us of God's enduring kingdom as earthly reigns pass
Click here for a prayer that reflects on her life and example
Click here for prayer in video format

LENT 2022



Lent is a season of the year when we are invited to find time and create space to reflect on our values and priorities in the light of the values of God's Kingdom. This series of reflections EMERGING FROM THE DESERT is based on the regular Bible Readings that Christians use on the Sundays of Lent. You can find the full series via this link.

Covid-19

virus under microscope

As we come to terms with an unprecedented pandemic of Coronavirus, although we cannot gather it is even more important to keep ourselves spiritually and mentally healthy as well as caring for our physical self. Click here for more

Prayers for Advent

advent prayer cards in row

If you have found our website through an Advent prayer card - welcome! Use this link for a list of churches who are sharing these cards - you can get in touch with them through the links shown. You can also find out more about Advent through this link.

Water

bottle pouring left and village destroyed by tsunami right

This month we had the chance to share Faithspace with some members of the community of South Shields in the North East. We thought about the theme of water and how it can both be a source of welcome refreshment, but can also bring terrifying devastation. Many of the writers of the Bible used these different aspects of water to help them explore and understand more about God. Click here for more

Places

line of market stalls

Inspired by the words of an ancient Psalm, our latest Faithspace gathering helped us to remember that there is nowhere we can go to escape God's presence. We remembered that many of the stories of the Gospels, the life of Jesus, do not take place in churches and religious chambers, but in the fields, fishing ports and market places where ordinary people gathered.

Be Still...

car headlights on highway

Our world seems in a constant hurry, and much within it is fuelled by anxiety - a reality that seems to be taking it's toll on many of us. In our Faithspace gathering we reflected on this and explored the words of an ancient Old Testament Psalm (Psalm 46) that invites us to 'Be still and know that I am God'. click here for more

Pilgrims

signpost against the sky
We met on Pentecost Sunday when Christians across the world were united in the 'Thy Kingdom Come' prayer movement. We followed a journey down Hope Street in Liverpool, which formed part of the annual two-cathedrals celebration. You can follow our prayer journey by clicking here.


Epiphany

gifts and treasures

An epiphany is an experience of profound discovery or realisation. We might call it 'the moment the penny dropped'. It is celebrated in the Christian Calendar as the occasion when visitors from the East came to the infant Jesus with gifts of Gold Frankincense and Myrrh. Their gifts are seen as revealing the true identity of this new born child - a moment to realise the true reality of God’s coming into the world. They came from outside; their gifts were unusual; each had a part to play - and as they journeyed together, God was made known. click here for more


Threads


For Remembrance Sunday 2018 we used threads to think about our own lives and to represent those people whose pathways cross and interweave with our own. We remembered those who have given their lives in conflict and service of others - we may not know them personally, but their sacrifice affects our own. We took a strand of thread to represent their lives, and held them in our hands as we paused in silence to remember. click here for more


Stories


As the summer came to an end, we met up again for Faithspace and had lots of stories to share. Some of us had been away on holiday - others had been for days out or met up with family and friends. A group of regulars to Faithspace had also been on a day trip to the seaside. As we shared out stories together, we thought about how God is interested in our life story. click here for more


Pathways


Life is often depicted as a journey, and for most of us the road that we travel will sometimes be filled with joy and pleasure, while at other times involve pain, fear and struggle. It can often be mixture of the two! We have been thinking recently about the phrase 'We preach Christ crucified' and how this conveys a vision of Christian faith that recognises God's ultimate victory while also embracing our earthly struggles. As we gathered together, we reflect on the twists and turns of our life journeys. click here for more


Contradictions?


Life can be full of contradictions, but sometimes the deepest truths and meanings can be found when we look at them more closely. When we were together in April we spent some time thinking about one of the foundational statements of the Christian faith. Although a profound truth when you look at it more closely, it is laced with contradiction. click here for more


What does the cross mean to you?

We see crosses everywhere; by the sides of roads, on the front of books - many of us will have pieces of jewellery in the shape of a cross. But what does the cross mean to you? This was a question that we explored together at our last Faithspace gathering. We shared different stories and experiences as we chose a cross and decorated in a way that meant something to us. more


Click here for our reflection - Words

click here for our reflection - What's on your plate?

Click here for our reflections for Advent

Click here for our reflections on memories