Today is February 14th, a day traditionally dedicated to celebrating love and friendship. Whether Valentine’s Day resonates with you or not, may LOVE fill your heart and bring you peace

A few thoughts on LOVE…

LOVE is at the heart of the Christian story. 

God is LOVE (1John 4:8, 16). God approaches, engages, and responds to humanity—indeed, to all of creation—with LOVE. This means that everything God is and does is LOVE. More than that, God is recognisable by LOVE. 

Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century theologian, gave us one of the most memorable and accurate definitions of LOVE when he wrote, ‘To love is to will the good of the other.’ In other words, LOVE is a state of selfless, unconditional affection and concern for the well-being and growth of another. LOVE is not about me or my satisfaction but about the ‘other’—their flourishing and blessing.

So when we say, ‘God is LOVE,’ we are affirming that God is being and acting for the benefit of all creation so we can grow to the fullness of our humanity, that we too might LOVE with compassion, empathy, and selflessness.

How can we know what God is like? A great question, but the answer is actually quite straightforward. If we want to know the nature of God, we can look at Jesus Christ, meditate on his life and teaching, and we come to know the loving nature of God. God’s LOVE is revealed in Jesus Christ. 

In Jesus we see the LOVE of God in action…compassion, empathy, kindness, mercy, forgiveness … peace.

In Jesus we see that God’s LOVE is unconditional…unbounded, limitless, powerful, healing and transformative.

The life of Jesus is the LOVE of God expressed. Jesus reaches out to the lowly, the meek, the outsiders, the rejected, the sinners, and sick, and the disturbed with compassion, and kindness. Jesus demonstrates the LOVE of God in the radical welcome and inclusion of those who are different.

Jesus holds relentlessly to LOVE, even in the face of death. The opposition He faced—leading to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion—stemmed from humanity’s inability to receive and accept LOVE. Yet, even in death, Jesus demonstrates LOVE, forgiving and blessing those around Him.

The resurrection of Jesus is a profound expression of God’s LOVE. LOVE is God’s ‘super-power’—it gives life. In fact, that’s how we recognise LOVE: it creates, sustains, and brings life and peace.

The LOVE of God in Jesus Christ is for you … for you and not against you.

To be saved is to live day-by-day in the LOVE of God … saved from sins, addictions, failures, self-destructive habits … saved from everything that makes us act and be less than we are created to be … the beloved and loving children of Father God.

The LOVE of God expressed in Jesus works for justice. Justice is the reconciliation of all things—righting wrongs, healing wounds, rectifying inequity, and ending conflict—all motivated and empowered by LOVE.

The LOVE of God expressed in Jesus is uncontrolling. The desire to control stems from fear, not love. Jesus reveals that God never forces or coerces anyone against their will. God’s LOVE is fundamentally non-violent—strong yet gentle. It is a constant, relentless, and faithful movement toward collaboration, dialogue, mutuality, and partnership, all aimed at reconciling creation to God and one another.

This Valentine’s Day, say ‘Yes’ to LOVE.

Blessings

Edward

Rev. Dr Edward Pillar, Evesham Baptist Church

It’s cold outside, and we know budgets are tight so why not take advantage of our community coffee shop?  Whether you’re on your own, or with friends, you’ll find a friendly welcome, a warm space and some tasty hot drinks and snacks, all at affordable prices.

It’s now five months since we opened our community coffee shop – serving a range of hot and cold drinks and snacks each Wednesday. During that time over 500 hot drinks have been served.   On the food front, we’ve served nearly 200 pastries and slices of cake – as well as 50 teacakes and nearly 100 lunches of soup and a roll or beans on toast. For January we’ve added vegetarian chilli to our lunchtime options – perfect for those following Veganuary!

We’re keen to retain our five star hygiene rating so you can be assured everything is freshly prepared following the standards you would expect. There are spaces to sit quietly and reflect, as well as the lively gathering space to chat and socialise.

We asked one or two of our regulars what they thought… here’s their feedback…

So the final question – is it the tea or the coffee that Evesham loves most? 

Tea at just £1 for a pot for one has proved very popular, but customers also tell us they love the individual cafetières of filter coffee – and the sales of both have been pretty much neck and neck.  However, if you include the much-loved cappuccinos, coffee is certainly the clear winner! Why not come in and taste for yourself!

As we have bid farewell to 2024 and as we welcome the dawn of 2025, we are reminded of this timeless reality: ‘God is good, and His love endures forever.’ This truth remains constant, no matter the year or season. Yet, at the threshold of a New Year, it carries a special resonance. As we step into 2025 with hope and expectation, we can make this our confident declaration: ‘God is good, and His love endures forever!’

One year ago, we crossed a significant threshold as a church community. After more than two centuries worshipping in the Cowl Street church, we began a new chapter in the Church Community Centre on Offenham Road. And what a year it has been!

At our opening service, Lynn Green, General Secretary of Baptists Together, encouraged us to step confidently and humbly into all that lay ahead. Over the past twelve months, we have sought to do just that.

This year has brought blessings. We’ve welcomed more people into the Church Community Centre – on Sundays for worship and throughout the week for various activities – than we ever thought possible. Our regular congregation has grown, new friendships have blossomed, creative opportunities have been explored, new initiatives begun, and the wider community warmly embraced.

As we step into this New Year, we do so with the same humble confidence in God that carried us through the past year, anchored in the truth that “God is good, and His love endures forever.” This declaration has become deeply personal for me. My faith and confidence in God have grown as I’ve come to see that His goodness is more vast, His love more inclusive, dynamic, and extraordinary, than I could have ever imagined.

This is the foundation of our hope and optimism for 2025. Whatever happens—whether in times of inspiration or challenge, through the people we meet, the choices we make, or the opportunities that arise—God’s goodness and love will meet us and flow through us into the year ahead.

We don’t need a grand vision to guide us, although if God provides one, we will humbly embrace it. Instead, we can simply fix our eyes on our Heavenly Father. As we live out our Church Values—Jesus, Welcome, Community, Inclusion, Involvement, and Journey—we can step forward as pilgrims, ready to explore the landscape of all that lies before us.

Edward Pillar

In just under a month many of us will start opening an Advent calendar, giving us a surprise treat each day.  As a church, this Christmas we are supporting Caring Hands, an Evesham-based charity that helps those in need, and as part of our support we’ll be following a Reverse Advent Calendar. 

What’s this, you ask?  The idea is that instead of opening a window and receiving a treat – such as a chocolate – each day we put something aside for Caring Hands.  The ‘something’ we are collecting includes non-perishable goods, toiletries and household items that would help those who have limited resources.

We are starting a bit earlier than Advent (our reverse calendar runs from Thursday 14 November until Sunday 8 December) so that Caring Hands can use our donations in food boxes and hampers they distribute over the Christmas period.

We’d love as many as possible to join us in this initiative.  We have a suggested shopping list, but if you can’t collect everything it doesn’t matter – every item goes some way towards helping those who are struggling in one way of another.  Ideally, tins with ring pulls are far better as they are easier to open and many people do not always have access to a tin opener.

There is a box in the church lobby for leaving items – you may want to do this weekly, fortnightly or bring it all in at the end of the collecting period. We will be taking donated items to Caring Hands on a regular basis throughout the period.

It may be that you would like to support Caring Hands with a financial donation. Please use this Gift Aid form. If you hand this in an envelope to one of the church deacons, we will make sure it goes to Caring Hands.

You might also like to see some recent information from Caring Hands about how they are helping meet the needs of the vulnerable in the area. 

On behalf of Caring Hands, thank you for all your support.  Happy collecting!

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Evesham Baptist Church Community Centre is on the Offenham Road, WR11 1DY, opposite the Orchards Estate. We are pleased to announce the opening of our new Community Coffee Shop. This will be a place to just come for a chat, meet up with neighbours, members of other groups, and friends. Somewhere to make new friends, share a cup of coffee and maybe even develop new ideas for our community. The Coffee Shop will open for the first time on Wednesday 7th July between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. and at the same time each Wednesday after that.

We promise you great coffee (or tea) and cake, all at modest prices. We hope to meet you there soon!