Here is a very quick unpack from our Sunday service. Chris pictured below gave us an enlightening talk about the problem we have with religion.

The question is this, has our faith become religious? Is our faith just about coming to church on a Sunday and doing the church thing? But then as soon as we step away from the church doors we are not living and walking the way Christ teaches us to walk.

The Bible teaches us that we are the salt and the light of the earth, as explained in Matthew chapter five displayed below.

Matthew 5 v 13-16:

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

If we become un-salty what good are we going to be to help people come aboard onto the Christian walk. We need to remain salty, but how do we remain salty?

To remain salty so that our light may shine before others we must ensure we are doing a lot of the following:

1. Reading our Bibles
2. Attending our community groups.
3. Serving in church
4. Praying
5. Seeking the Lords face.

These are just some of the things that will help us stay fervent in spirit, this is what Paul tells us to do in the letter to the Romans, here is a snippet below.

Romans 12:11-13

11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

If we pray and study the Christian faith with zeal you will never get tired. You will remain salty, and your light will shine before others helping people onto the Christian pathway.

It is not boring being a Christian!

Praying, studying, serving, spending time with other Christians in fellowship and seeking the Lords face is far from boring. Last Sunday we talked about what it is to live an abundant life, is it to be rich and own a Ferrari? No it isn’t, it is to receive an abundance of spiritual blessings. It could be that you pray for someone to be healed and it happens, it could be you pray for someone to be saved and it happens, for those who seek the Lord’s face and are zealous for him, will see God and see him very regularly.

So don’t be pulled into the world in all its temptations telling you to do the Sunday church thing making your faith religious, do church everyday and you will keep your faith fresh, salty and your light will shine before others, and you will see signs, miracles and wonders as it says Jesus did in Acts chapter two displayed below.

Acts 2:22

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”

We heard teaching from Steve on Sunday.

Steve taught on John 10 v 10. Here is the scripture.

John 10 v 10

^10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus is very clear. He has come so that we may receive eternal life. He agonised on the cross so we could live and have life more abundantly. The thief in this scripture is referring to the devil.

The devil is the father of lies, and he uses things like accusation to steal and destroy things in our lives, things like marriages, or health and so many more things.

You see there are spiritual forces in this world. Our battle is not with other human beings, it is with the dark spiritual forces in the heavenly realms as confirmed in the scripture of Ephesians displayed below.

Ephesians 6v12

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

There are forces we cannot see in our everyday lives, and these unseen spiritual forces are where the devil plans destruction, to deceive people and nations, to steal, kill and destroy.

But we have good news Jesus has come so that we can have life in more abundance. But what does an abundant life look like? Is it a life of luxury? Does it mean we are all called to be rich and financially wealthy.

Let’s be clear what Jesus said here must not be taken out of context, the abundant life is not about material blessing, it is about an abundance of spiritual blessings. In Philipans 4 v 19 it says:

^19 “And my God will meet all your needs 

according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus knows what you need and will meet all of your needs, whether that is a job, or a roof over your head, these spiritual blessings will be provided for you to live. Jesus will look after us.

Spiritual blessings can be answers to prayer. If someone you know is unwell and you pray for healing the Lord can heal people and pour out spiritual blessing that way. There are many forms of spiritual blessing and Jesus came so that you may receive them abundantly.

If you are someone who is curious about the Christian faith, why not visit us. We have a family service that we run every Sunday at Church in the Avenue. There is time to talk from 10.45am and the service starts at 11.15am. There are also lots of other times to talk and enquire about the Christian faith, have a look at our events banner below.

Don’t be shy! Come and join our friendly family. Contact us if you need any further information we are happy to help.

If you are unable to use the form call us using one of the numbers below:

02920560351, 07977181933

If the answer to both questions is yes then why not consider visiting us here at Canton Community Church.

We have been researching Age Cymru and the Age UK website.

They have stated that there is a staggering 1.2 million elderly people in the UK suffering from loneliness. We have therefore created a safe environment for elderly people to join our community.

We have a bright and vibrant senior community that meet regularly through the week. We are currently developing more events for senior people to attend.

Are you in need of company and a friendly community environment?

If the answer is yes then join our community here at Canton Community Church. You do not need to suffer alone. You can join us. Here are photos of our growing community of older people getting together and enjoying one another’s company.

You do not need to be alone, join our bright and vibrant seniors community

Here are the times of the events when you can join us.

Don’t be shy! Come and join our friendly family. Contact us if you need any further information we are happy to help.

If you are unable to use the form call us using one of the numbers below:

02920560351, 07977181933

Every Tuesday The Church in the Avenue run a FREE lunch club from 12pm to 1pm.

We provide hot soup and bread as well as some delicious refreshments.

The FREE lunch club is a great space for those wanting to make friends, relax and to talk. If you are someone who needs to get away from the house or just away from life in general then this is a safe space for you. We have a lot of friendly faces who will warmly welcome you into the community.

Why do we put on events like this?

We are a church and we hold to the values of what Jesus teaches us to do, and that is to love and serve the community just as it says in Hebrews 13 v 16.

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

We believe the example set by Jesus in showing love and being kind can help the community around us bringing people together like family. If you would like to come along to the FREE lunch club that takes place every Tuesday then please do come you are more than welcome.

We’ll make sure the soup is on the boil and the bread is toasting itself in the oven. Just contact us to let us know you’re coming using the form below.

If you are unable to use the form call us using one of the numbers below.

02920560351, 07977181933

A recap on this Sunday’s family service that took place on the 6th of August 2023.

It was a wonderful message that in times of hardships and trial, when things are tough, we can come to Jesus who can help calm the storms in our lives. In church service we unpacked the following scripture.

A Synagogue Leader’s Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding – Matthew 9 v 18 – 26

^18 “As he was saying these things, a leader^[a] came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. ²⁰ 

But^[b] a woman who had been suffering from a haemorrhage^[c] for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge^[d] of his cloak.^[e] 21 For she kept saying to herself,^[f] “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.”^[g] 22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.”^[h] And the woman was healed^[i] from that hour. ²³

 When Jesus entered the leader’s house and saw the flute players^[j] and the disorderly crowd, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep!” And they began making fun of him.^[k] 25 But when the crowd had been forced outside,^[l] he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶ And the news of this spread throughout that region.”

What were the main points we unpacked at service on Sunday just gone?

The synagogue leader came to Jesus because he exhausted every possible avenue to try and make his daughter well. Let’s not forget Jesus was even being watched so very carefully by the ruling authorities, the pharisee leaders who dwelled in the synagogues wanted to kill Jesus, so for a synagogue leader to come to Jesus just shows how desperate he was. He made a good decision though; Jesus had compassion on the leader’s daughter and healed her of illness.

We also see a lady who had severe bleeding haemorrhaging blood. This woman went to all the known doctors of the time, she tried everything. Her last resort was to approach Jesus. She simply grabbed his cloak and was healed, as Jesus said your faith has healed you. It was a good choice to approach Jesus, because Jesus was the only one who could provide the solution to the lady’s problem.

Who is Jesus?

If you’re new to the Christian faith, then let us explain a little more about it. Firstly, who is Jesus? Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. Jesus was the long-awaited messiah of God’s people, the son of God. Jesus was prophesised to come throughout the whole of the Old Testament, and every one of those prophecies were fulfilled on the day of Jesus birth.

Jesus came to earth to live a perfect and blameless life; he was the person who provided a way to restore our relationship with God, and no one can come to God accept through Jesus once we have accepted him into our lives and given our lives to him.

Some people might find it difficult to surrender their entire lives to Jesus. However, it is the best decision you could make, because Jesus has the solution to every problem in our lives and once you have sort his forgiveness we will be able to stand as white as snow before God.

It does not matter what you have done in your past. Whether that is a little white lie you have told here and there, or perhaps you got in trouble with the Law and ended up in prison, you have wronged a person and got away with it but you are riddled with guilt about it, or your life is just a mess because of sin and mistakes you have made that have caused destruction in your life.

The great news for you today is to know this. Jesus willingly went to his death and suffered upon a cross and took the punishment that we deserved. He sacrificed himself to ensure we could have a deep and fulfilling relationship with God, giving us the only route to heaven and eternal life.

What is going wrong in your life today?

We would like to invite you to our church called, “The Church in the Avenue”, and come and discuss with us how Jesus can change your life today.

It could be that you are suffering from a relationship breakdown, financial problems, loneliness, depression or something personal, whatever it is, ask yourself this question, why don’t you consider letting Jesus into your life?

Just as Jesus did with the synagogue leader’s daughter and the woman who was losing blood, he healed them. Jesus had the solution that led to joy, peace and happiness in these peoples lives. It was a simple mustard seed of faith that brought solutions to their problems, and we firmly believe that Jesus can provide the solutions to our deepest needs even today, giving you a deep and meaningful relationship with God, coming to know him personally and know his guidance in our daily lives.

Our service

We are open every Sunday. We open our doors at 10.45am where we have a time where people can talk and make friends, enjoying tea, coffee and some delicious treats. The family service then starts at 11.15am finishing at around 12pm.

You are more than welcome to join us. You can come along on the day or if you need further information contact us on the email, just follow the link below,

Email Us – Church In The Avenue