WELCOME to our church, which serves the community of Coal Aston on the outskirts of Dronfield. Since 1866 this building has been a focus of Christian worship and gospel preaching in the area. Today, if you visit us, you will find lively, heartfelt and reverent worship, warm fellowship, and a wide range of weekday activities involving the church members, the Coal Aston community and people from wider afield. Do come along – we would love to meet you.

Guidelines - live church

1. One-way system - enter by right side of front door, exit by left.

2. Facilities for sanitizing hands are available in the porch.

3. Masks to be worn at your own discretion and singing is allowed.

4. It is now legal to sit within 1 metre of anyone else, but if you are not happy to do this, please leave space.

5. There will be no collection during the service, but we would ask that you place your offering in the plate in the porch as you leave.

6. Please do not congregate in the doorway.
    

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A message from Libby

How powerful words are - hatred, love, injustice, compassion, cruelty, kindness - all these words can cause such strong feelings within us. I hate the word “fear” - such a small four letter word but what power it can have over us.

The rain has just stopped here and the garden is looking pretty and refreshed, a cup of tea has been brought to me, a friend rang me this afternoon and we had a long chat about our families, a book that I am loving is on my table alongside some knitting, which I will pick up later. Why should I be fearful of anything whatsoever, and yet, and yet? How dare I admit to being fearful? 

I am sure we are all following the news from Afghanistan with horror and disbelief, and I am ashamed of my fears. Is my life in the balance because I am a woman? I can go out unaccompanied, my little granddaughter is allowed education, I can sing aloud if I wish, play beautiful music. Today I weep for that tortured country as I listen to the latest news reports and I am ashamed of my fears.

Is it natural to fear, I guess so, but as a Christian I shouldn’t fear anything. However, I do know people who I love and admire greatly, experience fear. “Blimey”, I can hear you saying “This is serious stuff from Libby”.

Hear me out. Yesterday, I did a pastoral visit that was extremely sad. In a way I dreaded going, as I dearly wanted to say the right thing and support the family. (Yes, I was very fearful). I entered the house, and was filled with an overwhelming feeling of love, care and compassion. My fear was completely gone, overtaken by the love and respect I had for this family and how they were coping with the situation. I know without any doubt whatsoever, that God is with them, (not dispelling their fears completely of course), but lighting their darkness with His amazing Grace.

As some of you may know, my favourite passage in the Bible is Romans 8 “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? - Nothing can separate us from the love of God”. May all our fears be given to God and taken away by His loving us. 

When despair for the world grows within me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. 
I come into the peace of the wild things,
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water,
and I feel above me the stars waiting with their light.
And I rest in the wonderful Grace of God and I am free.