Simon Benham’s Blog
Hello, and thanks for making it to my blog. My name is Simon and I am the Senior Pastor here at Kerith Community Church.
This blog is a place for me to share thoughts on pretty much anything which takes my interest. This will often be related to things happening in our church community or life lessons I am in the process of learning. It could also be reflections on current world events, reviews of books I am reading or commentary on how well Newcastle United are doing in the league! You just never know what you're going to get...
I hope you find this blog interesting and insightful. If you have any ideas on topics you'd like me to write about, then please email me and I’ll see what I can do. Also, if you’d like to get these blogs sent straight to your email inbox, you can subscribe using the button below.
Happy reading,
Simon
What denomination is Kerith? Where we’ve been and where we’re going
I was recently told that ‘what denomination is Kerith church’ is one of the most common queries about Kerith on Google. I just tried Googling this question myself. The top three answers all pointed to pages on our website, but none of them actually answered the question. Therefore, I thought I’d write a blog to try and give an answer…
“For the husband is the head of the wife” – Is hierarchy God’s design for marriage?
Somewhere along my Christian journey I picked up the idea that in marriage, the role of the husband was to lead and to be the primary authority while the wife’s role was to submit to that authority. Until recently, I’d never really examined whether that was indeed what the Bible taught. Read the conclusion I’ve now come to.
Using your voice for good
How many of you enjoy watching talent programmes on the television and feel envious of those brave individuals who have the confidence to stand on a stage in front of a crowd and sing solo? I know that I have great admiration for anyone who can share their voice in that way, despite the jangling nerves they feel as a lone voice in the silence. However there are many ways we can use our voices, even if not singing solo on a stage.
The cost of living crisis is here, but how can we respond?
There’s no denying that we are in a cost of living crisis and sadly, we know that things are only going to get worse. So how do we respond? I want to suggest two responses that I’ve pulled from the early Church; firstly for those who are struggling and then for those who may be in a position to help.
How full is your bath? An honest talk about mental health
At the beginning of the first lockdown back in 2020, we had the privilege of hosting an online evening with Dr. Kate Middleton who did an online talk about mental health in lockdown. I know that many people found it incredibly helpful and timely.