New name for HHEFC? Updated with more suggestions

We at Haywards Heath Evangelical Free Church (HHEFC) are wondering whether a new name to coincide with our new building would be helpful. To be an improvement on what we have already the new name would need to be memorable, distinctive, shorter and easier to use; and be a more generally understood definition of what we are and where we are.

It should not be misleading, arrogant (e.g Haywards Heath Real Church), or an obvious barrier to new people attending.

Below are a few suggestions for names, updated with all your suggestions so far. You are most welcome to comment favourably or otherwise, and add suggestions of your own and we'll see where this leads.

Location based

Bentswood Church

Bentswood Community Church

Bentswood Evangelical Church

Community Church of Christ

Heyworth (Community) Church

Heath Evangelical Church

Mayflower Church or Mayflower Christian Church
New England Road Church
New England Road Community Church

New England Road Evangelical

New England Community Church
New England Church

Bible theme/idea/person

(The) Pilgrim(s) Church

Cornerstone

Saltworkz (Community) Church

The Ark

Christ Church

We welcome comments in the box below. Select the pull down "comment as" menu and you can choose to comment giving a name, or you can comment anonymously if you prefer.

Graham Nicholls

John 3 For God so loved...

Nicodemus was a powerful, intelligent and religious man. He came to talk with Jesus.

Jesus tells him immediately that he had to be born again. This was almost too much for Nicodemus. He couldn't get his head around the idea of becoming a baby again. But Jesus was talking about spiritual birth. When you start again with a new life. When you wake up and see that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour.

Jesus goes on to say that he is going to be crucified so that this new life can begin.

The reason God is doing this is simple and profound. In one of the most famous verses in the Bible we're told that God loved the world. He loved a world of people who oppose him. He loved people like you and me. In fact, he loved them so much that he gave up the most precious thing - his Son.

But there's another love in John 3. The love of darkness. Most people don't want to believe in Jesus. It's not for intellectual reasons. The explanation of the Bible is pretty reasonable. The proofs that Jesus rose from the dead are convincing. People don't really reject Christianity for those reasons, but for moral reasons. It's because people will not like admitting that they are wrong and God is right and that they need to have the death of Jesus for them to make them clean and right with God.

What about you? Do you love light or darkness?

To listen to sermons in the John series click here

John 2:12-25 Who do you think you are?

Some people when they hear the things Christians claim, respond by asking "who do you  think you are?"

Do Christians have the right to make statements about what is, what should be and what will be?

It's a question of authority, and in the end it's a question of the authority of the leader of Christianity - Jesus Christ. Does he have the right to say how things are, how they should be and how they will be?

In this text the Jews were indignant when Jesus threw all the traders out of the temple. They demanded that he did a miracle to prove he had the authority to decide what should happen in the temple courts.

Jesus reply was about the fact that his bodily temple would be destroyed and three days later it would be raised. He would be killed but he would return to life. That's the ultimate proof you need that
Jesus has the authority.

That's why you need to listen to him.

To listen to sermons in the John series click here

John 2:1-11 First Sign

John, the gospel writer carefully selects 7 signs to tell us about in his book. What we might call 7 miracles.

The first sign was Jesus turning water into wine. Although of course it shows us that Jesus has the power of God, there is more to it than that. It is a signpost about his mission. The wine he creates is a sign a sign of the change to a new order – from religion, from legalism to trust in the transforming power of Jesus.

We need the Power of Jesus. He has the power to transform lives just as he can transform water to wine.

Jesus can replace religion that could never really make us clean with something so much better, like the new wine replaces the tasteless water.

He does what we have failed to do. Just like the groom failed in his duty to provide wine, we have failed to be what we should be for God. But Jesus makes up for our faults.

The consequence is that we can now celebrate, just as we do at weddings. Part of that celebration can happen now, but we wait for the great celebration when Jesus returns and ushers in the new kingdom.

His disciples put their faith in him: will you?

To listen to sermons in the John series click here

Isaiah - feel the words

We are studying Isaiah 40 to 60. You could say it's the easy bit, with lots of references to the perfect servant Jesus, but it's still pretty demanding: Long readings, emotionally demanding. Repetition. Isaiah is written in poetic style. It is full of grand sweeping dialogue and descriptions. It's meant to make us feel something. We feel the grace and feel the disgrace.

God is great and He hasn't given up on His people. His people are forgetful and ungrateful.

And by the way idols are nothing. Idols can't do anything. God can do anything.

So what are your idols?

To listen to sermons in the Isaiah series click here

Fascinating interview with Russell Brand

Definitely worth watching especially from about the 15 minute mark

'Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world' on Independent Catholic News

'Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world' on Independent Catholic News