Broadfield Christian Fellowship

Thought for the Week – from Caroline (13th June 2021)

Romans 13:4 “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

This scripture, as far as I can tell, means governments have the authority to justly punish and Paul is affirming that. I was trying to find scriptures about defending yourself but mostly I found “turn the other cheek,” “do not repay evil for evil,” and lots of others in a similar vein. I was thinking about the Sunday night 3-part drama called “Time,” which is an emotional and high-stakes portrayal of life in a British prison. Mark Cobden (Sean Bean) is consumed by guilt after accidentally killing an innocent man. Mark is a mild-mannered man whose occupation is teaching; violence would not have been on his radar. I have resisted the temptation to binge-watch it, so I don't know the outcome, but one of the most dangerous inmates identifies Mark’s weakness and sets out to intimidate and bully him. In one scene, Mark is having his one allowed phone call when the bully snatches the phone from him; Mark meekly tries to inform him that it’s his call and consequently gets viciously punched in the face. I am then saying to the TV, “Hit him back Mark, you have to hit him back!” In a way this Thought is asking you as I don’t have a clear right or wrong answer to Mark’s predicament except that when one of the other inmates says to Mark, “You should have hit him, your life will be terrible now,” I agree with him. I know what Jesus says to do, and maybe if Mark was a Christian (and there is no hint of that) he would have prayed, but I think in this case the other inmate was absolutely right. You can tell me if I’m wrong. I think with self-defence each case must be considered with wisdom and discernment.

Pacifism sometimes results in more harm than good, the bully, unless he is confronted, physically, if necessary, left unchallenged will get more and more powerful, as intimidation and violence is his language. In both World Wars we had to defend our country and killing was involved, and I believe that was right – “to let someone murder when it is in your power to stop them is completely contrary to our moral sentiments” and if you had consistent pacifism you would have to eliminate not just the military but the police as well. Of course, wherever possible we should walk away, turn the other cheek, do not retaliate, do not repay evil for evil, don’t take revenge, but in Mark’s case I think he should have hit him, and in a strange way he would have had more of a chance of befriending him after that because he would have gained a degree of respect from the bully.

Welcome to the Broadfield Christian Fellowship Website

Broadfield Christian Fellowship is a local church made up of people from all backgrounds. We are based in the Broadfield Community Centre, which we share with the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches. We are adjacent to the local shopping parade, which includes a large free car park, and opposite the library and Neighbourhood Hub, ideally situated for the local community.

Broadfield is the largest neighbourhood in the new town of Crawley in West Sussex, situated in its south-western corner within the triangle formed by the A23, A264 and A2220. It is predominantly made up of estates of council, housing trust and former council housing, with private housing estates around the perimeter. Broadfield has a population of over 13,000. Click here for a map showing our location.

Broadfield Christian Fellowship is a Link Church within the Ichthus Christian Fellowship, which is based in South London, and a member of the Evangelical Alliance. We are in fellowship with other evangelical churches in Crawley and have links with various local Christian groups, such as The Lighthouse Project, a Christian ministry to the children of Crawley, The Christians Against Poverty Crawley Debt Centre, Holmsted Manor near Cuckfield, run by Youth With A Mission, the International Bible Training Institute in Burgess Hill, and The Easter Team, a local Christian charity that serves people who are homeless or in need in and around Crawley.  We also support and have a number of members actively involved with Street Pastors Crawley.

We meet every Sunday morning at 10.30 am (10.00 am for refreshments) in the Community Centre Social Hall for worship and teaching. Our worship style is informal and generally led by people from within the Fellowship, with occasional visiting speakers. We normally celebrate communion on the third or fourth Sunday in each month and at other times as arranged. We have weekly house group meetings, usually on Tuesday evenings.

Every Wednesday at 9.15 am we run the Triangle Coffee Shop in the Social Hall, at which coffee, tea, biscuits and cakes are served for a nominal donation. Second-hand clothes and other items are also freely available, subject to Covid restrictions. This provides an important service to the community and many people drop in during this time. We have also hosted the Friday Meal, a free drop-in cooked meal at 5.00 pm every Friday, but the future of this is currently being reviewed. The Coffee Shop and the Friday Meal have been awarded the highest 5-star Food Standards Agency rating for Food Hygiene by the local authority.

On the first Sunday of each month at 7.00 pm we join with other churches in Crawley for celebration, teaching, prayer and fellowship at Crawley Baptist Church, Crabtree Road, West Green.

Email Contact Details

You can contact us by email at fellowship@broadfield.org.uk with any queries you may have about our activities or this web site. If you wish to contact one of the leaders or trustees, please use the same address and your message will be passed on. Thank you.