John Pritchard

Reflections for Daily Prayer has nourished thousands of Christians for a decade with its inspiring and informed weekday Bible reflections. Now, in response to demand, Reflections for Sundays combines material from over the years with new writing to provide high-quality reflections on the Principal Readings for Sundays and major Holy Days. Contributors include some of the very best writers from across the Anglican tradition who have helped to establish it as one of the leading daily devotional volumes today. For each Sunday and major Holy Day in Year B, Reflections for Sundays offers: • full lectionary details for the Principle Service • a reflection on the Old Testament reading • a reflection on the Epistle • a reflection on the Gospel It also contains a substantial introduction to the Gospels of Mark and John, written by renowned Bible teacher Paula Gooder.

The twentieth century saw the spectacular growth of Christianity in much of the global south, the transformation of mission fields into self-governing Churches, schemes of church union (some successful, others abortive), evolving attitudes to other faiths and significant Christian engagement with issues of racial justice and world poverty. This book examines the contribution of the Methodist Missionary Society (and its predecessors before 1932) to these world-changing movements, from the remarkable mass conversions in south-west China and west Africa early in the century to the controversy over grants to liberation movements in the 1970s and 1980s. Pritchard traces the MMS contribution to education, health care, rural development and social welfare and describes the administration of the Societies and the selection and preparation of candidates for missionary service. This is a ground-breaking study of Methodist Overseas Mission in the twentieth century, how it adjusted to changing circumstances - including the forced withdrawals from China and Burma - and developed new initiatives and partnerships, including its World Church in Britain programme which brought missionaries from the younger Churches to serve in Britain and Ireland.

Methodism played an important part in the spread of Christianity from its European heartlands to the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. From John Wesley’s initial reluctance, via haphazard ventures and over-ambitious targets, a well-organized and supported Wesleyan Society developed. Smaller branches of British Methodism undertook their own foreign missions. This book, together with a companion volume on the 20th century, offers an account of the overseas mission activity of British and Irish Methodists, its roots and fruits. John Pritchard explores many aspects of mission, ranging from Labrador to New Zealand and from Sierra Leone to Sri Lanka, from open air preaching to political engagement, from the isolation of early pioneers to the creation of self-governing churches. Tracing the nineteenth-century missionary work of the Churches with Wesleyan roots which went on to unite in 1932, Pritchard explores the shifting theologies and attitudes of missionaries who crossed cultural and geographical frontiers as well as those at home who sent and supported them. Necessarily selective in the personalities and events it describes, this book offers a comprehensive overview of a world-changing movement - a story packed with heroism, mistakes, achievements, frustrations, arguments, personalities, rascals and saints.

Mystery, beauty, enchantment, incompleteness, desire, suffering . . . In this highly readable book, John Pritchard explores around 20 experiences common to us all. Each of these, he believes, offers us a route to a more authentic existence, an insight into some aspect of the divine. Whether you are just starting out on spiritual exploration, or have some experience of ‘signs of transcendence’, this book will reassure you are on the right track, and point the way forward to the ‘beyond in the everyday’, the ‘something more’ we are forever designed to seek. 'What do we do when, as John Pritchard puts it, the burning bush has gone out and nothing is left but wet ash? Well, for a start, something like this: speak to the everyday post-religious twenty-first century world in its own terms, with respect and without concealment, about the ways in which, in everybody’s experience, the damp ashes still gleam unpredictably with the promise of something more.' Francis Spufford, author of Unapologetic ‘In John Pritchard we encounter a true genius in contemporary spiritual writing – one who is gifted in expressing the profound, yet with a light touch and an easy-going approach. We discover in Something More that to encounter God’s presence afresh, all we need bring is our humanity, humility and sense of wonder.’ The Very Revd Prof. Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford 'Once we know how vast the universe is and how little we know of it, it’s hard to go on believing in God as a powerful parent figure. John Pritchard faces the challenge head on. He rethinks Christian spirituality in a way that opens horizons rather than closing them down.' Linda Woodhead, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Lancaster University

Reflections for Daily Prayer has nourished thousands of Christians for a decade with its inspiring and informed weekday Bible reflections. Now, in response to demand, Reflections for Sundays combines material from over the years with new writing to provide high-quality reflections on the Principal Readings for Sundays and major Holy Days. Contributors include some of the very best writers from across the Anglican tradition who have helped to establish it as one of the leading daily devotional volumes today. For each Sunday and major Holy Day in Year A, Reflections for Sundays offers: • full lectionary details for the Principle Service • a reflection on the Old Testament reading • a reflection on the Epistle • a reflection on the Gospel It also contains a substantial introduction to the Gospel of Matthew, written by renowned Bible teacher Paula Gooder.

John Pritchard takes an honest look at what the church is really for and how it works. A book for all who wonder what it must be like to be part of a community of people who are trying to follow the life and teaching of Jesus.

Over 12,000 copies of this book sold since publication in 2004 User-friendly and easy to adapt to particular situations. Containing completely new material, this user-friendly sequel to the bestselling Intercessions Handbook is for individuals and groups involved in the vital task of leading prayers in public worship. Easy to adapt to particular situations and with a wealth of creative suggestions for enlivening the prayers, The Second Intercessions Handbook covers: mainstream public worship festivals and special events informal worship and worship for small groups intercessions with children and young people personal intercession Now reissued with a new cover.

'What Happens When You Pray?' - asks John Pritchard. It happens to most of us at some time or other. A faint stirring somewhere that there may be more to this life than meets the eye. The thought just flits across our air-space and we ask ourselves, 'I wonder... is there something else?' Perhaps something really brilliant or really tragic happens to us and we're not sure what to do with the experience. Maybe it even gets as far as a sense of reaching out from inside ourselves for something. But what? John Pritchard explores that elusive 'something else', examines the art and power of prayer and explains how to slow down enough to hear what God wants to say. John Pritchard invites all who are curious about how to become more in tune with the Spirit of God to share in addressing this fundamental question. Intended for people looking for answers to life's biggest questions, this little book of guidance will appeal to anyone, whether believer or non-believer, looking for a quick and easy way into the topic.

Is Christianity for those who can't get a life? What use is a dying God? Why is the Church so naff? If you've faced questions like these and felt tongue-tied, this is the book for you. It will help you talk more confidently with your friends about the hope that keeps you going. And during those times when you find that you are questioning your faith, the answers and ideas here may help you come to a deeper understanding of what you really believe. The user-friendly format of each chapter begins with a 'What they say' section. The author then identifies the key issue, before suggesting (in reassuring detail) how you might respond. All through the book you will find stories, as well as inspiring, poignant and witty quotes to work into your conversations whenever the opportunity arises . . .

After an unforgettable three years, the charismatic teacher who called you and your brother James to follow him says, 'Right, let's go to Jerusalem' It's thrilling to be setting out on the next stage of the adventure. But life in the company of Jesus is not for the faint-hearted. Certainly there's fun, as lark about with the other young disciples. But it's pretty edgy too, not knowing who is going to turn up next and what might be expected of you. And as the days pass by, the huge demands on Jesus as he heals and teaches invoke both a strange tenderness, and a growing dread of why exactly you are journeying to the holy city . . . Looking through the eyes of the disciple John, The Journey follows Luke's chronology from Luke 9.51, as Jesus 'set his face to go to Jerusalem' Absorbing, exuberant and affective, it offers daily (weekday) readings for Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, with a poem for each Saturday. It is suitable to use individually or in groups.

A book of practical help and encouragement for anyone looking for a new start in their spiritual journey, or wanting to take that journey further for the first time.

Lists can be an entertaining distraction but Ten demonstrates they can be stimulating too. With characteristic wit and candour, John Pritchard attempts to get clear in his own mind what he believes after 40 years of trying to faith understandable to others. Topics include: - Ten problems people have with faith - Ten things I believe about God - Ten things I don't believe about God - Ten words of wisdom - Ten clichés to avoid - Ten ways to pray - Ten lessons learned This is a great book whether you're sceptical about Christianity, feel there may be something to it, or simply want reassurance - in the midst of life's frequently bewildering moments - that it really does make sense.

The twentieth century saw the spectacular growth of Christianity in much of the global south, the transformation of mission fields into self-governing Churches, schemes of church union (some successful, others abortive), evolving attitudes to other faiths and significant Christian engagement with issues of racial justice and world poverty. This book examines the contribution of the Methodist Missionary Society (and its predecessors before 1932) to these world-changing movements, from the remarkable mass conversions in south-west China and west Africa early in the century to the controversy over grants to liberation movements in the 1970s and 1980s. Pritchard traces the MMS contribution to education, health care, rural development and social welfare and describes the administration of the Societies and the selection and preparation of candidates for missionary service. This is a ground-breaking study of Methodist Overseas Mission in the twentieth century, how it adjusted to changing circumstances - including the forced withdrawals from China and Burma - and developed new initiatives and partnerships, including its World Church in Britain programme which brought missionaries from the younger Churches to serve in Britain and Ireland.

Methodism played an important part in the spread of Christianity from its European heartlands to the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. From John Wesley’s initial reluctance, via haphazard ventures and over-ambitious targets, a well-organized and supported Wesleyan Society developed. Smaller branches of British Methodism undertook their own foreign missions. This book, together with a companion volume on the 20th century, offers an account of the overseas mission activity of British and Irish Methodists, its roots and fruits. John Pritchard explores many aspects of mission, ranging from Labrador to New Zealand and from Sierra Leone to Sri Lanka, from open air preaching to political engagement, from the isolation of early pioneers to the creation of self-governing churches. Tracing the nineteenth-century missionary work of the Churches with Wesleyan roots which went on to unite in 1932, Pritchard explores the shifting theologies and attitudes of missionaries who crossed cultural and geographical frontiers as well as those at home who sent and supported them. Necessarily selective in the personalities and events it describes, this book offers a comprehensive overview of a world-changing movement - a story packed with heroism, mistakes, achievements, frustrations, arguments, personalities, rascals and saints.

The faith we proclaim on Sunday is just as relevant to the rest of the week. However, too often the teaching and support that church life offers us can seem aimed at deepening our personal commitment to Christ and our involvement in church activities, rather than enabling us to live out our faith at work and in the world. We need to close the gap between sacred and secular, and that’s what this book aims to help us do. Each chapter identifies an issue, explores how we might respond and encourages us – through practical ideas, stories, humour, quotes, Scripture, questions and prayer – to seek to make a difference. ‘This is a very good book by a very exceptional leader. John Pritchard puts himself into what he writes, and the result is accessible, encouraging and fun, with a steel core that not only makes one think but takes one back to the face of Christ and the realities of Christian discipleship. John is never cheaply comfortable but always reassuringly real. I am very glad to have read Living Faithfully.’ Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury ‘Wise, honest and realistic, Living Faithfully joins the dots in a lively and compelling way between the core of Christian teaching and contemporary human experience.’ Christina Rees, broadcaster and writer

In this exhilarating book, John Pritchard reclaims the narrative power of the gospels by retelling well-known stories in vivid, imaginative language, and showing us how our own stories fit into the Christian story and can be transformed by it. He takes key narratives like the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, the parable of the rich fool, and the Last Supper, and helps us to be part of them. We are given the opportunity to see the people involved more clearly, not least of all Jesus himself - and so to consider whether we might live our own lives a little differently. An ideal resource for anyone concerned to communicate the Christian faith in a lively, contemporary style, Living the Gospel Stories Today will prove no less helpful as an aid to personal meditation and group discussion.

The bestselling Intercessions Handbook is designed for use in a wide range of formal and informal settings. In two introductory chapters, John Pritchard considers the importance and challenges of the vital task of intercession. He then offers practical examples of intercessions in traditional services, all-age worship, small groups and personal devotions. Material for seasons, major festivals and special events is also included. This is a new edition of a book that has become a key resource for church leaders all over the world.

When you dig a bit below the surface, you are likely to discover that many of us who attend church regularly feel we have lost touch with a living experience of God. Indeed, we may find we no longer believe in God at all. The reasons why faith breaks down are multi-layered and complex, and this sympathetic volume has been written for those who aren't satisfied with pious answers to real questions and disappointments. John Pritchard draws deeply on his own experience of dark times in order to shed light on what we may be going through ourselves. He then offers starting points from which we might rediscover and re-imagine a more realistic faith in the God who, despite appearances, is ever present with us, whether apprehended or not. 'God Lost and Found' offers many unique qualities and insights that will force you to confront your honest feelings towards God. The book then progresses into a helpful discussion that will provide you with various starting points for rediscovering your faith in God. 'During those times when God is lost from my life, I want a friend who is honest, sympathetic, insightful and engaging. John Pritchard in this book is that kind of friend, encouraging me with creativity, fun and gentleness to find God.' David Wilkinson, Principal, St John's College, Durham University 'This is an unusually honest book. Its analysis is plain-spoken and compassionate, and what Bishop John has to say about finding ways to live constructively with times of emptiness is superbly well focused. You'll emerge from reading this with - probably - relief that a widespread set of challenges has been so sensitively identified and - certainly - with gratitude for sensible, durable advice on how to go on making friends with the mystery we can never digest or contain.' Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalen College, Cambridge 'What a courageous book! In his inimitable, engaging style, John Pritchard exposes the doubts, anxieties and spiritual dryness which can afflict even faithful believers. He shows us the darkest reality of being unable to find God. But he does not leave us there. His many stories and insights lift us gently to look again, experience afresh and be open to "new beginnings". The result is a deeply compassionate book - full of hope and full of God.' Elaine Storkey, author of Scars Across Humanity