In Depth:  Lesley Barnes

Dear Sir,

Catalyst at IPC Ealing was indeed a very successful conference (as reported in the August en), but, as well as 180 men, there were also about 50 women in attendance over the three days. They, also, were ‘eager to learn’ from the excellent speakers. God willing there will be another Catalyst next year. Women are very welcome to attend.

Dear en,

I appreciated what Helen Thorne said about not being able to pray. This is such an important subject. I feel that when we say ‘I can’t pray’, what we sometimes mean is that we cannot see God answering our prayers. It is unfortunate that we often equate prayer with asking God for things. Prayer is so much more. It is thanks, praise, wonder, telling God of our frustrations, anxieties, fears, hopes and desires and also praying for others.

Dear EN,

I read with interest the article ‘The struggle to fit in’ by David Binder in the September issue of en. Several years ago our church leaders decided that perhaps our congregation was not as welcoming as it could be and so, after some discussion, certain measures were put in place.

Dear Editor,

The thing that worried me most about The Secret (reviewed on page 25 of the June issue of en) was something said to the James Nesbitt character's wife after his adultery had been discovered. The pastor of the church said to her ‘You know it is a wife's duty to keep her husband happy’, implying that, if a man does not get sexual satisfaction from his wife, he will look elsewhere. In other words it is her fault if he strays.