Last week we celebrated one year since I was officially inducted as pastor of Ford. As I promised them, I took the first year to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the church; to see what spiritual gifts are there and what else we need; and to discover where the Lord is leading us, so we can build our vision and strategy based on the Lord's guidance rather than on our own wisdom or lack of.
Strengths are too many to count, but above all I enjoy the love and acceptance that is prevalent in this church. You can feel it the moment you step through the door. No, we're not perfect in this regard, but there is a solid core of love this church is built on.
Weaknesses - well, I better not publish them on a blog :-) I guess in the time I've been at Ford, I discovered more weaknesses in me than in the church.
On the spiritual gifts, I find it interesting that we generally had the gifts necessary for the direction the church is taking; and where we needed the gifts and didn't have them, the Lord sent the right people who fitted right in.
Where the Lord is leading us - that's the central thing, because our vision, mission and strategy depend on that - and the gifts and strengths are there to support them.
I guess the biggest surprise for me was the kids invasion. I have one child who's 14, the others are grown up. One other family in the church has an 18 year old. And these are the only 'kids' that come from the church family. Apart from them, there are 3 other teenagers that have been in the church for a while, even though their parents are not members of this church. So I did not think we have much of a chance to build a solid group of children and teenagers.
But then, our Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade began to grow - we have some 60 kids in them. And we started a youth club with 4 teens, and now we are being swamped with kids from the neighbourhood. So I guess the great thing is that we are becoming a true family-oriented community church. Which is what I have been dreaming of but didn't quite believe we can get. The Lord had this planned all along :-) The big thing now is to follow it up.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Huston, we've got a problem :-)
We are in the midst of the "10 days of prayer for Plymouth" campaign. Basically the church has been opened 24 hours a day for anyone to come in and pray, and we've been praying for a spiritual revival, and for people to come and meet the Lord in the churches anywhere in the city - secretly hoping the Lord will choose our church above all the others.
Well, about 5 minutes before the service started on Sunday morning, it was obvious we've got a problem. We run out of chairs. The room we meet in just couldn't fit any more people. Well, no more came, and happily in the end we did manage to find a seat for everyone. But what do we do now - do we stop praying or do we move back in the 'new' (1899) church hall?
Every now and then I discover new things about the history of our church. I guess we should call it 'the church that would not die'. Apparently, over 20 years ago the BU decided there are too many Baptist churches in Plymouth, and thought some should close and join with some of the bigger churches. Ours was one of the small churches that was supposed to close. It didn't.
Then a new pastor came, and he was pastor of two churches. So he decided that Ford should close and the Ford people should join his other church. Well, he left and the church is still here.
This is a church that shrunk from 400 to under 10 people. We have three different meeting halls - all built in the 19th century. Our mother church was the church where the people the Americans call the Pilgrim Fathers, worshipped in. We stand on the shoulders of giants - but at some point our church lost its way.
As I was standing in the new hall tonight, I was reminded of that verse - "if my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Who would have thought all it takes is for a small group of people to pray? I mean, isn't the church supposed to come with these great plans, and gimmics, and evangelistic strategies, and, well, that sort of stuff? Pray people into the Kingdom? Expect God to actually answer prayer? Experience the supernatural actions of God? See the Bible promises fulfilled? In a Baptist church?
I guess we have a bit more repenting and humbling and praying to do - the main church hall can seat a lot more people. And there are ever so many lost souls at our doorsteps!
Well, about 5 minutes before the service started on Sunday morning, it was obvious we've got a problem. We run out of chairs. The room we meet in just couldn't fit any more people. Well, no more came, and happily in the end we did manage to find a seat for everyone. But what do we do now - do we stop praying or do we move back in the 'new' (1899) church hall?
Every now and then I discover new things about the history of our church. I guess we should call it 'the church that would not die'. Apparently, over 20 years ago the BU decided there are too many Baptist churches in Plymouth, and thought some should close and join with some of the bigger churches. Ours was one of the small churches that was supposed to close. It didn't.
Then a new pastor came, and he was pastor of two churches. So he decided that Ford should close and the Ford people should join his other church. Well, he left and the church is still here.
This is a church that shrunk from 400 to under 10 people. We have three different meeting halls - all built in the 19th century. Our mother church was the church where the people the Americans call the Pilgrim Fathers, worshipped in. We stand on the shoulders of giants - but at some point our church lost its way.
As I was standing in the new hall tonight, I was reminded of that verse - "if my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Who would have thought all it takes is for a small group of people to pray? I mean, isn't the church supposed to come with these great plans, and gimmics, and evangelistic strategies, and, well, that sort of stuff? Pray people into the Kingdom? Expect God to actually answer prayer? Experience the supernatural actions of God? See the Bible promises fulfilled? In a Baptist church?
I guess we have a bit more repenting and humbling and praying to do - the main church hall can seat a lot more people. And there are ever so many lost souls at our doorsteps!
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