These are busy days as ever. The death of a member of the congregation has dominated the week. Cornelius grew up in Delhi, worked for 25 years in Lybia, where he married and his only daughter was born. Four years ago they moved to London. Both work shifts in a nearby old people's home so they haven't been able to get to church much. In the last few months I learned that he had cancer and that they could do nothing. He was taken back into hospital and his last day on earth came last Friday. I spoke to him earlier in the day. I read Psalm 23, we said the Lord's prayer, I prayed. The family were torn but in the end decided to fly him to Delhi. Yesterday we had a short memorial service in the chapel before they headed off. Around 30-40 came. I spoke from Acts 10 and the story of the centurion Cornelius. I wanted to stress the difference between religion and true faith. Nice chats with people including a young Ismaili Muslim. Family and friends had come on Sunday morning too which was encouraging. We had one or two other visitors too, including an Iranian man, so we were quite packed in the morning. We had been out tracting the day before. No new faces - although one woman has told me she hopes to come the first Sunday in February. Hope so. Oh yes, I was also up helping Dewi on his paper round Saturday as he felt unwell.
Wednesday was also busy with the Mansion House and it was Dylan's birthday. Fifteen already. I was speaking at a regular coffee morning for the elderly in the morning and at our prayer meeting in the evening so with preparation too the day was very full. The day before had been similar. I went down to the Evangelical Library where I and another trustee met with our Landlord to discuss the future. I finished off the latest edition of In Writing in the morning - way over due! In the evening I was at a meeting of the Bible Preaching Trust which seeks to support ministers in need. I popped in to see my friend Robin Asgher, a church planter in West London. He was telling me about how he had been in Pakistan after Christmas and how first there was trouble there and then they heard of what was happening in Kenya where his wife's parents live! It was good to see him.
Today has been a bit slow after all that business. I'll have to work harder tomorrow.
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