On Wednesday Eleri took me to the tube in Golders Green and I headed to St Pancras International. I’d not been there since it became the home of Eurostar. All very nice – more like an airport now I guess, though that’s a two-edged sword. A packed train got us to Derby in good time. Derby was more finished than when I was there last but the railway station is a good way from the city centre and the faceless homogeneity of it all made me feel slightly resentful of the northified accents everywhere. I eventually found a packed bus heading in the right direction. The woman driver, who called me ‘duck’ was very nice about getting me to the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick. Around half way she stopped the bus and went to give a carrot to a horse in a field – to the delight of the mostly elderly passengers.
Anyway I reached the Hayes in good time. Dr and Mrs Oliver spotted me and gave me a lift up the long drive. We couldn’t get into our rooms until after lunch so we milled about and then ate lunch together and went to our rooms later. We have managed to get up to a hundred with day visitors so it’s a decent number. We’re rather on the grey side and pretty mono-cultural sadly but there are reasons for that.
Jack and Alison Jenner were our hosts so Jack preached from Philippians 2 for the first session. Later on we had a news reports session featuring Simon Calvert from the Christian Institute (who also did a late night session after 9.30 pm); Eric Cousins from the Particular Baptist Trust, etc; John MacDonald from GBM; Trevor Routley from Argentina, who spoke about the desperate need for Reformed teachers in that country. Also we had Barry King an American from Arkansas who has been in London for a few years now helping the Grace Association with replanting churches. He’s quite a case. His best story was of going to Watford and no-one turning up but preaching anyway. Somehow that led to someone who lived nearby coming that evening, someone who had been praying for something to happen. It is difficult to know if his optimism is down to culture, personality or theology but it is a good thing.
In the evening Nick Needham spoke on hell. There is something slightly brutal looking about Nick but he speaks with very clearly enunciated English and with subdued passion that is quite compelling. With quotations from Augustine, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, etc, he took us through the orthodox doctrine adding some fresh things and some necessary correctives. He dealt with objections to the doctrine based on both the justice and the mercy of God. His burden was evangelistic in some ways but with no emotionalism he urged believers to live in the light of the doctrine.
After Simon Calvert I caught the end of the football. Poor Chelsea.
Anyway I reached the Hayes in good time. Dr and Mrs Oliver spotted me and gave me a lift up the long drive. We couldn’t get into our rooms until after lunch so we milled about and then ate lunch together and went to our rooms later. We have managed to get up to a hundred with day visitors so it’s a decent number. We’re rather on the grey side and pretty mono-cultural sadly but there are reasons for that.
Jack and Alison Jenner were our hosts so Jack preached from Philippians 2 for the first session. Later on we had a news reports session featuring Simon Calvert from the Christian Institute (who also did a late night session after 9.30 pm); Eric Cousins from the Particular Baptist Trust, etc; John MacDonald from GBM; Trevor Routley from Argentina, who spoke about the desperate need for Reformed teachers in that country. Also we had Barry King an American from Arkansas who has been in London for a few years now helping the Grace Association with replanting churches. He’s quite a case. His best story was of going to Watford and no-one turning up but preaching anyway. Somehow that led to someone who lived nearby coming that evening, someone who had been praying for something to happen. It is difficult to know if his optimism is down to culture, personality or theology but it is a good thing.
In the evening Nick Needham spoke on hell. There is something slightly brutal looking about Nick but he speaks with very clearly enunciated English and with subdued passion that is quite compelling. With quotations from Augustine, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, etc, he took us through the orthodox doctrine adding some fresh things and some necessary correctives. He dealt with objections to the doctrine based on both the justice and the mercy of God. His burden was evangelistic in some ways but with no emotionalism he urged believers to live in the light of the doctrine.
After Simon Calvert I caught the end of the football. Poor Chelsea.
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