Lord's Day February 5 2023 Hilperton/Finchley

Because of the wedding in Devon, I did not preach at Childs Hill last Lord's Day. Instead, Eddie Webster from Nottingham preached. What we did was to head for the home of Eleri's sister, Catrin, and her family, in Trowbridge, arriving first at nearby Hilperton, their church, where about thirty gathered to hear John Hall preach on Romans 7 (also in the congregation were Robert Oliver and Josh Williamson, a minister from Australia who I knew of but had not met). It was nice to chat after especially aboutb John's Christian Basics, which I am using with people again in Childs Hill at present. (See here). After lunch, we headed to London and I decided to vsit our friends at the Kensit Church, Finchley, where they were also about thirty in number (good these days for an evening). Spencer was preaching from Gaatians 2. In Hilperton they still use tatty copies of Grace while in Finchley they sang five hymns from screens, some from New Christian Hymns and some from Praise! I didn't feel we gained anything much from the latter effort. Both churches use NKJV, not a translation I have ever been keen on. How encouraging to think of the word being preached like that all over the country in different places. A good day.

For Hilperton see here - https://www.gracereformedbaptistchurch.org.uk/

For Kensit, Finchley (an FIEC church) - https://www.kensit.org.uk/

For Childs Hill Baptist - http://www.childshill.com/index.html

Lord's Day June 15 2014

So this Sunday I went along to the Kensit Evangelical Church in Finchley, next door to the LTS. In a piece of poor timing I managed to choose a Sunday when the minister Spencer Cunnah was away but Owen Jones is a familiar face (like Spencer he often leads the community singing at the Aber Conference). He and his wife are back in London working with students at Oak Hill, where their son Ashley once studied.

Owen preached straightforwardly with a three point sermon on 1 Peter 2:22 in the morning (Christ's purity, patience and twofold purpose) and in the evening from Joshua 3 on God before, beside, behind, beyond and beneath).

The congregation was a similar size to the one at St John's Wood Rd (ie around 50) but with an older demographic I guess, though perhaps the same number of children under 11. The church is also a modern building though an older one and with the hymns projected onto the wall (though you had the choice of using the hymn book - the new Christian hymns which we also use). They used a piano keyboard in the morning and the organ in the evening. There were about half the number present pm. There was coffee after that service but I was quite tired and did not hang around.

Local induction

It was good to be in Finchley on Saturday for the induction of Spencer Cunnah to the pastorate at the nearby Kensit Memorial Church, oops Kensit Evangelical Church that should be. Former pastor Philip Eveson chaired and the preacher was my father-in-law Geoff Thomas, who preached (having escaped the floods of the Aber area) an excellent sermon (see the basis text here). So it was a rather Welsh affair Spencer and his wife Wendy, like myself, being Welsh and Aberystwyth University graduates. The Finchley church, despite being on the same site as the LTS, has been without a pastor for several years and they are very grateful to have found another Welshman (Andrew Davies was the previous pastor). Despite the rain we've been having Saturday afternoon proved to be nice and sunny in North London and so we enjoyed an excellent tea on the lawn. We'll be having deja vu when the LTS end of year takes place in a fortnight's time.

Three Trips to Finchley

Saturday afternoon - I was at the LTS for the packed annual end of term service. Around 9 students were leaving - 5 British and 4 from the far east was it? They all spoke well. Luke Jenner has been under us during the two years and is about to become an assistant in Welwyn with Mostyn Roberts. Mr Eveson, the Principal, was looking well despite treatment for cancer at the end of last year. Graham Harrison is retiring after sterling service from the inception 30 years ago. Iain Murray preached well from Acts. Tea on the lawn followed as usual and (apart from sneezing with hay fever) I greatly enjoyed the time to chat with everyone.

 

Sunday evening - I was back to preach in the same chapel for around 60 who gathered for the evening service of the Kensit Memorial Church. I preached on John 3:16. Communion followed. We were one communion cup short - so I went without wine (a rather Catholic thing to do in the heart of Protestantism - it's the PTS HQ). The congregation seems to be much more white and middle class compared to us. They are without a pastor at present.

 

Monday morning - This time I was in the Library and meeting under the auspices of the John Owen Centre in the Theological Study Group. Six of us, mostly pastors, meet every few months to discuss a book. This time it was an EP book by American pastor Tom Barnes on Living in the hope of Future Glory on 'The glorification of the Christian'. We all appreciated the book but felt it laboured under certain deficiencies - Chiefly a lack of clarity and a questionable approach to systematics. I prepared the outline for the study and it is always good to work through a book for an occasion like that. Next time we are planning to look at John Owen on justification.

What a privilege to have such a place on my doorstep. Next week they will have Mark Garcia lecturing on Calvin on union with Christ. I'd love to be there but for various reasons it's just not going to happen.