Recent preaching and listening etc

Yesterday we were in North Wales and went to church in the morning to Capelfron, Penrhyndeudraeth, where the minister, Peter Campbell, was preaching on the resurrection. We were among several holiday makers who doubled the congregation to over a hundred. Valiant efforts were made to serve us all with a cuppa after, which was appreciated. We met a number of people we knew including old friends who were based in London back in the nineties who now attend regularly. We have been to the chapel several times before and I have preached there more than once. It is a difficult time for the fellowship at the moment as some will know. We are praying.

In the evening, however, we went somewhere new - to the family church in Criccieth. The church has grown out of SU beach missions work. Again we knew some there including the minister Ben Thomas and his wife, Bethan, who also spent some years in London, this time as part of the LIP team in Covent Garden. It was one of their monthly gospel presentations so it wasn't a worship service as such but Ben preached well from Romans 5. We were about 40. They had had a large number for the morning service (150+).

Back home my new fellow elder Robert Strivens was preaching. I was in Childs Hill the week before (April 1) but had been away preaching the Sunday before that down in the little chapel at Pains Hill, where I have friends. They are good people there. There were some new faces but they are a little discouraged as they are about to lose a key couple who are moving to another needy situation.

I was also preaching last Thursday on the crown of thorns in West London, in Cranford, where a good number gathered from Cranford, Hounslow West, Hayes, etc. My good friend Robin Asgher led the service and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. I also met a lovely Panjabi man called Sanjeev and his family, who are new to these circles and loving it.

The other thing that has been taking up my time recently is the Holiday Bible Club we had at the church April 3-5. We only had about twenty along which is good but we wish there had been a lot more. Like Eleri's sister in Bradford on Avon the same week we used Run the race available from Go Teach, which was a great help, though I was sorry to see pictures of Jesus (though very subtle).

Yn Y Gogledd

Last Sunday I was preaching at Capel Y Fron, Penrhyndeudraeth near Porthmadog in North Wales, as I did this time last year. It was a pleasant trip up and down from Aberystwyth. I went on my own this time. Quite a few members were away but there were several holidaymakers present, some with large families. I preached on the Lost Sons from Luke 15. It was a fresh sermon inspired not by hearing Jonathan Thomas at the conference but further back. I also prepared a fresh sermon for the evening on Proverbs 24:15, 16. We also had communion in the evening.
The first people out in the morning were an elderly couple who had listened very appreciatively. They turned out to be Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom from Luton. There was also a family from the Met Tab I've met before and a family from Sheffield (he originally from London, a man I'd met before).
I went to the Perrins for lunch. Retired minister Mike has not been good for some months. He doesn't seem to be coping too well with ill health. Both were very concerned about swine flu, especially as they have a vulnerable friend and some people don't seem to be too careful. Mike is always interesting, however, and it was fascinating to hear him describing researches into his family history that have revealed not only Huguenot roots but the actual Jean Perrin who came from France to Kent in the 17th Century. He also has a copy of a book belonging to Thomas Perrin a builder and clearly a Christian. He also mentioned an ancestor baptised by Spurgeon in the 19th Century! He has prepared articles for Grace Magazine - keep an eye out. He and Elaine recently dressed up and did a Huguenot evening featuring readings and music (Mike plays the recorder). He has also been busy with his coin collection afresh. I hope Mike felt encouraged by the fellowship - I certainly did.

Weekend Wales

We spent the weekend in Wales. We went first to Llanfyllin, where Eleri's sister and brother-in-law were staying in Glyn's sister's home. (In 1833 S Lewis wrote 'This place derives its name from the dedication of its church to St Myllin, or Mewn Llyn, concerning whom a tradition is extant that he was the first baptist ever known in Britain, and from being constantly in the water baptizing and inviting those who passed by to partake of that ceremony, was called by the natives St Mewn Llyn, or "the Saint in the Pool." This can't possibly be right!) It was nice to see them and Glyn's parents and their friend and her girls. A chapel in the village is the site of where Ann Griffiths, the Welsh hymn writer, was converted. I also noted that Charles I had stayed in Llanfyllin (en route to Chirk Castle). We played football and watched Last choir standing on TV - two Welsh choirs (one from the north, one from the south) in the final I see (typically the Cardiff contingent among us knew at least one fellow in the southern one).

On the Sunday we headed to Penrhyndeudraeth, where I was to preach in Capel Fron. We went via the infamous Llyn Celyn off the Tryweryn river. I was able to preach with some freedom from Ezekiel 37 and Psalm 94. We had a lovely time with Mike Perrin and his wife Elaine and a friend of theirs who very kindly gave us a load of lovely blueberries, which we are enjoying. We enjoyed walking and talking and fishing newts out of their pond. (Interestingly the Welsh word for newt is madfall ddwr - water lizard. The Welsh like that sort of thing I think. Cf Twrch ddaear - earth boar [mole], dyfr gi - water dog [otter]). Mike's always interesting to talk to. A bit of a renaissance man, he's always into something. Most recently it has been kayaking and recorder playing. He had a nice anecdote about the 1986 funeral of Alfred Bestall (Rupert artist), a Christian it seems, whose funeral he took. Paul McCartney and Terry (Python) Jones were there among others with a lot of middle aged men dressed in red tops with yellow scarves!

The middle boys' paper rounds started again today so we had to head back. We got home around 1 am.

[Music from an ancient Welsh mss. By Yr Hwntws]