End of an era, a new one begins

Andrew King

Alex
It was a blessing this afternoon to be among just over fifty gathered at the Angel Grace Baptist Church for a goodbye and hello meeting in connection with the church Hope, West End. Long serving pastor Andrew Murray and his wife Joy are retiring back to Suffolk and Keith Holmes, who, with his wife Ruth, has been working for the church for the last nine years is also stepping down. In their place, Brazilian Alex Brito and the association evangelist Tim Gardiner, with their families, are together going to lead the church, now perhaps larger than it has ever been but still small. It was good to hear the new and old men and their testimonies and to hear Andrew King preach a brief but excellent sermon from Acts 20 (Paul's manner of life, method of teaching and message an example).

Alex with Keith

Alex with Andrew

Memorial or Thanksgiving Service for Michael Toogood

Much of the day last Saturday was spent in Covent Garden, at the Swiss Church, where Andrew Murray and others had organised a memorial for Michael Toogood who planted the church there in Soho (as Immanuel Community Church, Soho; it is now Hope West End, after combining with the Covent Garden church). The day was arranged so that in the morning we talked about Michael together for an hour and then after packed lunch there was an afternoon service where Eric Holdstock said a little more about Michael and I preached. The sermon can be read here on another blog of mine. The acoustics is the church left something to be desired and it was sad that not more people were present. It was  good time, nevertheless.

Looking for Love

I got round to reading Looking for Love the story of Debbie Smith (as told to Grace King) last night. It is just a 40 page little book and if you want a copy you can get one here - from the Hope, West End church. It is gratifying to see it in print as I was involved from early on in the London Inreach Project that led to the formation of Hope West End and I guess my basic hope was that people like Debbie would hear the gospel and be saved. If only there had been more. There is nothing inevitable about Debbie's conversion - indeed it looks highly unlikely all the way to the end and yet God has saved her. Hopefully the book will be a means of stimulating interest in the unconverted an encouragement to the converted. This is now a second biographical piece from the Project's history. Michael Toogood's striking biography Mission to Soho is available here. (Retitled less subtly I notice). I read Debbie's book on a day when several websites were carrying news of someone also involved in the project at one point with a very different story. How sobering.

LIP Annual meetings

It was great to be at the LIP (London Inreach Project) meetings in Orange Street near Trafalgar Square last Saturday. I was there for a meeting of the trustees first over the lunch hour. Otherwise we had a news session from 1.30 pm mainly with Andrew Murray and Roger Carter (above) but also featuring Mick Lockwood of Haworth who said how encouraging the project was despite the uphill slog it has been. Mick was once approached about working with the project and although nothing came of it it eventually propelled him into his current church planting role in Haworth. Mick later preached and I chaired.

Later, after a lovely tea downstairs, I was in the chair as we met again and took opportunity to thank Derek Sewell (and family) for all his work and heard more from Roger and from Peter Jermyn our treasurer. Mick preached very encouragingly from Acts 17 especially verses 26 and 27. We were not heaving numbers wise but it was good to be there and a great encouragement. Back here we had a sort of barbecue at the house for church people. Nice time again though a little wet.

Church Planting

It's been pretty busy, as ever. Last week I was chairing a new committee to oversee the church planting work in Cranford, West London, led by Robin Asgher. Until recently the FIEC has dealt with paying Robin and similar details but that has to change and soon the work will be under a new trust. Meanwhile the opportunities abound for work among Asians in that part of London.

At the end of last week I was chairing a public meeting in connection with the London Inreach Project, led by Andrew Murray and Derek Sewell in Soho and Covent Garden. I had to be at the trustees committee first and was then present at the early afternoon meeting where Andrew spoke along with Barry King, our evening preacher. Barry, always a compelling speaker, spoke about the Grace Baptist Partnership in the first afternoon meeting and then preached on small things from Proverbs 30 in the later meeting. Around 50 must have gathered through the day. Church planting is far from easy work but it is inching along and in some cases doing something more than that.

The LIP meeting was in Orange Street behind Trafalgar Square. I was also at a meeting yesterday in connection with the outreach in Trafalgar Square. I am trying to stand back from this a little at present due to too many other commitments, there is to be preaching in the square on October 2, however, so do come along if you can.

LIP Meetings

It's such a busy week! Saturday seems a life time ago now but I was at the meeting of the trustees of the London Inreach Project on that day, however, and then at the information meeting and the preaching meetings that followed.

I chaired the preaching meeting. My good friend Paul Pease of Hook Evangelical Church preached a fine pithy sermon from 2 Corinthians 4:5 on not preaching ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as his servants for the sake of God's people.

It was good to see so many supporters and to hear from Andrew Murray and Derek Sewell and Roger Carter. The work continues to be very slow and difficult but there are encouragements and opportunities galore.

London Inreach

It was good to be at the London Inreach Project meetings last Saturday. The initial meeting was held at the LCM's Cafe Eterno where the church regularly meets. I was not able to be at that as I was obliged to attend the meeting of the trustees of the Project who gather annually. I am not a trustee but attend with our treasurer Peter Jermyn as chairman of the management committee. I managed to get a cuppa at Cafe Eterno before heading then for the Chinese Church in Shaftesbury Avenue where I chaired our preaching meeting.

It was good to see about fifty or so present. Derek Sewell gave a balanced report on the work, which is still hard going but not without its challenges and encouragements. Andrew Murray then spoke for a while and introduced our new worker Roger Carter to us, the successor to Ben Thomas. Peter Jermyn had a word finally and then our preacher, Ray Evans of Bedford (fresh from a paintball fight that morning - don't ask) turned our attention very helpfully to Dr Luke's case notes on Simon the Pharisee and the woman who kissed Jesus's feet.

Most people then drifted off but some took opportunity to head across Shaftesbury Avenue once again to the Fair Trade shop that the church continue to run (at the local council's behest) in Berwick Street, Soho. (This is where I had started my afternoon with the committee in the basement).

This is wonderful work. Not easy at all but vital. Do find out more. Start here.