Lord's Day February 2 2025

It was good once again to be at Pains Hill Chapel in Surrey last Lord's Day. I preached what I preached here the previous Lord's Day. The fellowship limps along. This month they lose a key couple and so the next few months will be testing. We pray for wisdom and good providence.

Lord's Day March 24 2024

I was at Pains Hill Chapel in Surrey once again yesterday. Numbers were just inside or outside single figures but people listened well and there were almost as many in the evening as in the morning. I preached on love and peace from John 3:16 and Philippians 4:13. I had a very pleasant afternoon with a couple from the church and it was good to catch up with them. Eddie preached here.

Lord's Day July 9 2023

I was in Pains Hill once again on Sunday. Some changes there but still a small congregation out in the countryside with no pastor. It was good to renew conversation with friends there. My Aberystywyth companion Jonathan is retiring next month! I preached on Luke 15 morning and evening. Bernard Lewis preached here. He is also a contemporary of sorts - from the seminary. Also retired.

Lord's Day September 18 2022 Pains Hill

The preacher in Childs Hill yesterday was my former assistant Andrew Lolley. I think they had a good day. I was off into the countryside to preach at Pains Hill, as I do from time to time. The church there is small and getting older and although they have seen one or two conversions and some interest, people are generally apathetic and there is an understandable apprehension about the future. I had a lovely time with old friends in the afternoon. I preached the same sermons as the week beofre with a little tweaking.

Lord's Day March 28 2021

Last Lord's Day was a little different in that we managed to have a visitor in the morning at chapel (with around 20 present) and he also spoke on zoom for us in the evening, which I attended as the church I agreed to preach for only wanted a zoom meeting in the morning. So the preacher here was our friend Reuben Saywell and I preached for Painshill in Surrey. One person was tuning in from France - the wonders of modern technology. I interviewed Reuben in the evening. We are praying for him and the family as they contemplate the future.

Lord's Day at Pains Hill October 27 2019

I was at Pains Hill Chapel in Surrey yesterday. Numbers were just inside or outside single figures but people listened well and there were almost as many in the evening as in the morning. I preached on love and peace from 1 John 4:16 and Isaiah 26:3, 4. I had a very pleasant afternoon with one of the couples from the church and it was good to catch up with an old college friend. One wishes churches like this were growing but that is hardly the case at the moment - and not for the lack of trying. Who know what might be ahead. One can imagine a slow demise but then it is not ificult to imagine it taking off if God should come with power. Faithfulness is important.

Lord's Day November 25 2018

I travelled down to Pains Hill, Surrey on Sunday. I was in two minds about whether to go via the M25 or central London. It was the fact the car was facing down when I came out of the house that decided me. Andrew Saywell was preaching for me here in Childs Hill.

I was due to preach in Pains Hill Chapel morning and evening. Sadly, in the morning seven miles out I hit a traffic jam, following a crash and ended up getting to the chapel at some crazy hour. Thankfully my old college friend Jonathan had a sermon in his bag and so I only preached in the evening. I went to Genesis 49:10 and got on okay but I was so sorry not to have been able to preach in the morning to the small congregation. Had a good time with Jonathan and his wife, for whom life is not so straightforward at present.

Apart from completely missing a train once when in college once I have never been so late that I couldn't preach before. Strange day then but we remember that all things are under God's Providence. 

Lord's Day June 12 2016

By arrangement with the church I usually preach away for four Sundays in the year.  Yesterday was one of those Sundays. I was down in Surrey, preaching at Pains Hill near Oxted. The congregation is small but committed and it is always a joy to be with them. One of the bonuses is that I usually get to see my old college friend Jonathan Avery and his family. They have three girls so it is quite a different vibe to our own in some ways. Very refreshing. I preached on Isaiah 57:15 and the storm on the lake in Matthew 8. Back here Sihle Xulu from LTS preached and it all went very well I understand.

Lord's Day March 29 2015

I was away this last Sunday down in Pains Hill, where I preach from time to time. Robert Strivens, my fellow elder, was preaching for me here in Childs Hill. Sadly, the Pains Hill congregation was down in numbers. Some were away but there have also been deaths, people have moved and some have become discouraged and rarely come. They are getting a dozen along to their children's meeting at least. I preached from Ezra 9 and on Philippians 2:7. One of the treats of going there is lunch with the Averys. I was in college with Jonathan. We both did English. They have three daughters so his family life has been quite different to mine.

Lord's Day March 30 2014

I was away from Childs Hill yesterday down at Pains Hill where I preach from time to time. It's always good to catch up with old friends there. Pains Hill Chapel is a lovely little chapel in the midst of the Surrey countryside. About twenty were there in the morning and a few less in the evening. I preached on 1 Kings 3:1-14 and 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10. The organist was away but we managed okay as she has recorded several of the hymns and it was possible to play these through the keyboard and we sang without too much difficulty eight hymns from a  limited selection available. My assistant Andrew Lolley preached here and got on very well I understand.

Update

I've been rather busy this week taking a large wardrobe down the stairs and back up again, preparing sermons and writing an article amongst other things but I do want to report on last week.

Last Sunday I drove down to Pains Hill Chapel once again and had a nice day with the Averys (I was in college with Jonathan so it is always good to catch up). I preached from Titus 3 and Romans 8:28. They are  a small group of Reformed Baptists seeking to bear witness in the stockbroker belt. They are pretty conservative but make big efforts to reach out and are slowly making a little impact. A lady wandered in on Sunday Morning. She was of the Baha'i faith. It was gratifying to talk to someone who has really been appreciating my book on Song of Solomon, Heavenly Love.

Saturday morning I was over at the chapel putting gaffer tape on the floor at a clean up morning. Time after that was typically taken up with preparing for Sunday, including photocopying the notices in Swiss Cottage (my current supplier) where I usually have a quick coffee in Apostrophe in the O2 Centre and  a wander round Waterstones. I also bought some shoe laces in Sainsbury's. Eleri took the younger ones to see Harry Potter in the afternoon. The other two made their own way there. Also watched an hour of Harry Hill on TV.

Rhodri was around briefly Saturday having made a flying trip down to see a play (Blasted) at the Lyric, Hammersmith. We collected him from Euston late Friday night. Always good to see my eldest son. It was clubs before that (lost sheep and coin) and we had had a decent turn out at both though some were missing. We got the younger group back on track where we were having some behaviour problems.

Thursday was a church members meeting and a red letter one in that we agreed to welcome five new members including my sons Dylan and Dewi who are to be baptised this Sunday evening. Earlier in the day I spent some time taking our oldest member to the audiologist for a new hearing aid fit - all very interesting.

Wednesday had been a full day with my visits to Spring Court and Heathgrove Lodge both falling on the same day this time. There was also the midweek meeting looking at Titus on avoiding arguments and divisive people.

Tuesday it was my great joy to be at the John Owen Centre for Hebrew with David Green. We were looking at Psalm 104 and two other psalms. Very stimulating.

Monday we had the lunch time lecture from Barry King on Sutcliff and the call to prayer at the Evangelical Library. I'd hoped there'd be more but we were in double figures at least. It was good to be reminded of revival and the importance of prayer. In the evening I made my way over to Hounslow where we had the first official meeting of the new Cranford Support Trust in connection with Robin Asgher's work in Cranford. That went well but we are in great need of God's help.

Pains Hill Chapel

I set off around 9 am yesterday to travel the 33 miles through London to the little country chapel on Pains Hill near Oxted and Limpsfield in Surrey. Most of the journey is very familiar due to several recent trips to Gatwick. I've preached there more than once before anyway. The connection is an Aber University friend who is in the congregation. As it turned out he was unwell and so I didn't get to stay with the Averies but had a very nice afternoon with the Copemans who I did not know at all. Alan is heavily involved in Pilgrim Homes and it was interesting to find out more about them.

The chapel is very well looked after. The people are serious minded and appreciative of the Word too, though they all travel in to the chapel. (Someone told me that the illustrator Arthur Rackham [1867-1934] used to live next door, which I'd not realised before.) I preached on Mark 8:1-10 and Ephesians 2:1. I'd been at a GPT meeting last Friday and so I took some leaflets along and put up our new roll out display. I was encouraged when one woman said she'd gone to the Evangelical Library to try and read Luther, etc but found it hard going. They recommended to her GPT's Christian Classics (abridgements of the greats) and she found it really helpful. Being involved in both organisations I was glad to know they'd been such a help.