GBM Annual Meetings 2024

Grace Baptist Mission is perhaps unique in being very much a church based missionary society. Part of the way this plays out is that once a year they have a day of meetings, usually in London. I always enjoy the meetings if I can get to them. That's where I was last Saturday. Sorry not to have reported sooner.

It was good to be there in the very convenient and adequate Friends Meeting House near Euston Station. The pastor was there and Ellen and it was nice to see many old friends, including some former members.

The first part of the day is taken up with a business meeting where all churches involved are able to send delegates (I was there to represent Childs Hill). Our chair is now Tom Forryan, formerly pastor at Hitchin. This year's meeting was a little more protracted than usual as the committee wanted to make two changes. One was a change to the doctrinal basis. They wanted to make clearer where we stand on gender issues. This was flagged up some time ago and was accepted by the churches. More difficult was a change to the constitution aimed at streamlining things. Not everyone was entirely happy with this but the change was passed by majority vote.

The rest of the day was taken up with meetings at which the various missionaries spoke, closing with a plenary worship meeting at which the preacher was Jason Murfitt, currently working on the island of Madeira. We took the opportunity after the delegates meeting to go and hear Reuben Saywell. As he warned me, it was more or less what he had had to say in Childs Hill but it was good to hear it again and to see one or more new slides and to hear questions asked. Nice to see Cathy and their latest child too. The family have now returned to The Philippines and we pray that the encouraging work will continue to go forward.

We then went to hear Andrzej Kempczynski from Legionowo near Warsaw in Poland. His wife Monika was also around. Again it was encouraging. They have a lovely new meeting place (the local library) and have joined the Baptist denomination, which brings some advantages.

After this there was a plenary session with Nathan and Urpha Javed. Nathan pastors an Urdu/Hindi speaking congregation in Bradford and most of them were there to sing to us in the style they use there. There were also testimonies from Nathan, Urpha and others and lots of slides on the screen.

After all this I was rather overloaded and as we had family visiting back at home I skipped the final session. Among those I did not hear - James Hammond (Bordeaux), Adrian & Abigail Yeboah (Amsterdam) Phil & Carolyn |Reid (West Africa).

Perhaps you will want to come next year and see what God is doing in different places.

Lord's Day September 20 2024

We had a good day last Lord's Day. I was preaching morning and evening. In the morning we looked at the last section of the Sermon on the Mount, such a sobering passage. An added bonus was the presence of the Saywell family, over from the Philippines, where they have known great blessing. Reuben reported and spoke to the children, which made things a bit longer but it was okay. New Iranians continue to come. Not much English. Eleri entertained 22 of us here for lunch. Amazing! In the evening we were back down to 12 or so but it was good to look at 2 Chronicles 4 and learn more aboit the Temple and its lessons.

GBM Prayer Meeting for work in The Philippines

For all its faults, zoom can be a great thing. It was a joy this morning to join the prayer meeting organised by GBM for the Philippines. We were joined by Aries Liboro and Reuben Saywell, who reported back on the work they are doing. This was followed by time for prayer in groups. We were about 45 altogether. It was not under ideal circumstances in that I was in the car between home and Hanwell being driven by my wife as I wanted to be in the conference in Ealing again. I got most of it, however, and it was a good start to the day.

Weekend in Guernsey

I spent last weekend in the Channel Island of Guernsey. It was my fourth visit, I believe. It is a lovely island. My connection is that Robert and Elaine Yerby were members here in Childs Hill when I first came. After they married it was hard to find accommodation and so they moved to Elaine's native Guernsey, where Robert was able to find work in banking. They have four grown up children, all living elsewhere at the moment. They are members of La Villiaze Congregationalist church, an independent church Baptist in its make up. Following retirement from the bank. Robert has become their pastor and I was in Guernsey for the induction on the Saturday. About fifty came to that and a nice tea followed. I also preached twice on the Sunday when it was the more usual 15 or so. My wife and I had a really lovely time in Robert and Elaine's beautiful home, full of souvenirs and various knick knacks. We were waited on hand and foot. Reuben Saywell was preaching here.

Farewell Saywells Saywell Farewells

Myself, Cathy, Geoff Thomas, Reuben, Andrew Saywell

I am rather behind with things here but last Saturday it was a great joy to be in Folkestone for the farewell service for Reuben and Cathy Saywell who hope soon to be in The Philippines. The Saywells are being sent by Grace Baptist, Folkestone and are working with GBM. My father-in-law Geoff Thomas preached and Andrew, myself, Geoff and Andrew prayed for them after a presentation by Reuben. Great to see so many there.

Midweek Meeting October 27 2021

We had a special last night on zoom. We got to know Reuben and Cathey Saywell when Reuben was a student in London Seminary and we have been pleased to know of their intention to work for the Lord in The Philippines under the umbrella of GBM. It was an opportunity last night for a Bible study and a report from Reuben. We started a little late due to a technical hitch but we had a good number present and it was a good evening.

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 June 14 2020

Yesterday was different in that I "preached in two churches". That is to say, I prepared a recorded service last Friday, as usual, for the morning service here in Childs Hill (which I did get to see eventually). This was on 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, the next in the series. At 10 am I joined the singers (alright sinners who sing). The at 11 I preached on zoom to Gordon Road Evangelical Church, Hailsham. I only know one person in that congregation so it was a little strange, especially as I was still in my bedroom. Anyway it was okay. I spoke on James 1:4-6. We had four hymns (YouTube recordings of different congregations).

In the evening we had Reuben Saywell preach here on zoom, while I was upstairs preaching again to the Hailsham folk by zoom, this time on Acts 11:24 (Barnabas). We went into breakout rooms after so I at least got to chat with a few of the folk. It is mostly a more elderly congregation, not as diverse as in Childs Hill I guess. They don't have a pastor at present. (Hailsham is well off for Reformed ministry as there is also the Baptist Church and the Free church, if I have that right). When I came down, some of the Childs Hill folk were still chatting with Reuben so it was nice to catch up there.

So a lovely Lord's Day, despite the Lockdown.

Busy Days

The last few weeks have been pretty busy. My daughter-in-law's younger sister was married on the 14th and it was good to be there. The wedding was held at King Alfred's School, where my first son's wedding reception was held ten years back. Lovely day. Nice to have family around for that and for some days before. The following Saturday (21st) we headed down to Crawley where our friends the Saywells were having a house warming cum birthday party for their boys. Nice to meet Jeremy and Alyssa Walker and many others new and old. We were able to pop in and see our friend Georgina too before she heads back to New Zealand. I'm glad we did. These are not easy days. before that Eleri and Owain had gone to Essex to view birds of prey and I had been at a men's meeting followed by tract giving in Golders Green. I then took the train to meet Eleri and lost my wallet en route somehow.

This week is a week of prayer and so I was up early on Monday for the first of these. The next was on Tuesday morning and then we gave our midweek meeting over to prayer and will meet again, God willing. We have had seven or eight at each meeting and most have prayed aloud. My wife's brother-in-law was with us last night and that was nice.

Lord's Day July 21 2019

THE CURSE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE

I felt it was a very good day yesterday. I seemed to be able to pray well, which is not always the case I confess and the preaching was clear and to the point I hope. The only hiccough was missing the second hymn in the morning but that is not big deal (I had listened to most of the Keswick meeting on Radio 4 that morning and thought there was too much singing and not enough time for the "talk" as they called it, perhaps it was an unconscious protest on my part). Numbers were not great in the morning or evening - it's that time of the year. However, it was nice to have an old Filipina friend with us and another who hope to come regularly in future plus a local Nigerian lady who came for the first time last week. It was also to see a fomer Muslim member back after several weeks missing owing chiefly to a family crisis. In the morning we were saying goodbye to the Saywells who have been with us during their time at Childs Hill. We will miss them. Reuben is going to be working in Maidenbower Baptist. We had communion before the evening service and then I preached on Matthew 26:30-35 to ten people. The sermon was chockful with illustrations which we were all happy about I think. I recently started a sermon illustration blog, which may grow to a decent size. See here.

London Seminary Thanksgiving 2019

It was good to be at the London Seminary end of year thanksgiving once again this year. The above five men were all leaving (after various lengths of time at the seminary) to continue or take up positions in local churches in this country. All five spoke and it was good to put some backstory alongside the excellent work that we know goes on at the seminary. Spencr Cunnah chaired and principal Bill James also summarised the work that has gone on over the last year. Adrian Reynolds (something or other with FIEC) preached helpfully from Matthew 18 emphasising the preciousness of the church. The weather was kind and so it was possible to have the traditional tea on the lawn. Numbers were down a little perhaps but it inevitably fluctuates from year to year. It is always good to catch up with people, although there are alwayss people you see briefly but do not have chance to speak with.

Preview for April 7 2019

N Ireland

Eleri and I made a short trip to N Ireland last week. It is only the second time I have travelled there. We bussed from Golders Green to Stansted then flew Ryanair to Belfast International. The bus was an hour late but the plane was late too so we didn't need to panic. We had hired a car and drove 20 minutes west to an airbnb near Randalstown which was just tight for us. We had a little wander around the next day seeing Antrim Castle Gardens and walking along the River Bann as far as the massive Lough Neagh (biggest fresh water lake in the British Isles).

We then moved on to Magherafelt and a wander round there. We then called on our friends the Roks who settled last year in Magherafelt last year after being in the seminary for two years. Alexander has become pastor of the Reformed Baptist church in the town. It was lovely to enjoy their hospitality in their lovely new home.

That evening we went along to the attractive building the RBs have in town for the official induction. While without a pastor the church has been under the oversight of Maidenbower Baptist in Crawley. If that sounds a little remote one should bear in mind that in previous such situations over its 22 year in existence churches in America have taken that role and, anyway, Crawley is right next to Gatwick!

The service was led by one of the deacons and another gave the history of the call. The current lead pastor in Maidenbower, Jeremy Walker, preached and led in the laying on of hands. he was assisted in this by Robert Strivens (formerly elder with us and Principal at the seminary but now in Bradford on Avon), Austin Walker (now retired as pastor in Maidenbower) and myself. We prayed.

At the end of the meeting greetings were shared from churches in America and Wetzlar in Germany. A number of friends were present and it was good to have further fellowship over a lovely spread. I enjoyed talking to Reuben Saywell who had travelled as we had, Andrew Rycroft (Baptist pastor in Millisle), Ted Donnelly, John McDermott from the Baptist church, etc.
It was good to be there.The service can be found on Facebook here.