Things to thank God for

I'm not going to write a huge long list here - just a couple of things that have been recent encouragements. As I noted before on our other blog (http://familyhawth.blogspot.com) we have 6 new members this year, one of whom we baptised. The upshot of this is that, for the first time, we have a number of people organised to help in different ways on a Sunday morning. We have a team of welcomers, a group of musicians, a Children's Church team, people to work the projector, people to lead the service, two others who can preach, and various people who sort out refreshments for after the service! It really is a very quick change around from 6 months ago. We are of course aware that as quickly as we have grown we can shrink again. That's the nature of people moving in and out of our part of London - but it does feel like the Lord is giving us some momentum.
Recently we have been joined by a Canadian couple as well. They are expecting a baby in July, though there are some health issues for mum. They would appreciate your prayers I am sure. They have begun coming to our midweek homegroup which has grown to 10-12 regulars for the moment. We made our midweek meeting into a homegroup at the start of the year, praying that it would grow and have to become 2 groups. It would seem already were are getting close to that point!

This week we have had more reasons to thank God. Last week at Rebekah's 2nd birthday party a family from the boys school came. I was chatting with mum and suggested (as I often do to people) that they come and pay us a visit on a Sunday. Well it was a great blessing that they came this week! Mum, Dad and the two girls. We really enjoyed having them with us, and they seemed to enjoy coming. Chatting with Dad afterwards he said he enjoyed the family atmosphere of the church, had appreciated the final hymn (In Christ Alone), and  that the sermon had really connected with him. They even mentioned that they appreciated there being something specifically for the children (who enjoyed Children's Church) and that they may start coming more regularly because we have something for the children. After 4 1/2 years of families not staying because there aren't enough children, this was a real turn up for the books!

There are other things I could write, but this will do for now. The Lord continues to be very gracious to us. Please praise God with us and continue to pray.

A start in Revelation

We’ve just begun to look at the book of Revelation in our midweek Bible study. In the middle of a world where the physical prosperity around us so quickly hides the spiritual reality, it is good to have the curtain of heaven pulled back and for us to see the spiritual reality behind the suffering (though we know little of this), and the kingdom, and the patient endurance that are ours in Christ Jesus. As we lift our eyes to praise him, he strengthens our faith and leads us on to the time when he returns.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Welcoming Visitors To Church

Walking into a church building for the first time can be a daunting prospect. Even for a mature believer, perhaps on holiday somewhere, it can be a difficult thing to walk into an unfamiliar church service.

Recenlty this story was related to me. A lady walks in to a small church in London. She sits down at the back. Before the service no-one speaks to her. At the end of the service as she gets up to leave; meanwhile a deacon approaches the pastor before he has even left the pulpit and the members begin to chat among themselves. Seeing the lady about to leave without anyone having said, "Hello," let alone given a proper welcome the pastor excuses himself from the deacon, shimmies through the congregation and dashes to the church door where he is able to great the lady, and then introduce her to another member of the church who she talks with for 10 minutes or more before she eventually leaves. What is wrong with this picture?

Meanwhile the same week a couple arrive at another London church for the first time. They are greated at the door and pointed down to the main hall. Before they have sat down they are greated again and before the service starts they are engaged in brief friendly conversation, asking a few questions and explaining where to find songs words. At the end of the service, as people sit quietly considering what has taken place in the service the pastor makes his way up to the door of the church. After chatting with someone else the couple make their way towards the door where they are greated by the pastor and invited to stay. Fully intending to spend some time directly with them once others have been greated at the door, the pastor goes into to the refreshment hall and isn't able to chat with either husband or wife, because both have been engaged in conversation by different members of the church. What is right with this picture?

Which church is most likely to see the visitor(s) again? Which church most exhibits the gospel in it's natural response to visitors?

What happens the moment you walk in to a church and the moment the service ends can play a massive role in how someone responds to the message that has been preached. The message can be removed from their minds by an unfriendly, uncertain attitude to strangers and leave people thinking, 'Well that was interesting but I'm not going there again,' or, 'Not sure I agree with what was said, but there is something here that I like.' As James says, "Faith without works is dead." However good your doctrine is, if it doesn't work out in your lives then your gospel will be discreditted. To have great doctrine but to have foresaken the love you had at first is a recipee for church closure. The great work of Jesus on the cross was to be foresaken by God so that we can be adopted into the family of God. Jesus in the parable of the sheep and the goats tells us the evidence of faith is the welcoming and blessing of his people. We're told that some by entertaining strangers have unwittingly entertained angels! As God in the gospel welcomes us into glory as his loved children, the outworking of the gospel in our lives, and so especially our churches ought to be a selfless, warm, welcoming environment. If that is missing then there is something missing in your faith.

But welcoming and fostering a welcoming atmosphere is about more than simply saying "Hello". It is about more than having people on 'welcome team' or 'stewarding' rota. It is about Christians together understanding the welcome they have received in the gospel. That though we were excluded from the people of God, through Christ's exclusion we have now been welcomed, with all our faults and failings, right into God's heart. That together we are the family of God, with God's love lavished upon them. If this reality has changed our hearts then we are able to look beyond our own problems and desires on Sunday morning and begin to welcome the foreigner and stranger and "sinner" into the community of God's people. Not smothering them with greedy and slightly manic eyes, desperately trying to persuade them to come next week too! But making them welcome, helping them relax, giving them space, showing them there is a place here and friendship here if they are willing to respond to the offer. This is the atmosphere of the gospel that needs to soak through the church.

There are of course practical issues. It is important to have people at the door to show an immediately friendly face and give any necessary directions and answer any presenting questions. But it is as necessay to have people not 'on duty' who are able to say at least a brief, "Hello," rather than leaving them there to stew for 5 minutes before the service starts. It is important that the preacher is allowed to get to the door quickly so that he can personally great any visitors. It is equally important to allow people to leave quickly if they really do want/need to go!

Assuming people stay after the service (please do provide an opportunity for this) then people need to be ready to chat. Think of a few questions you can ask beyond, "What's your name," and, "Where do you live." It may be appropriate to ask, "If you don't mind, can I ask what brought you to church today?" This may even open an opportunity to share some of your testimony of God's goodness to you. Other questions you could ask are, "Have you read much of the Bible?" And the follow up, "What did you think?" Even, "What did you think of the service/sermon?" Be ready to give your own answers if you get a one-word answer back with no return question. There's no need to be pushy, or feel we need to unload the whole gospel on them. But we also mustn't be afraid to talk about spiritual matters with them. They have come to church after all!

One final practicallity of welcoming people. The initial welcome is often actually the easy bit. The great question, it seems to me, is how the church responds when someone has been coming for a month or two. Everyone knows their name, what they do and where they are from, and no-one speaks to them anymore. When they came first they were welcomed. Now they get no more than a friendly smile. Deliberately think of things to talk about with them. Pray for them and be interested in their lives. "How was your week?" "Did you get that job?" "Have you been reading your Bible; what part; have you found it useful?" "What are you praying towards at the moment?" "Are you going away in the summer?" And so on. Invite them out for a meal - or better still over to your house. Share with them, not only the gospel, but your life as well.

Christ gave all of himself for us, so let us give ourselves to the new face. When the gospel preached is matched by the atmosphere of the gospel lived the way is opened in God's grace for lives to be transformed and churches to grow, all to the glory of God.

A new blog for church and pastoral stuff

Just downloaded a new app for my phone that makes posting blogs a good deal easier. Decided to try a new blog to post news about church and pastoral thoughts - that kind of thing. Nothing especially revolutionary, but hopefully interesting at least :) Maybe even a few photos.