Reconnecting in the UK

 
I'm not one for making regular claims that ‘God has spoken’, but during a visit to the church we led for 12 years in Worthing on England’s south coast, I felt that holy whisper, ‘This is your family’. We hadn’t been there for years, and so much had changed, but quite unexpectedly, that still small voice made everything seem so different.
 
That was 8 months ago, and I’ve just returned from another trip to the UK with Paul Simpson, visiting many of the friends that he, or Pam and I have made over the years. And what a joy it was! We met with 23 church leaders in two weeks, mostly as individuals, but sometimes in groups of two or three. I’ve never had the privilege of meeting so many leaders in such a short time frame. Hearing their stories of what God is doing amongst them was like taking a snapshot of the work of God in this group of churches.
 
Here are some of my personal reflections from the trip;
 

God joins hearts by the Spirit

It was surprising and moving to realise that God was at work in the trip to join our hearts to many of those that we visited. It wasn’t anything that we could have engineered, but something that the Spirit seemed to do over a meal, a conversation, a prayer time, or a meeting together. Although I’m not sure what this will mean, it really felt like these connections are going to be meaningful in the days to come. We wait and see.

God is at work in the UK

Of course he is! He is always working. But it was great to see churches recovering from the Covid period, and many reported some exciting growth and opportunities that they hadn’t seen before. The interesting thing was that in almost every case, the new people were born outside the UK. This presents a challenge and an incredible opportunity for those with eyes to see, as the reality of truly multicultural expressions of church are more and more possible, even in areas that have been traditionally ‘white and British’. Also the possibility of reaching the unreached is now a practical reality for most British churches.

We need each other

Almost everywhere we went, we met amazing people, with wonderful histories of serving God, or those hungry to be involved in mission around the world. I am jealous to maintain these contacts, and see how we can use them to be involved in the world that God has opened up for us, to be a blessing to the nations. I’m also aware of how much benefit the leaders in other nations carry for the church in the UK, perhaps more so now than ever. I am also thrilled to hear about all the great things that are happening which will never have anything to do with us!
 
Thank you to those of you who hosted us, fed us, welcomed us, prayed for us, shared your lives, your money and your church communities with us. I realise now that when God said ‘This is your family’, he had a whole lot more in mind than I first understood.