Last Saturday, I attended the induction of Grantham Wash, the new minister of Hampton Wick Baptist Church. I was really intrigued about the fact that a young man and his family would leave a 3000-strong Church in California and a thriving ministry of 350 young adults to lead a very small congregation in West London. Either he followed a clear call from God - or something weird was going on! After meeting him, his lovely wife, and lively toddler, it was clear that the former was the case and that what I witnessed was the beginning of yet another resurrection story in the Thames Valley.
Not yet 2 months into my new post at Twickenham Green Baptist Church, I have already encountered multiple stories of Church renewal. St Michael's in Fulwell and St John's in Hampton Wick were both dead in the water when, about 15 years ago, Ed Kendall and Jerry Field respectively re-opened and renewed them - turning them into some of the largest congregations in the Themes Valley. Holy Trinity across the road from us, trending upward again under the leadership of their new minister, Simon Cooper. Similarly, the Church I now lead almost closed down 10 years ago had it not been for the shot of new life injected by my predecessor, Alan Bott. This afternoon, I will also grab a coffee with Thomas Quicksell, curate at St Stephen's in Twickenham, whose Church has seen a considerable increase in the past decade and has launched a brand-new long-term growth strategy.
Life and renewal in this corner of suburban London can even be picked up outside the immediate remit of Church life. Recently I started supporting the Christian Union at St Mary's university - a group that started only 2 years ago under the steering of Rob MacQueen and Tommy Jack. It now gathers between 20 and 30 students every week and has seen a number of young lives turned around by the Gospel of Jesus. Speaking of schools, Insight is another Christian ministry inside schools in the Richmond Upon Thames Borough that has seen rapid growth in just a few years from its inception. KICK, a Richmond-based Christian organisation reaching out to young people in schools through sports, has seen growth that is now nationwide.
Something else that has been tremendously encouraging to me has been the evident cross-pollination underlying these renewal stories - baptist and charismatic ministers leading Anglican Churches, pentecostal and charismatics leading Baptist Churches etc.
I'm sure there are other similar stories I am yet unaware of, but one thing is sure - God is clearly up to something! It is so exciting for me to see these success stories and know that our Church is clearly on a similar journey.
However, while I rejoice in these localised stories of renewal, I believe it is of paramount importance for each Church and Christian ministry in the Thames Valley to discern heaven's broader strategy for the area to make sure localised success synergises to produce a broader and unified impact across the borough. With regards to our Church (as well as all the others in this area), we must not only capitalise on this season of renewal but identify our specific place in it.
Lord, open our eyes to your blueprints and give us willing hearts to follow you in this new season!
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