I don’t know what is happening but this blog seems to be under alien attack or something.
The look has changed and all my images for the past four+ years have gone missing…
hmmm. I will try to get to the bottom of this soon.
Thank you for your understanding.
And a special shout out to my in-laws who made me aware of this today.
Brian.
Well, last night saw the last of our Thursday night services for this academic year.
In October we decided to run with the idea of having a second service, midweek. Although it had an almost experimental feel at the start (will people come? should it resemble or aim to be different to a ‘normal’ service? is it even necessary?) but looking back I feel they have been a real success and a great benefit to the church as a whole. It’s true that they have had a noticeably different dynamic to the regular Sunday services - largely due to the numbers being smaller, but this has in many ways added to the intimate ‘we’re in this together’ vibe.
One of my main concerns as we were first wrestling with the idea of a mid-week service was whether or not it would prove to be too much for those crucial members of Re:Hope who already poured so much time and energy into making the Sunday services work and run smoothly. I’ve been really pleased to see how everyone has show dedication to this from the start and shared the vision and understood the services’ significance and simply got involved! And there’s no doubt that this has been a significant and worthwhile endeavour over the past 7 or 8 months. Many people in our church work jobs where they can’t guarantee weekends off or for one reason or another can’t make the (slightly awkward) 4pm time-slot on a Sunday.
So looking back I’m convinced the Thursday services have been really vital as we continue to grow together towards Christ-likeness and to equip our people for sharing the gospel in Glasgow and further afield. Since October we’ve had teaching on topics such as Holiness as well as studies in books such as Jonah, Luke and Revelation. We’re still in the process of planning for the new school term in September, but given the results we’ve been seeing over the past few months, I’d be surprised if we don’t see the Thursday services make a come back in the fall! (Watch this space!)
For a while we’ve been talking about finding a way to show our appreciation for the people in our church who sacrifice significant amounts of their time and energy to serve God and the church by working with the Kids’ Program, setting up for each service, playing in the worship band, preparing tea + coffee etc etc etc. So on Saturday we held a ‘volunteer appreciation dinner’ in KSM. It was brilliant to see 50 people there - more than the total of Re:Hope goers only a few yeas ago. The feedback has been incredible - people have been amazed by the amount of effort that went into organising and decorating and the quality of the food (“…not only were there three courses but the food was served hot!”). Once again Wade is to be thanked for the high culinary standards, as are the rest of the full-time staff who served with humility and, if I may say so myself, panache… I think it’s safe to say that a good night was had by all!
The next day on Pentecost Sunday we followed our afternoon service with a free BBQ. The sun was shining (an answer to prayer in itself) which allowed us to open the side gates and spill out onto the road.
The weather was amazing, the home-made burgers and home-made cookies were amazing, as was the chat and sheer number of people that turned up… the whole thing was amazing!
When I see so many people worshipping together in an atmosphere of genuine love and a desire to grow together and to bring glory to God, I can’t help but think back to only 3 or 4 years ago when we were gathering together in a group that was smaller than our pre-service prayer group now is. I don’t think for a second that numbers indicate a healthy church - I would rather see 10 people strive for true godliness and to glorify Him in everything they do, than to see a church of 1000 luke-warm ‘Christians.’ However it is clear that God is moving in Glasgow and in Re:Hope and the same Spirit of God that stirred in the upper room of believers almost 1,977 years ago, is still very present and active today!
It’s absolutely vital for Re:Hope that our leadership is healthy, fresh and joy-filled in order to be working at full effectiveness for Christ. So, last weekend we had a staff retreat at a cottage in the highlands of Scotland. To escape the often spiritual darkness of the city is a huge relief. The cottage itself is set beside a resevoir in the middle of nowhere - no phone signal/internet/neighbours in sight. It was such a perfect location to ‘retreat’ to and spend time in the word, prayer and worship, cut off from the outside world.
As well as structured and unstructured time with God, there was plenty of opportunity just to hang out, eat like kings and enjoy being in each others’ company. Already I can’t wait for the next one…
Recently we had the privilege of being asked to take part in a year-long, 24/7 prayer event throughout Scotland. Rehope was allocated 72 hours during which we, as a church, were tasked with praying continuously for God’s intervention in our city, in Scotland, the UK, abroad and anything else God put on our hearts to pray for.
It was amazing. There’s something incredibly inspiring and edifying about praying in a small room overlooking the city at 4 o’clock in the morning and calling for God to be exalted and glorified!
Our God is an incredible God! He still hears prayers. He is still moving.
Today, I just finished rereading Steve Farrar’s book “Finishing Strong.” I remembered liking the book 10-15 years ago when I first read it but so much has changed in my life since then (married, kids, moved countries, lead a church, general aging) would I still love it? Answer: Yes!!!
I think every man who desires to walk faithfully with God all the days of his life ought to read this book, even if you think it is too late for you. Read it!
Here are a few of the quotes I highlighted in my reread:
“The qualification for having a public ministry is not giftedness. The qualification for ministry is proven character. A gifted man is not necessarily a mature man. In fact, gifted men are often less mature than their peers precisely because they are so gifted.” (p. 51)
“It is a tragedy when a father overlooks the potential in his own son. Jesse was raising the future king of Israel under his own roof, but he didn’t have the vision to see it.” (p. 81)
“Success is like ice: it’s beautiful, it’s smooth, it looks clean and cool. But there aren’t many men who can walk on ice without falling flat on their faces or flat on their duffs. Too many accomplishments and too much recognition too soon can be tragic.” (p. 111)
“A wrong self-confidence is usually characterized by prayerlessness.” (p.173)
“We are not going to finish strong by luck. We are not going to finish strong by taking life as it comes.” (p. 215)
Wow! This has been a busy week! Last Thursday we replaced our usual Thursday evening service with a special, ‘Seder Meal.’ This is the third time we’ve done these in Re:Hope and they’re awesome! Essentially we work our way through the traditional Jewish Passover meal and at each point identify Christ’s fulfillment of the prophesies. There’s also plenty of dipping parsley in salt water (symbolizing tears) and vile things like horseradish: a necessary sacrifice for the incredible feast of lamb that follows - (Thanks Wade)
The following night we held a Re:Hope Ceilidh in the Glasgow University Union. For those of you who don’t know what a ceilidh is, it’s where a lot of crazy Scots get in a room and dance to traditional Scottish music (on a fiddle or tin whistle) until every muscle cries out in agony. I feel like these events are crucial both to creating and strengthening a sense of community within our church, as well as providing a comfortable way to introduce new folks.
On Sunday we had our Easter service, including no less than three baptisms. It’s incredibly fulfilling witnessing three people outwardly declaring their decision to hand the entirety of their lives over to Christ.
Despite not having our own building and really lacking a sense of stability and permanence at the moment, God still provides us with the opportunity to meet and worship Him, to reach the lost, and we can see clear evidence that the Risen One still moves and changes hearts in our church today.
Over the last few months we have been working hard at Re:Hope to create an infrastructure to enable to the maximum number of people to use their spiritual gifts in service to Christ. Last Saturday we held an event called ‘Simply Philippians;’ essentially a one day seminar dedicated to in-depth teaching on the letter to the church of Philippi and the latest in our ‘Simply’ series.
We started doing ‘Simply’ events about two years ago with two purposes in mind. First, they are a great way to provide solid Biblical teaching on a given subject, encouraging our church to grow in spiritual maturity and in knowledge and understanding of the Word. Secondly, they are designed as a forum to nurture new leaders. There is nothing more rewarding to me than seeing new leaders use their gifts for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Bring it!
It is encouraging to see so many capable, gifted people getting directly plugged into the areas where God can use them most.
Exactly 6 months ago I posted a blog to announce that Brian Luse (who originally came to Scotland to work with us in Re:Hope) had been welcomed as the Pastor of a local church called Renfrew Baptist. I felt like now might be a good time to update you on his progress and situation.
Since September, it seems like Renfrew Baptist has received a new lease of life - they are excited to have their own pastor again (for the first time in 2 years) and the last months have seen the church celebrate 7 new members and numerous baptisms. In Brian’s own words, ‘it seems God is exciting hearts for the next chapter, people can sense the moving of the Holy Spirit and are excited to be a part of what God is doing.’
Renfrew Baptist is in many ways very different from Re:Hope - by far the largest demographic at Re:Hope is students and 20-somethings. Renfrew has the full spectrum of ages. Brian tells me their eldest member is 92, yet at the same time they have a growing ministry for kids and families.
As far as Brian is concerned, the thing that ties the two churches together is that they are both ‘church plants’. While Renfew is not a ‘church plant’ in the literal sense that Re:Hope was, it is instead about revitalising a congregation who are in need of leadership and guidance and rekindling a passion within them for Godliness and a thirst for His word.
I can really see both of our ‘church planting’ experiences being individually useful to God in advancing His kingdom throughout Scotland. I also think we can learn a lot from each other according to where our different strengths and experiences lie.
While it was sad to see Brian move on in September, I think it is clear that his presence in Renfrew Baptist is a real blessing on the congregation and I pray God will continue to bless both him and the church as they continue to ignite that passion for Him.