From Malachi: Update from Liverpool 2
One encouragement from my time in the nearby park is a lady in her mid-50s named Michelle. She humbly acknowledges that she is not a Christian although previously she spent many years in a local church. She is open to talking about faith and has visited Hope Church the last two Sundays. She has a mental disorder which influences her thinking and that led to her relationship with the previous church being severed. I am still trying to discern what sort of church that was because there are areas where unclear theology has been detrimental. Two doctrines seem to be poorly understood and hinder her from believing on Christ. On the one hand she hears that the Christian message is exclusive and that only those who are saved by Christ will enter heaven. I think this slightly offends her, but the reason may be complicated. It seems she went to a church where being saved was an “experience/feeling” that others spoke of. She never had such an experience for herself. It may be that she desired to be saved but never “caught” what she had been taught to expect. Putting these two considerations together I think she is a bit confused with Christianity. On the one hand, it is an exclusive message, but her mindset may lend itself to fatalism where there is nothing she can do to be saved but wait for an experience. This reveals the dangers of poor theology and instruction. She maybe has never understood that repentance and trust in Christ are human responses which are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Michelle seems to appreciate the warmth and fellowship at the church and has not taken any issue with the teaching. She also is grieved by the inuendo and foolish jesting of the retired men and women at the park. She acknowledges that poor company has influenced her thoughts.
Last Saturday Hope Church hosted a fun day for the children in the community. In the church hall we were able to cram in a bouncy castle, toys, face-painting, ice cream, pastries, juice and a football net (it was taken down when we ran out of space). We were praying for up to fifty children from the community. Our expectations were exceeded. Someone estimated that there were around sixty-five children and nearly one hundred parents. The environment was quite boisterous, and some families opted to leave with their overwhelmed children. After the event we noted how many children there are in the community with cognitive disorders. Talking with one lady from church last evening she noted that the number of diagnoses is swelling rapidly and some wonder if these are the results of parental negligence.
I think we blessed the community by providing the children with a fun environment. I hope those with special needs were not bitter about how chaotic it was. Many families and children entered the church who had likely never been there before. But the end goal is not numbers but disciples. At times the event was so overwhelming that it was difficult to converse with those who came. We were encouraged by some of the conversations. But even last evening an elderly lady in the church acknowledged in her prayer that she was discouraged to see none of the families come to church the following Sunday. This underscores that events such as fun days are means to the end of proclaiming the gospel of Christ. Our hope and prayer is that these connections will lead to relationships in the community and an opportunity to make Christ known.
With the fun day now past, I have more capacity to think about what I would like to learn/experience in Liverpool. I am thankful that I have had many opportunities to learn a foreign culture and lifestyle. Cornerstone Collective also have been very gracious in allowing me a lot of insight into the network of churches in Liverpool. I am thankful for the pastors who have given a lot of time to meet up and share their stories. However, I still feel a need to engage more with the immigrants who have come to Liverpool. As I have mentioned previously the diversity in this area of the city is amazing. There are immigrants from all around Europe, Asia, and Africa. I have had interacted with some from Sri Lanka, India, Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, etc. Nevertheless, I am trying to understand how to overcome the cultural barriers. There are many immigrants who visit the local park to spend time with family, play board games, play cricket, allow their children time on the playground, etc. But most of these are activities that I cannot easily participate in. Often people gather with those who are from their same cultures and at times there are language barriers. I am pondering how to best engage in those situations. If the opportunity presents itself, I would like to learn how to play cricket. I was able to visit with some Pakistanis as they sat during their game on Wednesday. I think the recreational league has their championship game in the park today. I may go watch and I hope this is an entry point into Indian culture. A couple of weeks ago I also ran into a group of Sri Lankans playing volleyball in the park. I hope to join them again the next time I see them and befriend them with the little time that I have left here in Liverpool. And if I learn the rules of Ludo (African version of Sorry/Trouble) I might weasel my way into a board game with some men from Sudan.
Last Sunday I visited a nearby church in the evening for a time of praise and prayer. This church was recently revitalized with some younger members from other churches. The church had been dwindling because many members had died. Many remain whose health is declining. I enjoyed the time of praise but also appreciated that in prayer everyone in my group was praying for children and spouses who have walked away from the faith. At times I wonder where the church may have failed to disciple the next generation or failed to tell their community about Christ. While there may be some truth in this question, I was nevertheless encouraged to see that the parents and spouses persist in prayer that God would restore their loved ones.
In the last home group gathering we faced the reality that gluttony impedes our obedience to God. This was a convicting discussion because I am becoming aware of my own failings. My life was very structured in Maryland, and it was easy for me to set a healthy lifestyle based solely on what I purchased and cooked. It was easy to think that I was a very disciplined person. A different environment has revealed how much I need to grow. Here I am often given unhealthy food for free which may go to waste unless taken. I have been far less disciplined in my eating habits. Looking back, I think it has impacted my sleep and mental clarity while reading or writing. People often don’t expect that someone with my physique should worry about gluttony. After all, I just have high metabolism so I can “get away with it”. Yet truthfully, I am no less accountable before God for my lack of discipline even though my sin has yet to manifest any significant impact on my body. For others in Hope Church this is not the case. We all knew that a brother in the church has been declining in health for the last two years. But his wife finally acknowledged that his failing health is aggravated by his diet and habits that he often hides. Though she has tried many times to address the issue it has only been met with anger. Now that more is known it became apparent that brothers need to intervene as another voice to restore this brother. If nothing changes, she will lose her husband and they will lose a beloved member of the church. Truthfully there are other brothers in the church including myself who need to repent as well.
- Pray for Michelle to be saved and for the church to be known in our community.
- Pray for an open door to engage immigrants from unreached countries.
- Pray that we confess our failings and mortify the lusts of our flesh.