Lisa and I recently attended the Baptist Union of Great Britain Assembly in Telford when members of Baptist Churches throughout the UK came together in one place to learn, worship and connect together. It was a great few days and very encouraging. The teaching was excellent, the times of worship were powerful, and there was something special about being in a packed out conference centre jammed full of Baptists from across the country. One of the great things about being Baptist is the independence and freedom each individual Church gets to express itself and make decisions for themselves. This is why Baptists are sometimes considered more a movement than a denomination. The downside of this, is that without an overarching governmental structure it can sometimes feel like we’re a little alone. So when even just a small portion of representatives come together it serves as a great reminder that we are part of something so much bigger, and when it feels like we at ABC can only make a small difference, you realise how significant small differences are when you put them all together.
For the duration of the assembly one of the rooms was dedicated as a prayer space where people could come and pray. Lisa and I largely did our own thing throughout the assembly, going to the seminars which interested us most and occasionally bumping into each other at some of the meetings. One of those unplanned meetings was in the prayer room, where out of the hundreds of attendees, we, the only representatives of ABC there, found ourselves as the only people in this space interceding in prayer. This felt really significant to me, almost as though for that hour, God had appointed ABC to take our turn to be the watchmen. It was a reminder of the importance of prayer for our local, national and international communities. But it was also a reminder that out community at ABC didn’t just have small gifts to offer that were only significant as part of a collective whole, but that there were specific tasks and duties that God has called us specifically for.
I think these things which speak about our church’s role in the wider church community is also true for each of our own roles within our church community. We all make up a small part of a larger whole that is only truly felt when we all come together, but we all also have unique gifts and characters that God has given to us for particular purposes and even each of our own unique individual prayers make a unique and significant difference. For some of us it might be obvious what God is asking of us or what difference we make, for others it might be more hidden or subtle, but our church is only whole when we all share what we have to offer and allow room for others to share too. Part of the responsibility of church is to equip and enable all to discover and fulfil the things which God is leading them in. So, if you feel you might want the church to help you in this then let me know!
Originally written for the June 2024 ABC Newsletter
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