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Hi – this is part two of my remarks about your report on Grace Church. Sorry, but I have just noticed another inaccuracy!
We began with some 20 people who left Lifeline Church. Since then we have not had any growth from other new churches in the "floating" sense. We avoid sheep stealing. There have been, I think, just four people who have come in the way you describe: two of them after a "wilderness" period, and the other two a long while since your report was composed.
We are glad to say we have a significant growth of people who are new to church altogether and have been "born again" into Grace Church, and others who are always a blessing who have belonged to other churches, but have moved because of work or study.
I am sorry the Lifeline matter was raised, because although there were issues we disagreed about there was no break in our Christian love for them, or from them, and we are keen to see God go on blessing them too. We work happily with other local churches with mutual support, but no sheep stealing! And if anyone came from East Ham Methodists, I would of course let them know.
On the comment about not knowing how we pray and care for others: we have a wide range of ways of caring through organisations for the people around us and a lot of people who as part of the church are individually involved in caring for the poor and lonely, the sick, single parents and other causes.
Derek Reynolds
13 July 2005
Hi – thanks for your report, and for its interesting comments.
There were particular reasons why I did everything that morning! It was a long time ago, but I think our worship leaders who would have led that morning were unavoidably away at short notice. It must have been the only Sunday I led and preached. I do sometime lead on Sundays, but then I do not preach. We are not a one-man band – we are led by an eldership team which is active and gifted.
Oh, and by the way! If anyone had asked – the sole person in the choir pews was doing the recording! And a check with the date of the sermon you mention leads me to believe it was our first (or possibly second) Sunday there. The acoustics were/are terrible and we are still working on the problem, and we now need to buy in a lot of new equipment to overcome it. But I'm sorry your reporter found it so distracting.
The criticisms we can deal with, we will. I am sorry our theology is not to your liking, but we do attempt to be as biblical as we can be rather than led by the prevailing, and no doubt very changeable, culture!
With warm greetings in Christ
Derek Reynolds
P.S. I do enjoy your site too!
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