When Rebekah was trying to find a place for us to live she ended up walking past the Baptist Church in town. The front door happened to be open, and two ladies were inside serving tea and biscuits to who ever happened to stop by. This was just what Rebekah needed after standing outside for an hour waiting for the estate agent that never showed up. This was the first example of the hospitality that the Congregation has continually shown to us over the past month and a half.
The Congregation (or Fellowship as they call it over here) reminds me a lot of the Alliance Church that we attended while we were at college in Menomonie, WI. Since St. Andrews is a popular retirement destination, there is a good number of retired couples who have a wealth of knowledge to share. The other large demographic of St. Andrews is the University Students. This provides a large foundation of students from all over the world. The high cost of living in St. Andrews does not does not make it an attractive place to raise a family, so there are not too many young couples. That being said there are a good number of young families here, because the husbands are obtaining their PHDs in Theology at St. Mary’s University. We've been mistaken for students on more than one occassion.
Attendance typically runs about 300 during the school year. During the summer months, attendance drops to about 125. When school is in session the Congregation is too large for the building, so Sunday morning worship services are held in a nearby school. In addition to the morning service, there is also an evening service that is held at the Church, which is located in the centre of St. Andrews. It is a small old building with a sanctuary that seats about 100 and has no windows. Oh, and did I mention that it was located on the second floor? This struck me as quite odd, but is apparently very common. It was explained to me that it was done in order to prevent outsiders from looking in on the business being conducted at the Church. Apparently this was a bigger issue in the past when Church and government were so closely connected.
As we mentioned in the Holiday posting, the Associate Pastor is a young man named Liam Garvie. He is just finishing up his schooling, but is wise beyond his age. He has a great love for God, and sharing His Word. As a result God has given him an incredible ability to preach. He is not afraid to address the difficult issues, and yet does it in such a thoughtful and loving way. Every week he says something that makes me sit back in my chair and think about how I can apply what he has said to my life. In addition to Liam, the Church has been in the process of trying to find a new Senior Pastor. This search has been quite a struggle, but the members of the Congragation know that God is preparing the right person as I'm writing this.
We have recently completed a prayer series called, "The 12 Days of Prayer". Every evening we would gather to pray about different aspects of the Church and Community. It was a great way for Rebekah and I to meet many people in a smaller, more intimate setting, as well as learn about the different ministries of the Church. We are very grateful to have found such a wonderful Bible-believing Church to be apart of while we are away from our friends and family.
Check out our Church at http://www.standrewsbaptist.org.uk/_ . Liam had a great sermon on Repetentance on 14 January. You can listen to it online.
