SUCH a long day today, but it has been nothing short of fantastic. I had three separate church experiences, all of which were very different but all wonderful.
Today started very early by being picked up by one of my Grow Group friends and heading to Ivy Church Fallowfield. This campus is literally one of the coolest and most unique churches I have ever been in...because it meets in a pub. Yep. You read that right. A pub. Naturally, they are quite empty in the morning during church time, so it is available for Ivy's use and is extremely cool.
Take note, American churches, if you need new ways to bring people into your buildings.
Anyway, my friend and I got there early to set up the church, as he is a NewThing resident who will be taking lead of the campus with another person quite soon. I liked being able to help set up - it brought back flashbacks from being a mobile church at Community Plainfield's launch. I also got recruited to help out on the welcome team; apparently I broke the record for fastest recruit since it was my first time even being there. It actually really was a lot of fun - I'm not used to just attending church services, so it was nice to help out. It's what I'm here for!
The service was fantastic. Everyone from my Grow Group was there and I was so thankful to see familiar faces. The band played a few Rend Collective songs, so I was really happy. All of Ivy is starting a series based on the book The Circle Maker, which is all about intentional and bold prayers. There was a video to start it off, and then my friend spoke to finish and did an incredible job. He spoke from Joshua about being strong and courageous, and connected it to the story of the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho to take the city. It really was fantastic. He also encouraged the members of the church to do a prayer walk right after the service around the local university, as that is a group that they are very prayerfully hoping to reach out to when the students return. The church also had lunch together after everything was torn down, which was really great. There was a very strong sense of community at this campus, and I was really thankful to have been able to be a part of it.
Church on the Merseybank estate was also about The Circle Maker, except this time with the smaller crowd, we were able to do some small group discussions. I had the opportunity to meet some more of the people on the estate that I didn't meet last week, which was great. I love the community within this neighborhood - it is pretty big, but everyone seems to be connected somehow. Eden really is doing great work here in Merseybank, and I'm so glad that I've been able to get involved and meet a lot of the people here.
Right after the Merseybank church, we took some of the teenagers to an event at Ivy Sharston called Super Sunday. Students from all across Ivy come together, and they had all kinds of games and inflatables for the students to enjoy. A musician named Emma Mould came to tell her story and perform - her album comes out in September and she is fantastic, so if you're reading this, check out her music! It was a unique experience, and there were all kinds of kinds as far as students go, but it was a great opportunity for the students to be in a safe and positive environment. Plus, most of my Grow Group friends were there as well, and it is always great to see them. I'm going to have a really hard time saying goodbye to them this week.
I can't believe that I'll already be leaving Manchester this week. I am really excited to be heading to London on Friday, but I'm definitely not ready to leave Manchester at all. I love this city and it's people so much, and I can't believe how blessed I am to have come into contact with so many amazing people. It has really hit me today how hard it is going to be to leave. I still have a lot of time before then, but it's hard to think about. Basically, I'm going to have to start saving for another trip immediately.
Please continue to pray for the teenagers connected with Eden here on the Merseybank estate. Pray for Ivy, and specifically Ivy Fallowfield as their hearts pour out for the students returning in the fall. Also, pray for my Grow Group friend who is waiting to hear this week about housing for his schooling in Sweden coming up!
Blessings,
Lindsay
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