20th July 2024
I woke up to a much cloudier and slightly cooler morning. It was still plenty warm outside and very humid as well. The Elliott family has a tradition of taking their two dogs on a morning walk each Sabbath before they leave for services. The area they live has some beautiful homes perched along the side of a hill with farms on one side and a new train line on the other. There is a public walking trail that leads straight through cornfields with signs warning dog owners of bulls possibly running loose somewhere. The trail also leads through the edges of a forest filled with beech trees and nettles.
Lower down from our walking trail we could see the ongoing construction of the new HS2 train line. This is a new high speed train that will connect London to places further north including Birmingham, Manchester, and Scotland. It sounds like it might be a good idea, but in order to begin construction there were many homes that had to be sold. This has caused some controversy locally because of the disruption of the old homes, the farm lands, and the countryside, but also because the project is hugely over budget and still isn’t complete. Despite the disruptions in the local towns and villages there won’t be any stops along the routes, but only in larger cities.
After a family breakfast, and getting ready for services, once one more lady arrived to catch a ride, we headed off to London. I sat in the front and had a chance to chat with Dave about life, the Church of God, our own histories, and plans for the future. We didn’t travel to any of the familiar touristy areas of London, but to a spot I’d never seen before. The congregation has started meeting at a YMCA where the Worldwide Church of God met years ago. Interestingly, there are some people who were still meeting with what once was the WCG but still keeping the Sabbath. They met at the same location until their headquarters told them they could no longer keep the Sabbath. Some of them have since started attending Sabbath services with UCG in the same location. We had a similar story in NYC a few years ago and even had a few people begin attending with us for a while.
It was a wonderful experience to be there in London among brethren. I delivered a sermon on prayer as well as an update on the brethren in the areas I serve in the NYC area and in parts of Africa. After services I met some of the brethren and had some interesting conversations with some newer attendees. There was plenty of coffee to go around but in the midst of all the talking I didn’t get even a bite of the snacks. It is interesting that many of the challenges that the brethren experience in NYC are experienced by brethren who attend in London. And also interestingly there were a large number of brethren originally from various parts of the Caribbean just like in NYC.
On the ride home I sat in the back and talked with some of the ladies about life, the Church of God, our own histories, and world travel. I managed to get a little carsick since the roads in the country are narrow and winding. The evening was restful. We spent some time in the back yard enjoying the warmth of the summer air, some delicious curry that David whipped up, and some great conversation. Dave and Hannah and I sat up late enjoying some extended fellowship well after the Sabbath was over. In the morning I knew I was going to have to have everything packed and ready to go. It was going to be my last day of my 3 week trip.
BONUS: Photos courtesy of Hannah Ellams (from Friday and Saturday):
– Lewis VanAusdle
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