Yesterday was an amazing day – the last day of Love Gilingham 3.
All the churches of Gillingham cancelled their morning service to attend a united worship service at the sports centre. There were around 500 people there which was quite mind blowing. Jim and I had the pleasure of continuing our ‘double act’ of leading the LG mornings into Sunday and I ended the service by getting people to look around and realise that this was the church of Gillingham.

I don’t like big. I think small is better and small Christian communities of around the 30 size are, in my mind, the ideal. Sunday, however, was special as it can remind us of our place in the wider church.

In our own churches it is easy to think that this is how it is, that we re the only ones who care. This can breed a kind if isolation mentality. With an isolation mentality vision becomes scarce s we fer trying anything. Getting together, seeing others from different traditions and different opinions uniting for one event can serve to enable vision. It was certainly encouraging to remind myself that I am part of something that is not only ancient in origin, but is far bigger than I realise most of the time. From the front it was great to see peoples faces as they looked around and realised the size of God’s church in Gillingham.

After the service we were joined by those we had met in the week and invited to a BBQ and fun day at the sports centre. It was a privilege again to witness the engagement between different people groups and the growth of new friendships across the community. This is true mission – people being loved and accepted with no expectations placed upon them.

The challenge for us is how to we move on. For three years we have staged various events and there is now a feeling that we need to show this acceptance and love (i.e. bring in the Kingdom)in regular realistic and achievable, but ordinary and simple, ways in Gillingham.

I have loved LG3 as I have loved previous years. I am sad at the end and have a desire to see an expression of this develop as part of the DNA of the Christian community in Gillingham.

For those of you coing here for pics – the last days photos may be found here.