My friend Nette is leaving today -- going back to the US. We got here the same time, on June 21st & we've worked & explored London together. I will miss her loads. This morning I had intended to go to church at St. Marylebone's again, but my laziness got the best of me & I got up too late, so I went to St. Mary's instead. St. Mary's is only around the corner and was previously described by a Londoner friend as a Happy, Clappy church. So in I walked, immediately spotting the coffee and sweet rolls at the back. Staking out a seat to enjoy my little breakfast, I heard, "Hey, Gloria!" which I ignored; it must be some other Gloria since I knew no one at this church. But there it was again: "Hey, Gloria!" Turning around, I saw my friend Nette. We had both had the same idea & she had already started making friends. She introduced me to John, an American expatriate who intended to move to Londong for 2 years & is still here after 19 years. Then we sat by Kay, a very friendly lady who I enjoyed meeting very much. Although the church is affiliated with the Church of England, it provides a more contemporary service than the traditional churches; services include praise band & music with the words projected on large screens. I was very moved when, during prayers, the congregation were invited to come forward to pray for what the Lord lay on their hearts. I felt moved to pray for the many young people who are losing jobs in record numbers because of the hard economic times, as well as to pray for young people who are having all manner of difficulty. A little indecisive about coming forward to pray in a new church, I hesitated. Immediately, the lay leader began to close the prayer time by praying for exactly what had been on my heart. Thank you, Lord! I will definitely visit there again. Nette & I spent the rest of the day together, buying presents for Nette's friends back home, as well as for ourselves. We ended up way in the Eastern part of Marylebone eating fish & chips & drinking cider at a very friendly pub. We finished up with a brownie ice cream sunday & pot of chocolate with biscuits (cookies). Much walking, much good food, much good worship, much good friendship! Amen!
My friend Nette is leaving today -- going back to the US. We got here the same time, on June 21st & we've worked & explored London together. I will miss her loads. This morning I had intended to go to church at St. Marylebone's again, but my laziness got the best of me & I got up too late, so I went to St. Mary's instead. St. Mary's is only around the corner and was previously described by a Londoner friend as a Happy, Clappy church. So in I walked, immediately spotting the coffee and sweet rolls at the back. Staking out a seat to enjoy my little breakfast, I heard, "Hey, Gloria!" which I ignored; it must be some other Gloria since I knew no one at this church. But there it was again: "Hey, Gloria!" Turning around, I saw my friend Nette. We had both had the same idea & she had already started making friends. She introduced me to John, an American expatriate who intended to move to Londong for 2 years & is still here after 19 years. Then we sat by Kay, a very friendly lady who I enjoyed meeting very much. Although the church is affiliated with the Church of England, it provides a more contemporary service than the traditional churches; services include praise band & music with the words projected on large screens. I was very moved when, during prayers, the congregation were invited to come forward to pray for what the Lord lay on their hearts. I felt moved to pray for the many young people who are losing jobs in record numbers because of the hard economic times, as well as to pray for young people who are having all manner of difficulty. A little indecisive about coming forward to pray in a new church, I hesitated. Immediately, the lay leader began to close the prayer time by praying for exactly what had been on my heart. Thank you, Lord! I will definitely visit there again. Nette & I spent the rest of the day together, buying presents for Nette's friends back home, as well as for ourselves. We ended up way in the Eastern part of Marylebone eating fish & chips & drinking cider at a very friendly pub. We finished up with a brownie ice cream sunday & pot of chocolate with biscuits (cookies). Much walking, much good food, much good worship, much good friendship! Amen!
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