London

My recent trip to London was a great experience. I went with the global outreach pastor from my church. We met up with two girls getting involved in United World Mission, the mobolization coordinator for UWM, and a 20 year missionary through UWM living there outside of London. This is a picture of us in a pub near Tower Bridge.

And in case you didn't know, this is what Tower Bridge looks like. Doesn't it look cool?

Most of our time there was spent meeting different leaders of different ministries and churches. We met up with a pastor with Hillsong London. We also met up with a pastor named Jonathan, who is at a megachurch comprised of mainly Nigerians. He's got a great story as he was once a Muslim who became a Christian in college. His church is in the borough that contains the highest number of Muslims in London.

We also visited a church that was really doing a great job at reaching out to the younger generation called Soul Survivor (where Matt Redman led worship for a while). And they actually got a license to serve beer (on tap) at various outreach events! They've found out that students are more willing to have meaningful conversations if they have a glass in their hand. Hey, whatever it takes to win the lost.


The highlight of the trip for me was to the city of Colchester. The city is full of history. The first Augustinian priory church was here. Also the first church in all of England was here. And many centuries later, a young lad named Charles Spurgeon was saved in small church here under the call to "Look unto Me, and be ye saved." Spurgeon soon after became one of the most amazing preachers of all time. His wonderfully reformed view of Scripture has opened my eyes again and again to God's splendor.

There's also a university campus here with 40% of it's students being international. God's beginning to do a great work here in the city, but the laborers still are few. And as I think about the need and the ripe harvest, I can't help but think that maybe God will lead me there one day...or maybe one of you...