glasgow @ worship (5)

My excitement at going to church reached new levels this morning! I have spent the last month thinking through the whole issue of discipleship and have focused on how we make disciples and how we create a culture of discipleship in church. The sermon that the minister gave this morning was entitled, "Building a Culture of Discipleship." His opening sentence was, "Jesus is here to make disciples who make disciples." I sensed God's blessing and encouragement through this message.    

Church: Whiteinch Church of Scotland

Denomination: Presbyterian

Date: February 3 2013

Time: 10.30am

Service: Morning Service

Congregational Make-Up: Whiteinch Church is a small family fellowship (approx. 55 members) that is clearly making inroads into its local community.

Central Feature(s): Whiteinch Church of Scotland has a strong charismatic undergirding to what takes place in worship. There is a real sense of immediacy in the worship - "God is here...here to bless...here to heal...here to save..." The ministry team were present at the end to pray for people to strengthen that conviction. Although it is a small church they are led by passionate worshippers. A woman (and some children) had banners waving as an expression of worship. During the service testimonies were shared as to the way God had led the church. For example, they have been able to open a “Christians Against Poverty” (CAP) Centre in spite of having little money four months ago.

The service takes place in "The Whiteinch Centre." As I left the building the cafe at the front of the centre was busy with local people. I thought it was significant that here is a community of Christians meeting to worship in close proximity to their friends and neighbours. This is what the church should be about!

Stand-Out Moment: After a time of worship a woman led the church in prayer. There was strong sense of the heart that this group of believers has for the community of Whiteinch. The church prayed for God to bless businesses, the schools, and the people of the area.

Conclusion: As I look back over the last four weeks I feel that I am a very privileged person. I have met some good people, appreciated worshipping in a number of church traditions and have had the opportunity to study central issues of church life. The minister's main teaching points this morning from Mark 1:21-2:12 were:

Intimacy with the Father is essential.

Jesus is full of compassion and willing and able to heal.

Jesus is the man in charge of all things.

Taking those thoughts into a new season of ministry would be a very good starting point...

glasgow @ worship (4)

The final of the Australian Open may have had an impact on Scottish Church attendance this morning but you would never had known it at Queen’s Park. The church building was well filled and the congregation was alive in worship. 
                                                                                                                                 

Church: Queen’s Park Baptist Church

Denomination: Baptist

Date: January 27 2013

Time: 10.30am

Service: Morning Service

Congregational Make-Up: There is a real family feel to the church fellowship. It is great to see all ages worshipping together.

Central Feature(s): I very much appreciated the welcome I was given as I entered the church. I was warmly welcomed at the church door; welcomed again with a newsletter and on entering the sanctuary there is a “welcome desk” with information about the church as well as a tea/coffee station. The lady at this point again was helpful and interested to make me feel at home. This is such a vital dimension of church life; first impressions are crucial.

The current teaching series is entitled “Rhythms of Life” and the theme this morning was “Consuming or Contributing” from Mark 1. One of the big ideas in the preaching was the transformation that ought to take place in a disciple’s life. This subject carried over into the service as a whole though worship and testimony. One woman was interviewed and spoke of inner difference she experienced through coming to faith in Christ at an Alpha course. The church is about to launch Alpha again so there was a strong emphasis on this course and an encouragement to the fellowship to ask family and friends to this introduction to the Christian faith.

Stand-Out Moment: After the preaching (given by the retired pastor), the current pastor invited the church to respond. Some made a commitment to Christ for the first time; others rededicated their lives to God. I was struck by the fact that what took place this morning in church could be used by God to change the future direction of people’s lives.

Conclusion: Careful planning, challenging preaching and openness to the Spirit seemed to mark what took place today. These are essential elements. We can plan and prepare (and we should) but we must allow God room to do what only he can – transform people’s hearts.

glasgow @ worship (3)

I was back in the West End this morning. It seems to be something of a hub for vibrant churches in the city… 
                                                                                                                                 

Church: Re:Hope

Denomination: Good question! Not sure!

Date: January 20 2013

Time: 10am

Service: Morning Service

Congregational Make-Up: Re:Hope has a real student feel to it. It seems to be made up predominantly of young people although there were one or two older people present (including me!).

Central Feature(s): On arrival at the church I was offered coffee and croissants. The fellowship is onto a winner right there!

The service opened with the Pastor inviting people to testify to answered prayer during the previous week. I admired this bold approach and yet recognised it was a very vulnerable moment for him. What if no-one spoke up? Two people shared ways in which God had helped them in specific response to their prayers over the past seven days.

The band then led in a time of worship and this was followed with the Pastor continuing the current teaching series on the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. It was a very engaging, Bible centred message on the theme of testing. His closing comment captured me – “I want God’s people in this generation to elevate obedience to God’s Word and commit to personal integrity of character.”

Stand-Out Moment: I could mention a couple of things but one that has made a big impact on me was the use of an old song during the worship time. The band sang, “Jesus paid it all,” a 19^th century song that I haven’t heard since childhood. They wove this beautiful song seamlessly into a set of modern worship songs. It was wonderful to see this young (in age) church express their faith in language that captures something of the kingdom of God of which we are part.

Conclusion: The 10am would be repeated at 12pm and 6.30pm. I understand this is to accommodate the numbers attending the church. With all the recent chat about declining church attendance it is refreshing to see one that is bucking the trend.  

Coffee and croissants are not the answer to this growth but they do helped to contribute in a small way to a warm and welcoming church family.

glasgow @ worship (2)

I left home in quite heavy snow but thankfully it let up as I made my way across Glasgow on the now familiar First Buses 44 route.

Church: St Silas Church

Denomination: Episcopal

Date: January 13 2013

Time: 11am

Service: Holy Communion

Congregational Make-Up: This is a large church in the West End of Glasgow with a good percentage of young families and people in their 20-30s.

Central Feature: There was an unusually hushed atmosphere as I sat waiting for the service to begin. In welcoming the congregation the minister led everyone in the Collect for the day. This was followed by a hymn which launched straight into the preaching of God’s Word. The sermon focused on Jesus’ stilling of the storm in Mark 4. The preacher emphasised that who we see Jesus to be determines our response to him and our continuing responses to him. As he developed the story of the disciples’ experience in the middle of the lake he spoke about how awe is something we experience…Awe leads to worship…worship leads to transformation. 
 

During a time of worship that followed parents went to the hall next door to gather their children and then everyone joined together for the celebration of Communion. This part of the service had a strong liturgical feel to it.

The Word preached and the word illustrated in Communion were the complimentary high points.

There was also a beautifully crafted prayer that drew on the passage that the preacher focussed on. I value this kind of intentionality from people who lead others into God's presence.

Stand-Out Moment: The moment of Communion was for me, a sacred time. We went forward to receive the bread and wine and the people who dispensed the elements spoke the words, “The body of Christ given for you…The blood of Christ shed for you” to everyone who received them. I had a strong sense that through the work of the cross, God was reaching out in grace to someone like ME!

Conclusion: I much appreciated the way in which this church weaved the history and heritage of Anglicanism into a contemporary service of worship.

After leaving St Silas I didn’t have to wait too long for “the 44” and returned to Waterfoot with a fresh appreciation of the diverse work of God in this great city.