Debbie shares her thought for the week; loving and serving our community.
Last Friday we had the privilege of hosting some year 6 children from a local school here at All Nations and as part of that I did some research into the history of this building. Whilst it became an Elim Pentecostal church in 1987 it was built one hundred years earlier in 1887 and called St Saviour’s church (that’s a familiar name to some of you). But this wasn’t the first church in Coley at all – in 1877 an Iron church was built at the end of Coley School playground. An iron church was a moveable structure that could be put up in any location and provided a cheap alternative to a permanent building. For ten years the iron church served as a place for God’s people to serve the local community until it was moved to the Oxford Road and the permanent building was built.
The first sermon preached in this building was based on 1 Corinthians 3:16:
“Don’t you realise that all of you together are the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
What a challenge for the congregation at the time – this new building is beautiful but it’s the people who are the church and God’s spirit it in them. The aim was always to serve the local people. Part of the original altar which you can still see in the back lounge was built in memory of a young vicar – Henry Marshall Foster who died from typhoid aged just 27. He caught it while faithfully serving the local community. St Saviours church was central to the community and if you have a spare hour I’m happy to tell you all about the different events the church put on, the Sunday School and even the trips to the seaside that were organised.
In Matthew 22 Jesus says:
‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.
Matthew 22:37-39
Loving God and serving others still continues to be the number one priority for us at All Nations today – what a privilege it is to still have a church in the Coley community. Soon we will be welcoming the local children in for our Holiday Club. Weekly we can provide a safe, warm space and food for people who really need it. We can love our neighbours and show them God’s love.
I don’t know what community you serve – maybe you are part of this one? Or its where you live but I want to challenge you today – are you following the commandment set by Jesus – are you loving God and loving your neighbour? Are you joining in with the legacy of so many churches across the UK for hundreds of years – serving our community and showing them God’s love?
Maybe this is the reminder or the prompt you need today to find a way to serve and show God’s love to your local community.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.