Gently she writes with crooked handwriting in her notebook next to me. More lines than curves in her script, but it’s not a foreign language or anything. Lying open beside her scribbled prayers and notes is a Bible. The text printed there, though much cleaner, is completely unreadable to me. She likes reading God’s Word in her heart-language, Welsh. Sitting among Greater Europe Mission’s new candidates, I met Catrin and her American husband Corey. They both have a thoughtful mildness that gave way to urgent passion when asked about their plans on the field. As a team they have a burning desire to see the Church reborn in Wales and a vision that transcends nationality, placing people at the focus of this movement. Catrin shared how Wales, living in the shadow of revival 100 years ago, has lost its first love. ‘Church shows what God is like,’ Catrin says, ‘It’s the way God disciples: you learn to show grace to people who aren’t like you, learn from people fifty years older than you, serve people you don’t like, bear with one another. The church is a taste of what God’s Kingdom will be like.’
Reviving the ‘art of church’
Written by David Fletcher 04 Nov 2016Additional Info
- Pray: for a new definition and expression of church through people who live out the reality of God in the midst of society and the world around them in all His fullness. (Mark 4:26,27)
- More: www.gemission.org/pray-articles/reviving-the-art-of-church