Growing the church in Redhill

Although, I have been back a number of times for funerals and social events, this was my first Sunday visit  to my old parish of Holy Trinity, Redhill since we moved to Bermondsey five years ago.

While the current vicar, Mick, is enjoying a well earned sabbatical, a number of the former staff from Holy Trinity have been invited back to preach, including me.

Sundays are busy in Redhill with services taking place at 9.15am, 11am, 4pm and 7pm. The first three, though differing a bit in style, have the same sermon, so you really get to practise your message.

Holy Trinity, Redhill

9.15am, the largest of the three congregations is contemporary in style with a worship band and lots of families. 11am is more traditional with the organ and a singing group.

4pm, the newest of the congregations, is also contemporary in style, and also has lots of families. It was particularly noticeable that there were so many boys and dads at this service. Judging by the news shared in the family news time, a lot of these young lads are keen footballers, and the 4pm service allows the whole family to worship together after Sunday morning sporting engagements have been completed.

It was great to see how this service has grown and flourished. Probably a majority of those there had joined in the last five years. A wonderful sign of life and vitality.

The very best bit for us of course was seeing so many old friends. Sitting at the front of church at the 9.15am service I was quite overcome at the sight of the lovely Redhillers whose lives we were privileged to share for eleven years.

During the day I had a number of 1 Thessalonians 3v8 moments.

In that verse, the Apostle recounts the encouraging news he has heard from a church where he had previously ministered and says 'now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.' 

How excellent it is to come back and see people standing firm in the Lord, especially those who we had known as new or very young Christians.

It was good to be back, and to see many signs of spiritual growth, and also physical growth - especially big strapping teenagers who I remembered as quite small children.

A few doors down outside the vicarage was another remarkable sign of growth, the Eucalyptus Tree (above) that I planted as a spindly sapling in 2004. It must be that Redhill soil.