Surfing the new wave of church
A gazebo-style outdoor church has been launched in a Wiltshire village after requests from neighbours, all done whilst still observing social distancing regulations.
Wiltshire evangelist Jonathan Brain, who lives in Chippenham, explains: "I was under my car fixing it when a neighbour passed by, saying I'm always fixing cars - how we laughed! She said how much another neighbour was missing going along to church, I said that if folk wanted, I could run a church that weekend. I put out a WhatsApp message to all the neighbours saying that anyone was welcome and left it at that!
"On the Thursday night I had a strange dream that only featured a gazebo - that's it! On the Friday morning a friend rang up and asked if I wanted a gazebo, then another friend asked if I wanted a gazebo!
"So, on the following Sunday we had our first 'Gazebo Church' and amazingly fifteen or so came - they all asked for it to continue and straightaway organised a cake rota! Songs were sung, prayers were offered, and two Bibles were asked for, as well as one more gazebo offered! Hugely positive comments have been received."
Jonathan has since invested in a larger gazebo to accommodate the unpredictable British weather, ensuring safety and distancing measures are in place. He continues "We'll carry on with 'gazebo church’ as God directs, and circumstances allow in these strange days. We're all enjoying meeting together come rain, shine, or wind, and we hope to continue as long as people want and we're able. He says, "One neighbour even questioned my faith when I suggested calling it off because of the weather!"
“The relationships have been so easily built out in the open air under a non-threatening gazebo. We have been astounded and surprised at the ease of this new church springing up. It would appear that buildings are not that important after all! Small evangelical Gospel-filled house fellowships could easily sprout from this first shoot of growth.”
Jonathan continued: “We're all getting used to this brand new, old-fashioned, early church, Acts 2 way of doing things! God's plans are always consistently much better and easier than my finest plan. I need to just wait on God and be ever ready to do only what He says. He has a plan where He wants to take this.
“This has been a most extraordinarily unexpected blessing, like a surfer catching a wonderfully, memorable wave immortalised in a photo. May God have all the glory. May there be far more of Him and far less of me.”
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