Door to door and Birmingham

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Our day began with devotions by Henry, who reminded us that fellowship with one another and with our Triune God is of utmost importance to the life of the church body.  After devotions our task was to follow up on our flyer distribution.  We will spend the next 3 mornings walking through the neighborhoods where we dropped off flyers, knocking on doors, introducing ourselves, and talking to people about the upcoming weekend. Wherever the conversations lead we will follow. 

The weather has cooperated today so that this important task of canvassing the neighborhoods of Solihull is not hampered by rain.  As we gather for lunch, we hear each other’s stories about the people we met and the conversations we have had.  We are tracking the addresses and names of those who express interest in the weekend activities or in hearing more about the church.

Our afternoon involved travel to the center of Birmingham to walk around the city and see the blending of old and new; old government buildings and churches mixed with the shiny modern library and train station.  We looked out upon the city from the top of the new library and could see the canal, the whole city and beyond.  The Birmingham Museum and art gallery hold the Staffordshire hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered.  We were able to spend a few minutes admiring the intricacy of patterns on small bits and pieces of gold. 

This evening we had dinner at a fine restaurant called Lost and Found where we could gather again to go over the day together and build relationships through fellowship.  We were joined by the Daffurns who knew many of our group from their time at Sovereign Grace.  Our walk back to the car park gave us a glimpse of the city at night; it was less crowded than during the day but also easier to notice the homeless along the streets.

The last two days were full of walking, talking, sight-seeing, and new experiences.  Tomorrow we have an afternoon of free time so that we can begin to prepare for the upcoming weekend activities.   There has been so much to see and hear, to compare and evaluate, to soak in and learn. This part of the world is different and yet the same in many ways.  Learning how life was and is lived here expands our perspective; the people who once lived and worshiped here are different from those who are here now but they struggle with the same problems of sin and pain and helplessness that their ancestors experienced.