Two of my very best friends in the world, Tom and Lesley Thompson, have taken the admirable and adrenaline-pumping risk of planting a church. This is not something they’ve done before, but I have absolutely no doubt they’ll be ridiculously amazing at it. Because they are both ridiculously amazing.
The church is called Croydon Vineyard, and will be based (obviously, if you know your geography) in South London. Tom and Lesley already have a hugely gifted team who have made the move to join them in Croydon, and I have absolutely no doubt that theirs will be a place where the Bible is taught, where the tri-une God is worshipped and engaged with, where community is built and where lots of fun is had.
The church is part of the Vineyard movement, the international church network headed in the UK by John and Ele Mumford. My family and I were part of a Vineyard church for several years before we moved to our current area, and absolutely loved the word/spirit/justice/action/intimacy/growth ethos of the movement (which I’ve probably just summed up very poorly).
So – if you’re someone living in or around Croydon who is interested in trying a new church – or trying a church for the first time, I strongly recommend you take a look. And, as luck would have it, there’s some perfect opportunities on the horizon for you to do that in a lovely non-threatening setting…
The team at Croydon Vineyard are in the middle of running a series of ‘Come and See’ evenings at the town’s Fairfield Halls. The next two events are on the evenings of Tuesday 4th and Thursday 13th June, and allow participants to get a feel of the new church’s values and style. It’s all very lovely and low impact, and there’s free wine, coffee and cakes, which I’m sure will be a deal-breaker for many.
All the details are below. Just click to enlarge the image.
And if all this is of no interest to you because you live in Carlisle, please do join me in praying for these wonderful people as they step out in faith and try to demonstrate God’s love in their new neighbourhood.
Email Croydon Vineyard
Visit the Croydon Vineyard Facebook page
MARTIN SAUNDERS 