Despite sadness in its first year, Christ Church Hemel (CCH), launched in December 2014, has seen the Lord’s guiding and sustaining hand throughout.
Spicer Street Church in St Albans were keen to plant another church and, three years ago, the door opened with an opportunity to plant into the neighbouring town of Hemel Hempstead. A core group was quickly identified, money was raised and Sam Buckley was given the opportunity to lead the plant. Lots of time was spent planning and praying in the lead up to the intended start date – early October in 2014.
Costly convictions
However, just days before the first service, the venue to be used for church meetings threatened to pull the plug on the church, citing theological objections to its FIEC basis of faith. This drove the church back to concerted bold prayer together, feeling otherwise powerless, but aware that the church serves a sovereign God and that compromise on gospel convictions was not possible – even if it cost the church a venue.
The venue was lost three weeks later. However, another three weeks after this, God provided a local school happy for the church to rent space.
It was great to get underway just before Christmas, and the Lord gave a time of settling into the new church, of finding CCH’s feet in the area and of beginning to reach out into Hemel.
A couple of Christianity Explored courses were run and the church has had lots of people through the doors on a Sunday (although quite a few have yet to pay a return visit, we pray on!). Evangelistic events were really well attended and some people, Christians and not-yet-Christians, have come and stayed.
God’s sustaining hand
Then sadness hit CCH from within. One of the central members of the small core group, a real evangelistic ‘engine’, was taken ill and within a week had died.
The Lord has sustained CCH wonderfully during this time. Through the shock of losing a brother so suddenly the church was drawn together to support each other and speak the truth in love to one another. They were made more like Jesus by being given the opportunity to show compassion, kindness and gentleness to his widow and to one another. God kindly gave great opportunities to speak the gospel to lots of non-Christians around this time too and so CCH prays on for gospel fruit.
God has used the ups and downs experienced in this first year to form the church into a prayerful community that is determined to reach out into Hemel with the gospel. CCH is not doing anything groundbreaking, anything particularly innovative or anything that looks strategic from the outside. But being convinced that God works by his Spirit through his Word so, as a community CCH is on a mission with that Word in the place God has put them, with the people around, learning the lessons he’s teaching the church.
Please pray for CCH as it seeks to reach out, feeling small and weak yet confident that God uses the weak things of this world. Please pray that in our weakness he’d use CCH for his glory in Hemel Hempstead.
Prayer points:
• Through CCH witness and that of other churches in Hemel, people in Hemel Hempstead would receive Jesus Christ as Lord.
• That CCH would continue to live in him, rooted, built up and strengthened in faith and overflowing with thankfulness.
• For five households to join us over the coming year.
