Journey mercies

Because last Sunday my cousin and family came over to my aunt's house, I didn't go to church but spent the morning with them. This morning, I went to a church that is 10 minutes walk away. It's a Presbyterian church called United Reform Church, and it's the second church I've been to in England where there were predominantly white heads rather than coloured ones.

The first church was in Newcastle, a Methodist church in the city center. My eyebrows went up when I first realised, out of the 20 odd people there, only three had non-white hair, all obviously visitors. That was the first cultural shock I had when I first got there.

The church I went to this morning was not one of the liveliest churches I've been to, but one of the friendliness and had the warmest welcome. Almost as if they were waiting for the service to end to spring and greet me.

The guy who first approached me was Ken, and he spent a year in Singapore when it was still part of Malaya, based there with the RAF. After speaking with me for a short while, he got me to sign in their guest book, after that leading me to the hall where they had drinks, and left me to have a cookie and tea. Then another lady popped up and took me straightaway to another lady who also lived on the same street, and I proceeded to speak with Moira, Bill and another lady.

As I drifted away to place my cup, another lady promptly came to speak with me and introduced me to another love lady called Nancy. And when I finally decided that I should ease myself away so that I wouldn't have to bother them to keep me entertained, another couple, Ray who played the organ and Mandy his wife, was so obviously delighted to see me that I stopped and talked to them a bit more.

I didn't pick up the slightest trace of discomfort from them for having to meet somebody new and obviously different, nor any reluctance, or forced friendliness and I think that's rare. Even though Christians are supposed to be all lovey dovey, it's never an easy task, to genuinely open your arms out in love to every single person that walks through the church doors.

Before I left, some of them asked if I would join them again the following Sunday, and it felt very hard for me to even think not to. Despite their age the ladies I spoke with were so cute in their playful cheekiness towards one another. Though you would think that they would be happy with the slow hymnal singing, they were cheekily commenting about how the organist could have quicken the tempo a bit and give a little 'jig' to it.

And the cheeky grin one of the ladies had when she teased somebody! Very endearing. I do think I am looking forward to seeing them again the next Sunday.