Sunday 27 Aug 17
Once again the unseasonable weather continues. It is beautifully sunny and warm on a Bank Holiday weekend. Gethin Jones our second assistant minister (this is the first time our church has had a minister and two assistants working full time) preached morning and evening from Ruth 4 and 1 John 1-2. Evening service we were for the first time at Dean Hall. This century old building s the only one of its vintage in the middle of an estate of social housing flats adjacent to the main Uxbridge Road through West Ealing. On foot it is less than half a mile from our chapel but that is a walk by footbridge over the Paddington main line tracks. On Sunday mornings a small Brethren assembly meets there but the active elder and trustee, Davis Smith, has worshipped at IPC on Sunday evenings for several years and he is allowing us to use Dean Hall Sunday evenings and fall all our activities throughout the week until our new building is finished,. This is a wonderfully gracious provision for us and we trust will be a blessing on the witness of Dean Hall. I forgot the camera so pictures to follow. We has both our assistant ministers to lunch. The other man, Chris Roberts, is a big fan of my tandoori chicken which I cooked for lunch. Both Gethin and Chris are under care of our IPC presbytery, that is they are in training for ordination.
Monday 28 Aug
Went to view our new house. Had arranged a time via the agent. Knocked and knocked as three was a car at the front. Eventually an elderly oriental lady opened the door. She knew nothing of our visit. She was an AirB&B tenant. She had little English. Her daughter, a Vietnamese MA student at Bristol let us in. We had a good chat on Vietnam and its history, especially the war. But though we looked round we could not enter one room which was locked. Was the owner there? We left with me fuming at this vendor who had kept Deb and I waiting two weeks to view his property.
David arrived with our two Canterbury grandchildren and their dog Inki who has changed my outlook on small dogs. I had not been a fan until Inki who is so friendly and quiet. Too quiet sometimes. It is too easy to tread on her. Only then is she noisy, or when she sees another dog.
Tuesday 29 Aug
David dropped me at the Town hall for an excellent lunchtime talky an Anglican from Tunbridge Wells. At present I am banned from driving, not be the law but by Katy. Is it my bad legs, heart or sight that bothers her. I am happy to be a passenger, a driven man. In the evening, after an excellent if rushed Indian takeaway, we went to the cinema for Dunkirk.See this experience reviewed on this blog.
Wednesday 30 Aug.
David and family were visiting a friend in the morning leaving the dog here which complicated life when Deb brought her three Levy children for the day. Their home is being extended and electricity was disconnected. Is I taught Noah and Ellie how to play Uno which they seemed to enjoy. They were afraid of Inki but their little sister Phoebe, a Dons child, was more at home with the dog. In the evening Debbie kindly took me to or first ever IPC prayer meeting at Dean Hall. See pics on FB. Excellent time of prayer led by assistant minister, Gethin.
Thurs 31 Aug
Viewed the new house with the agent there saw all of it. Photos added on FB. David and family returned home to Canterbury.
Friday 1st September
This morning I sorted church files from 1979 to 2001 recovered from a church filing cabinet last week when we were sorting and moving to our temporary premises for the next year of building work. Then we had our belated 48th anniversary celebration, lunch at our favourite local restaurant. Lis'sa is small and personal. The eponymous owner herself waits on you. The food I would describe as french and splendid. The best liver I have ever tasted, melting in the mouth. Katy enjoyed trout http://lisasrestaurant.co.uk
Saturday 2 Sep
My fellow elder, Paul Meiners and his wife Liz, PCA missionaries, drove us down to our church in Hampshire for the installation of their new pastor, James Buchanan who is a former Anglican ordinand and was an elder in our Derby church. He is IMO a brave man spiritually to take on Loss IPC. Over 20 years ago all the elders and the majority of the congregation left over whether you could be a Presbyterian church yet have Baptist elders and a pastor who no longer believed that the baptism of covenant children was a necessary part of the system doctrine taught in the Westminster Confession. More recently there has been the departure of all the recent session's elders for various reasons. Ealing IPC is now responsible for the well being of the church in Liss until James can train and have a new session of elders ordained. We pray for his ministry and the unity of the church there. It was an encouraging service and we were pleased to meet up with old friends afterwards as well as making new contacts. Photos on FB earlier.
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