Glasgow, Scotland

As I sit in a coffee shop called Rudy’s, absorbing a typical day called “abide”; life and ministry go on. A tangible living out of faith everyday, through consistent bible reading and prayer are what sustain ministry here in Glasgow and ultimately anywhere in the world. But for the past week and a half my time has been spent surrounded by a community called Re:Hope whose ministry has a complete foundation in the Word. A perspective that is often lost by so many in ministry, but these individuals have been grounded in the Word from the beginning.

 

A day named “abide “ very characteristically fits into that foundation, it’s a day spent in prayer and Bible reading. Something so often overlooked, but the rewards create a deep continual heart change towards Christ. This is what ministry is all about and for me to be effect at all, my heart has to be continually pursing Christ through disciplined time spent with Him.

Now the results of these disciplines are bearing much fruit here in Glasgow. I have graciously been housed by a young couple named Scott and Monica Burns. Scott is who, I have been following around learning from and who I have joined in ministry for the time that I am here. Our weeks together have included leading a multitude of Bible read through and prayer groups throughout the week, attending staff meetings, preparing for a Sunday morning services and Thursday evening classes, and doing street evangelism. Within each of these there are a lot of details, but ultimately the heartbeat of this team is to passionately serve Christ. This has lead to a dramatically different church called Re: Hope, here in Scotland.

Most churches have an average congregation age between 50 – 80 and the Church portrays a God who is irrelevant to culture.  A typical church rarely uses the Word, spends time in prayer, and has no local or foreign missions. Because of this a large church numbers about 100 and the average size is 30 – 50 people. For those churches whose congregation has left or literally died off, the church buildings are being sold and made into offices, restaurants and pubs. The worst situation I found was a church, which had been turned into a club called “Sin”. A vivid picture of the stark contrast between the Church and culture.  

The past two weeks have flown by and it has been amazing to be apart of what God is doing here in Glasgow. The first international stop has been a great one and I am eager to spend more time with the many staff that are apart of CRM worldwide. I would really encourage you to join me in prayer for Scotland! It is a country with a history of such strong Christian heritage. Men like John Knox who dedicated his life to spreading the gospel throughout the UK, a great example of that heritage. The state of the Church is in dire need of Godly leader’s; thankfully CRM is adhering to Gods call and training up those individuals.