Manchester, England is not a stop most people try to include in their tour of Europe. Like any city, people assume it's got it's quirks and hidden treasures, but it's not a priority simply because it doesn't house the famous statues, extensive museums, or impressive architecture that you'll find in the big dogs like London, Paris, and Rome. However, what Manchester does have that you may or may not be able to find in the big cities is a community unlike any I've ever seen. Specifically, Grace Fellowship Church of Manchester. They were actually the reason we planned a stop in Manchester. The preacher of the church, Kevin Williams, is affiliated with a pastor in Kirksville and visited Truman this past March, where Tyler listened to a sermon he gave. When Tyler told him we'd be traveling this summer and might like to visit their church, they were able to coordinate a place for us to stay when we got there. We were there for a home Bible study, a women's brunch, and a church service on Sunday.
We were obviously humbled by and grateful for the hospitality shown to us by the Williams' family. They picked us up from the airport, gave us a place to stay, fed us, welcomed us into their church, and made us feel at home. But the beauty in Manchester went deeper than the welcome we received from the people there. The church was so...real. So alive. It was a living, breathing body that had a true grasp on the biblical church. They talked about their relationship with the Lord, about serving Christ, not because it's the right thing to do as a Christian, but because it's in the forefront of their minds, it's the biggest and most important part of their life, and it's the true desire of their hearts. I don't know if I've ever heard traditional hymns (you know, the ones we halfheartedly sing at church while we're wondering when we'll be able to sit down again) sung with so much passion. It left me craving more, and it left me disillusioned with the image of the church in America. I'm not lumping all churches everywhere into this category; I'm aware that some churches have it right. But legalism is so prevalent in the church that we've lost sight of what Jesus intended for the church body to be. Now we're so focused on doctrine, denominations, theology, and laws that we would be grouped with the Pharisees in Jesus' sermons if we were in that time period.
What if we as a church came alive? What if the focus wasn't the definition of a Baptist, Presbyterian, or non-denominational church, but living by the Spirit and professing our faith? What if the most important thing was showing others Christ through our love so that others will crave what we have? We do the best we can, and I recognize there is no such thing as a perfect church. I guess all I'm saying is that I want to see passion within the church. I want to see genuine desire to know Christ and share Him with others. And our time in Manchester was just that.
Here are a few pictures from our time there! Unfortunately we never got a full picture of the whole Williams family (sad day). But we did capture a couple of moments.
This is the outside of the front of their house.
This is the "patio" where we had afternoon tea.
After church on Sunday, we had a barbeque at the Williams' house.
More pictures. The backyard was so full! Something that was cool about the church in Manchester was the diversity. There were probably 10 countries represented there.
The Williams have three kids; Zach, the youngest, is 5. He had fun listening to Tyler read to him.
A couple of cuties! This was Zach "smiling." He said cheese and everything. When I said I wouldn't take the picture until he smiled, he said (with his cute British accent), "I am smiling."
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