Hello All-
I’m sorry it’s been over a week since my last post. Time has just flown by. I can’t believe it’s already February and I have just over 3 months left in England on my current assignment. I’m already looking forward to coming back as staff in August and meeting the new participants and team mates.
This past Sunday we had a going away party for our friend and local vicar Ian Fellows. Because of the status of the church in England, they do not need as many vicars. The church he had been leading was closed in October and he had been helping out at another church in the community. However, when that church was told it would be closed in the next year as well, he decided to find a new church home to serve at.
Ian accepted a position in Higher Blakely at St. Andrews Church. Although he is only moving 3 miles away, it will seem like 300 miles to most. You see, most people in our community don’t have cars. Ian’s new church and home are two bus transfers away and over an hour’s walk away. So as you can see, it will be very hard for many people to see him. Ian is a wonderful friend and vicar. He has provided a lot of life and energy to the Broughton (our community in Salford) Ministry Team and will be greatly missed.
This is again evidence of the dire state of the church in England. The ministry is hard and the workers are few. However, despite this I feel God’s call for me to stay as strong as ever. I’m still working through the details of coming on staff with Adventures in Missions. I hope to have everything nailed down by the end of the month. Once things are more or less finalized, I will be able to get you new information of how to partner with me in ministry financially and through prayer.
Please continue to pray for our safety in the community and for the young people we interact with each day. You can pray for Tom, Ray, Loren, Shinade, Amy, Kieren, Danielle, Gemma by name.
Spiritually I am in a proper fruitful time. Through our teaching times and person study I feel I have learned so much about God’s character and have an ever evolving view of what it means to truly be a Christ follower.
Currently my favourite thought that captures what I am trying to accomplish in ministry is this:
“Ultimately our gift to the world around us is hope . . . . the kind of hope that comes from staring pain and suffering right in the eyes and refusing to believe that this is all there is.” Rob Bell “Velvet Elvis” p 170
Salford is a dark place filled with crime, pain, and hatred. When you walk around and as you interact with people it’s hard to pinpoint the root or source of the problem. It is my opinion that all of the problems and darkness that engulf this community is due to a lack of hope. Through spreading the love of Christ we are trying to enspire people and reveal to them that there is more than the world is offering. There is hope.
Chris Tomlin put’s it beautifully in his song “This Is Our God.”
A refuge for the poor, a shelter from the storm, this is our God
He will wipe away your tears and return your wasted years, this is our God
So call upon His name, He is mighty to save, this is our God
A father to the orphan, a healer to the broken, this is our God
He brings peace to our madness and comfort in our sadness, this is our God
So call upon his name, He is mighty to save, this is our God
This is the one we have waited for
So call upon his name, He is mighty to save, this is our God
A fountain for the thirsty, a lover for the lonely, this is our God
He brings glory to the humble and crowns for the faithful, this is our God
So call upon His name, He is mighty to save, this is our God
You are the one we have waited for
So call upon His Name, He is mighty to save, this is our God
This is the God I know and love and serve. This is the God that is at work in Salford and the God that is at work in Norman and Dallas and all over the world. The question is, what are you doing to help reveal this God to others who can’t see him?
Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be. Rob Bell “Velvet Elvis” p 166
Do anything you need to do in me God so that you can do everything you want to do through me!
Chad Mustain
