Some of us roamed Manly Corso, inviting an array of locals and tourists to offer up their conclusion to the sentence ‘Jesus is_____.’ Others took part in a womens’ Bible study which aimed to encourage church members in their evangelism (or minded the handful of toddlers that tagged along). It had been a full morning for the team, but the afternoon brought with it a change of pace.
As a first-year student who has spent most of her church-going life at less formal Anglican churches, the daily prayer book services at college chapel have been something of a gear shift for me over recent weeks. Walking into the chapel at Forestville’s Anglican Retirement Villages centre St David’s Village, we saw the minister kitted out in robes, standing beside table laden with lace, wine and bread. Who knew my new-found familiarity with liturgical services would come in handy quite so soon?
Led through the service by Gavin, the generations encouraged one another as we sang organ-accompanied hymns together, read and recited scripture, prayed, heard a brief talk from Phil and a testimony from Yoke (MTC students). Sharing in the Lord’s Supper drew the service to a close, which opened the way for team members and residents to get chatting.
The openness of older people made for conversation that easily went deeper than the surface. Hearing them share their lives and what they think about life was a great privilege, and enabled us to discuss with candour who it is they think Jesus is.
Please thank God for the saints at St David’s Village, and pray that the great ministry there would continue to make disciples of Jesus.
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