Day 19 – 29 Days of Prayer and Giving – Southall, Ealing
Dear Partner in the Gospel
Today is day Nineteen (a day early) of our 29 Days of Prayer and Giving for Grace Baptist Partnership. Each day we will focus our attention on a particular church planting, church replanting or church revitalisation project in which we have an interest. We trust you will remember these situations in prayer and that you will take advantage of the opportunity to support the spread of the gospel by means of a donation to Grace Baptist Partnership this month. It will also help us if you will share these requests with your friends by forwarding these emails to them. The next email will come a day late.
19 February 2016
Southall, Ealing
Sonny Simak, Pastor
Jeff Noblit, long time pastor of Grace Life Church of the Shoals in the United States, was preaching to his congregation in Alabama. What he didn’t realise was that his extended audience included a group of young men in Southall, West London who were viewing the sermon via the internet. As he gave an illustration he made mention of a church planter in London, England. That piqued the curiosity of these young men. Was there someone else in their city that believed the same doctrines they had recently embraced? Would that person be able to help them plant a church in Southall? One of them contacted the church in America to see who Pastor Noblit was talking about. That’s when they learned my name and received my details.
Vic Gill wrote me out of the blue telling me who he was and asking if I would be willing to meet him in Southall some time. I wasn’t quite as busy then as I am now so I was able to arrange a time fairly quickly when we could meet up. He showed me the sights of Southall including gurdwaras, mosques and temples. He also acquainted me the eclectic mix of Christian denominations in the town. To be honest it was all a bit overwhelming. After a traditional Indian meal we began to make our way back to the station. Vic had mentioned a small chapel where a godly man exercised a faithful ministry. I asked if he would mind showing me where they met. He was happy to do so and was even able to introduce me to the minister.
Since that day seven years ago much has happened. I had the privilege of baptising Vic and his wife and a number of their friends as they were received into membership at the church in Wood Green. We as a church had the privilege of helping them begin the process of church planting first at Richings Park and then in Southall itself. They – aided by many of your churches – were able to purchase that chapel I was telling you about as the church that had met there closed. Now they have been formed as an autonomous church and have called their first pastor – one of the men who was present when Pastor Noblit’s sermon illustration made mention of a church planter in London.
Would you pray for the church at Southall as they continue to bring the gospel to their part of Ealing? Would you pray for Sonny Simak as he gives pastoral leadership to the church supported by Sunny Kundhi and Vic Gill? Would you pray for wisdom regarding some long-term building matters? More on this at a later date.
Would you pray for me as I preach this weekend at the True Church Conference at Grace Life Church of the Shoals? As Pastor Noblit’s experience shows, you never know who may be watching.
http://www.gracebaptistpartnership.org.uk/about-gbp/donate/
Warm regards in Christ
Barry King
General Secretary
Grace Baptist Partnership