OIKOS

We have had another beautiful day. Not weather-wise, though we did give numerous hosts the opportunity to comment on lousy English weather, so that seemed to be something. An occasional slight drizzle certainly didn’t get us down. 

A quick overview, and then some stories. After a full English breakfast 😝, and devotional at the hotel (thank you Mark and Claudia!), we split our group for church so as not to overwhelm any one gathering. Our family along with Andrew, Paul and Emily attended a service at Oikos Church in the city of Erdington combining 3 churches within their collective, and we ended up spending the better part of the day at their cafe before dinner at one of the pastor’s homes. We are all safe and happy and exhausted and tucked in, so all is well. 

The Oikos service was intended as a celebration for what all God has been doing among their 3 churches, and the international populations that make it up. The theme of the service was “kingdom culture”—not mainstream or majority culture, but one multiethnic church family under Jesus, celebrating the differences we bring.  

Some highlights: the service included representatives from 24 nations, and celebrated a combined 6000+ gospel proclamations in word and deed over the last 12 months, 6 baptisms and 6 people currently investigating baptism, 20 international United Youth leaders partnering through Greater Europe Mission, and 83 children at a recent VBS.

We heard from Julius and Phoebe, who emigrated from Hong Kong 18 months ago after communist China introduced plans to allow extradition to mainland China, diminishing the freedoms and prosperity the island had enjoyed while under British rule. The couple has two sons still in Hong Kong, and has worked hard to learn the language, learn how to drive, and get jobs in Erdington. 

And we joined a young man from Camaroon in praying over the crisis of displaced people in his country. He beautifully prayed “protect our families,” and “come to our rescue,” and we pray the same. 

More personally, I chatted with Rita, a great grandmother from Tanzania, and her daughter Amita, who brought the most delicious curry dish to our potluck lunch. Rita is visiting her daughter for 2 months, and will then visit another son in Denmark before returning home to Tanzania. She has another son back home in Tanzania who is sick, and she showed me a photo of him wearing an oxygen mask and looking pitiful. I committed to her that I would pray for him throughout the week. Would you also pray with me for his health? 

And lastly, I made friends with a Brummie (person from Birmingham) named Christie who told me her incredible story of divorce and redemption: her husband of 19 years left her and her 14 and 19 year old children to live with his new boyfriend in Spain. Years later he turned to Jesus, left his relationship and returned to England. Her children have also begun following Jesus, and their relationship has been restored (though they are never ever ever getting back together). It was a precious sharing for she and I to have from 4000 miles apart. 

In the afternoon we were tasked to support The Bicycle Project, who collects and refurbishes bicycles for refugees to have a mode of transport. And, kind of in partial answer to my prayer that we would each have one person cross our path we felt a connection to, Oikos Pastor Dan had us write note cards with a Bible verse of our choosing and a discount card to the cafe with the assignment to leave or give the card to one household. So yes, we did go into the community, knock on doors, and see if anyone had a bicycle they wanted to dispose of! It was admittedly a slow start, but by the time we had finished walking up and back down the street of row houses, we had invited numerous people to Oikos, to the community dinner we are helping host on Wednesday, and we actually got a bike! 

Dinner with Pastor Jez’s family was a British favorite, curry, and was a success with our group as well. 

One of our dinner hosts was a real charmer, Nehemiah, who partnered with me in a massive game of Uno. 

Here are a few last photos from the day before I say goodnight. 

At the Birmingham train station. Not bad, huh?

They love me and do what I ask. 🥰

We did mind the gap! 

Clint isn’t sure he’s enjoying boy bonding in close quarters! 

Tomorrow morning Joe and I are leading the devotional, on Romans 12:3-8, and then we will get some further training at Oikos and begin to strike up spiritual conversations, and shop on High Street for supply items for refugees at the nearby hotel. Big challenges, so I ask you for big prayers! And don’t forget about Rita, and Camaroon. 

Aaand, goodnight!