Day 1 – 29 Days of Prayer and Giving – Angel, Islington
Today we begin 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.
1 February 2016
Angel, Islington
Regan King, Church Planter
So a young recently-graduated and even more recently-married church planter moves into a flat in Angel, Islington. What sort of people will he gather round him? Students? Young couples? Urban professionals? Not so fast. Not everyone in Angel is a student. Not everyone is young. Not everyone is married. Not everyone is a professional. Plus, where did we get the idea that church planters are supposed to reach those like them? What happened to the idea of – I became?
Here is what the congregation might look like if you glanced in on a Sunday morning. There is a student. Recently baptised over the objections of her mum, who is a devotee of a prosperity cult, she is seeking friendship and fellowship with other Christians. There is a couple. They are refugees from a war-torn country living in a one-room flat with their two small children. The man has PTSD. There is a professional. A single man originally from Denmark, he has been converted within the past five years and has been a part of the work at Angel for three years.
But you will also find the following: A former Jehovah’s Witness man in his 70’s who confessed the Saviour through baptism last year. A single mum bringing up a small child who recently transferred her membership from a larger church in another part of the city. A young Romanian lady who struggles to keep her promises and at times seems distant. A man who has long struggled with alcoholism – recently being hospitalised with alcohol poisoning – rejoicing that he has been on the wagon for a couple of weeks now. A woman still in denial about the loss of a family member. A man who has made more than one person question whether or not he is demon-possessed.
So is this church planter trendy? Not really. Is his church plant traditional? Not hardly. What they are seeking to do is reach the incredibly diverse population of Angel, Islington with the truth of the gospel. Will you pray that God will help them do that with even greater faithfulness – and with ever -increasing fruitfulness?
While you’re at it you may want to pray about these matters as well: The church plant hopes to constitute as an autonomous church this year. Pray for them as they take this step including the appointment of church officers. Regan King serves in Angel three fifths of the time as he is also involved in the efforts to plant a new church in Walthamstow. Pray that in the future he would be able to devote all his time to the work in Angel. All the church members except Regan King and his wife are ‘new’ Christians. Pray that the Lord will send mature Christians to help them disciple others toward maturity. Last year some work was done to the building in Angel. Pray that this year further works may be carried out to make the building more suitable for worship and outreach into the local area.
If you would like a periodic update on the work at Angel or information about how to support this work through your prayers and/or finances, please be in touch.
http://www.gracebaptistpartnership.org.uk/about-gbp/donate/