May 28, 2024, 4:48 PMHilda Najjumba
It’s Amazing What Praises Can Do!
"It's time for change: not a change of message but a change of method,” Pastor Warren Gillin, South England Conference Youth Director, said in his sermon on the 9th of March at Croydon Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. That day, the music department, led by Jasmin Saul, did exactly this as they held the very first “Croydon Live" for their local community.
As members gathered outside the front of the church building, passers-by were warmly welcomed with smiles and free gifts of fruit and bottles of water, small leaflets, books on hope, and fantastic music from groups like The Croydon Gospel Choir, From the Heart Praise Team, and the Croydon Youth Praise Team. It was refreshing to see members of the community, especially the Crystal Palace football fans, who were on the way to the match that day, stop, listen, and even join in with the singing.
It isn’t every day you see a live concert of music and pure enjoyment shared with love from a church community to a local community, but watchers said, “it felt like some place to feel free to praise.”
Children also handed out flowers to people's houses and on the streets in honour of Mother's Day, along with an open invitation to the Croydon SDA Spring Concert on the 23rd of March from 6 pm.
What was the bigger picture for it all? The Bible says Mark 16:15 tells us as Christians to preach the gospel to everyone all over the world, and Croydon Live exemplified this for all to see. The message behind the music and the interaction between the church and the people in the community reflected the recent emphasis of the new SEC strategy and the mission areas of bringing Christ to our streets through the aims of growing our presence and impacting our communities. When non-Adventists and even non-Christians offer to share what they see on their social media and join us in singing on the steps, that is how you know God’s presence is everywhere.
Seeing people come back to the church after the football match also showed that when you attempt to engage with your community in an innovative way, you won’t be ignored. Some returned with the gift of a donation to the church and even just the love and thanks expressed appreciation for what they had witnessed.
“It’s amazing what praises can do!” The music department plans for this new initiative to continue and for God’s love to be shared with every person who drives or passes by.
"It's time for change: not a change of message but a change of method,” Pastor Warren Gillin, South England Conference Youth Director, said in his sermon on the 9th of March at Croydon Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. That day, the music department, led by Jasmin Saul, did exactly this as they held the very first “Croydon Live" for their local community.
As members gathered outside the front of the church building, passers-by were warmly welcomed with smiles and free gifts of fruit and bottles of water, small leaflets, books on hope, and fantastic music from groups like The Croydon Gospel Choir, From the Heart Praise Team, and the Croydon Youth Praise Team. It was refreshing to see members of the community, especially the Crystal Palace football fans, who were on the way to the match that day, stop, listen, and even join in with the singing.
It isn’t every day you see a live concert of music and pure enjoyment shared with love from a church community to a local community, but watchers said, “it felt like some place to feel free to praise.”
Children also handed out flowers to people's houses and on the streets in honour of Mother's Day, along with an open invitation to the Croydon SDA Spring Concert on the 23rd of March from 6 pm.
What was the bigger picture for it all? The Bible says Mark 16:15 tells us as Christians to preach the gospel to everyone all over the world, and Croydon Live exemplified this for all to see. The message behind the music and the interaction between the church and the people in the community reflected the recent emphasis of the new SEC strategy and the mission areas of bringing Christ to our streets through the aims of growing our presence and impacting our communities. When non-Adventists and even non-Christians offer to share what they see on their social media and join us in singing on the steps, that is how you know God’s presence is everywhere.
Seeing people come back to the church after the football match also showed that when you attempt to engage with your community in an innovative way, you won’t be ignored. Some returned with the gift of a donation to the church and even just the love and thanks expressed appreciation for what they had witnessed.
“It’s amazing what praises can do!” The music department plans for this new initiative to continue and for God’s love to be shared with every person who drives or passes by.