There are no perfect people, there is no perfect church

Holy Trinity Brompton, London

Our friend Gwen

Outside of Holy Trinity Brompton

Our friend Gwen and I spent Sunday morning at Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of the Alpha Course, and all the other family life resources that we use at the Resurrection. The place was filled with young and old, black and white and yellow, rich and poor. The worship time was Spirit filled and amazing. Nickie Gumbel was the speaker. Before he got into his talk, he, the pastor, spoke about financial support for their ongoing work in the parish. He spoke about the 4 “myths” of Holy Trinity Brompton (ie. that they have lots of money); then he spoke about (with a video) about all the good work they do; and about the need for their people to support by automatic deposit, and to increase their givings, beginning today. And then they passed out forms to do so!! Nickie then filled out his own form to increase his offerings!! Do you hear that back home?

Nickie Gumbel 

Nickie’s talk was about our need to stretch ourselves spiritually, and to work on our spiritual exercises daily and throughout our lives as we mature, change, and become more open and vulnerable. He shared how he is working through some of his own issues of emotion and trauma from his family’s past. His dad was a Jew, and many of his family were murdered in the holocaust of the Second World War. He has only found out more about this in the last year. 

Nickie was making the point that he is wounded, broken and was not perfect. We are broken in all of our different ways, and that we are all in need of Grace. He said there was no perfect pastor. He said there is no perfect church. If you go looking for the perfect church, and think that you’ve found it and join it, then it just became an imperfect church!

All of us need to know and experience God’s Grace in the process of healing and living life more fully...with all of our imperfections...and in an imperfect church!