Spotlight - "A Walk in the Wilderness" the story of David Wilde.
Photo - David checking out a bit of damp in his role of Fabrics Officer of St Andrew's Church.
Panic. New baby clothes on the line. Who will fill them? Will I make a good father? Who will protect them if I fail? God will! But I don't go to church. They will need to go to church!
These are the thoughts of a construction site hardened engineer that answered the question that Peter Strefford asked, "How did you come to be at St Andrews”.
So what went wrong? Why wasn't I going to church?
A traditional rural church going background should have kept me from faltering. Firstly Sunday School where a colourful stamp would be given to us each week to recognize attendance provided powerful images of the life of Christ. Then being a server with a blue nylon cincture (rope belt) which appeared to be recycled straw bale banding but I thought best not to share this theory with the Vicar.
Even at University, a northern “red brick” institute (someone must have nicked the bricks before I got there, the buildings were mainly of concrete) faith remained strong. Christian Union appeared to be the natural progression but alas the charismatic was not for me, I found myself faking the form of reverence after years of ingrained traditional worship. Explaining this to a few hundred Christians was not going to be easy!
Fellow students invited me to the Chinese Christian church and this was fitted comfortably with a hardening belief that Christian unity was fundamental given the religious based conflicts of the late 1970’s both in the UK and the world.
Unfortunately with increasing religious factionalism around the world my frustration mounted and I set about finding a church which sought to unite all faiths believing in one God. The Unification Church beckoned as a possible solution to the problem; however I soon discovered that it was a re-branded form of the Moonies. One boy from my previous school had joined this sect and had eventually disowned his parents. This was not the solution to unification that I sought and with no alternatives in sight the walk in the wilderness commenced. The church, as it were, became within.
The opportunity of travel to India and the Far East arose whilst working in the Middle East. I met many people and explored the various religions in those countries, however these offered no salvation to unification; the church remained within but did prove that once confirmed a Christian, it’s for life!
Sometime later another St Andrews, this time in Nairobi, was frequented with my wife to be and we eventually married there. Churches in Kenya are generally packed to overflowing and you have to be early to get seat. Some Christian groups worship regularly in the open air, who needs a building when there is faith? Things had started to look up at last, perhaps I was back on the road to regular church going.
Not so, doom arrived with the purchase of a 26 year old Toyota Corollla, complete with gear lever on the steering column, affectionately called KKZ; the first three letters of its registration.
KKZ performed well for a time (apart from driver error which included accidental reversing after switching on what was believed to be the windscreen wipers) but eventually its emissions were reminscent of a steam locomotive. The mistake was to think that I could actually strip down the engine and make the car work again! Church suffered yet again during this exercise and it was only through the kindness of mechanically minded relatives that KKZ ever ran again.
Back to England and you know the rest….or do you?
Whether we ask God’s for protection for our children, for the end of futile killing or for Christian unity we have to give something back. The “church within” does not work in this respect as God’s will is unity and the giving back is by community; by Church.
And what of KKZ? Every chicken’s dream home on my sister in laws farm.
Now only if we could emulate those Kenyan churches……
Photo - Head Server.