Yes, I'm being pedantic. It's been the Peace Gardens since redevelopment after the Church was demolished in 1938. But I get a bit fed up with former faith ventures being assimilated into civic space and squishy liberal values. Just thought I'd say it.
So, Empower. Mary and I left Sheffield to go to Leeds in early 2006. By then the momentum in the city for church leaders to meet together was rapidly evaporating. In years before that - probably a legacy of the House Church movement, Billy Graham and John Wimber - the lively churches used to do stuff together regularl. These were often in the University Octagon theatre. We've been to some excellent events. True, they were pretty middle class affairs, but those were the churches making the running.
When we came back to Sheffield, towards the end of 2010, I sought out old connections. Things had moved on. But a small group, half typical churches and half black majority, was venturing a quarterly praise and prayer celebration. We liked it, and became Empower regulars.
What do I like about it? Well, you'll have gathered it's diverse and grass-roots. The worship is led by a team committed to supporting the vision, and they do well. The events go from place to place (that is, church to church), so the ministry takes a wide swathe of the city in its interest. And it isn't stuffy. You can creep to the refreshments table at any point.
Gathering for an outdoor event was a 'first', and the evening couldn't have been nicer. Mary and I arrived a few minutes after the worship got underway, and found a bit of shade. Folks were aimiably sitting around enjoying the fine weather. The celebrants for England's 6-1 win were back down Division Street, so not intruding. With my critical ear for the music, I winced at the over-driven speaker system. Somebody should have assembled a bit more kit and allowed us a kinder sound, especially as the band were giving it their best.
The Street Pastors were much in evidence, partly stewarding it seemed, but also engaging in lots of conversations and handing out lollipops. This ministry has emerged in the city fairly recently, and it's doing well. There are Hospital Pastors in A&E at Northern General, too.
From the stage, various leaders led in prayer around six areas of public life. They used the template widely adopted by 'Gather' and 'Together' groups: politics/government, education, health, business, faith, and arts and media. The mix was good. I've never prayed for the on-line gaming industry before (even though our grandson Ben aims to make it his job). Our old friends Ray Booth and Martin Lawton wandered by and said, "Hello." But after and hour and a half, sadly, support began to drift away. We stayed for the final shout: "Jesus Christ is Lord!".
A great way to spend the evening. It's one of the things we'll be sorry to leave behind when Mary and I land in Warwickshire. Nike, Jon, Mousa, Laura and Jonathan - keep building up the work.
So, Empower. Mary and I left Sheffield to go to Leeds in early 2006. By then the momentum in the city for church leaders to meet together was rapidly evaporating. In years before that - probably a legacy of the House Church movement, Billy Graham and John Wimber - the lively churches used to do stuff together regularl. These were often in the University Octagon theatre. We've been to some excellent events. True, they were pretty middle class affairs, but those were the churches making the running.
When we came back to Sheffield, towards the end of 2010, I sought out old connections. Things had moved on. But a small group, half typical churches and half black majority, was venturing a quarterly praise and prayer celebration. We liked it, and became Empower regulars.
What do I like about it? Well, you'll have gathered it's diverse and grass-roots. The worship is led by a team committed to supporting the vision, and they do well. The events go from place to place (that is, church to church), so the ministry takes a wide swathe of the city in its interest. And it isn't stuffy. You can creep to the refreshments table at any point.
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| A warm welcome for all |
The Street Pastors were much in evidence, partly stewarding it seemed, but also engaging in lots of conversations and handing out lollipops. This ministry has emerged in the city fairly recently, and it's doing well. There are Hospital Pastors in A&E at Northern General, too.
From the stage, various leaders led in prayer around six areas of public life. They used the template widely adopted by 'Gather' and 'Together' groups: politics/government, education, health, business, faith, and arts and media. The mix was good. I've never prayed for the on-line gaming industry before (even though our grandson Ben aims to make it his job). Our old friends Ray Booth and Martin Lawton wandered by and said, "Hello." But after and hour and a half, sadly, support began to drift away. We stayed for the final shout: "Jesus Christ is Lord!".
A great way to spend the evening. It's one of the things we'll be sorry to leave behind when Mary and I land in Warwickshire. Nike, Jon, Mousa, Laura and Jonathan - keep building up the work.
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