The 160th General Assembly is now in full swing! Hundreds of delegates have packed into Boulevard Baptist Church to worship together, fellowship with one another and hear the Word of God shared with us. We have been ministered to by the choir and our heart have been moved by liturgical dance.
After the business of the Wednesday was dealt with in our plenary session we were able to look forward to the main event of the opening service! The church was full to bursting with delegates, visitors and distinguished guests.
The service saw us being addressed by our outgoing President, Rev. Dr. Stephen Jennings. He told us that we are called to trust in God for our hope; that God can and is making things better. However he also reminded us that hope doesn’t come overnight, but rather comes when we cultivate a trust in God.
He then went on to lay down a challenge about how we as a church need to engage with and take on the issues that surround us in culture, to speak up regardless of the consequences.
Indeed this theme was picked up again last night by Rev. Karen Kirlew, who passionately pleaded with us not to let what others think of us to hold us back from reaching others for Christ. She exhorted us as church to find a place with the dancehall culture, the homeless, the prostitute and the incarcerated. She told us that we need to bring the hope of Jesus Christ into those situations, even if it makes us the object of ridicule and hostility. Her closing words came from the hymn of response, “God of the poor, friend of the weak, give us compassion we pray, melt our cold hearts, let tears fall like rain, come change our love from a spark to a flame.”
We left with our hearts on fire, determined to renew our efforts in engaging with our communities with the hope of Christ.
Further ‘assembly moments’ will be posted on the blog in the days to come.
