We at First Baptist London stand on the edge of what can be an incredible new beginning. Two of our three services have been combined into a single group. Rev. Alan Roberts has led the way so that the traditional worship service and the contemporary worship service have been combined into one blended whole. We brought the services together with the hope of building a worship service that honours both styles and creatively listens to both voices while together we focus on worshiping our God.
We could have a long discussion about how well we handled this blending of worship styles, but the goal was to create something new that allowed honest input from both traditions. Unity and creativity have led the way toward keeping diversity.
What else do we need?
God’s word says: “But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Malachi 1:11 NLT)
God’s church includes people from around the world. In fact God brought a Sgaw Karen Baptist community to this church. A people from half way around the world have come here and joined with us. But a drift has occurred because we assumed that joining meant they would become like us as they absorbed Canadian culture. But God is creative and His people are creative and we need to work together to build a unity that allows our diversity, our differences to be used to our advantage as we together seek to honour and worship God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Are we willing to discuss the possibility of having the English worship service and the Sgaw Karen worship service truly become united? There are many questions that would need to be answered. How would the two ministers work together? How would we incorporate the Karen language into the service? How would we structure meetings so that everyone can speak and be heard? How do we learn to communicate with each other? How would we provide choir and band rehearsal so that we learn each others music? How do we structure worship services so that people of all ages are regularly involved? How do we become a safe space so that all our children can learn to participate?
But God calls His people to unity. How do we reach for unity while also allowing for the God given diversity and creativity that make us unique?
Are we ready to actually consider becoming First London International Baptist Church?
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