Paul writes -- February 2010

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Dear Friends,
“What shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39)
Many looking at the events in Haiti over the last 20 days would find it hard to speak of a God of love let alone praise God for his love. Yet according to an article on the CNN website, many Haitians’ faith remains unshaken by the earthquake. Impromptu prayer meetings and services take place in streets and camps. People who have and are enduring great suffering continue to praise God. People of no previous faith are now turning to God. Christina Bailey, a Haitian, said, “"People don't blame Jesus for all these things. They have faith. They believe that Jesus saved them and are thankful for that". When asked what kept him going whilst he was trapped in the rubble, Jean Mackenle Verpre answered without hesitation, “I believe in Jesus Christ and put my life in God's hands”. Pastors are encouraging their congregations not to lose faith in God.
Of course it is not only in Haiti that people have endured trouble of seismic proportions in the last few weeks. People have experienced their world falling around them due to bereavement, mental and physical illness, terminal illness, relationship breakdown or unemployment. In those situations many still continue to express an unshakeable faith in God’s love. The message from Pastors is the encouragement not to lose faith in God.
There are those who might say that some need God to help them sleep at night. Others see God simply as a crutch for life. Richard Dawkins speaks of the God Delusion. How do we respond to such claims?
At our Café Church on Sunday the Rev’d Dr Andrew Fox leads us in a presentation and discussion on, “The Bible and the New Atheists”. It is a presentation which looks at some of the main arguments of Dawkins et al and presents a response. Andrew has a Doctorate in Animal Physiology and is now the Methodist Chaplain at Hope University. Having seen this presentation at ECG 2009, it is relevant and accessible to us all.
I spend a lot of my time being alongside those whose world has been turned upside down. To express hurt and anger is a very human response. Yet in those moments, people are often open to our words, which may seem empty at the time, and the expression of God’s love in our actions, which offer comfort and hope. It is then that God can reveal his love in a dynamic way which is deeply planted in someone’s life and may grow over the years.
In a recent sermon on “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 28:48), I encouraged the congregation to share what God has done in their lives with their family and friends. This method continues to be a most effective way that God reveals his love to others.
I have been deeply challenged by the events in Haiti. Yet I have also been encouraged by my sisters and brothers who have endured devastation on an inconceivable scale and continue to express their faith in God and place their lives in his hands.
Your testimony may do the same to another.
Love and Prayers,

Paul Wilson