Charles Dickens Festival: Rochester, England

So why were we really in England?

Rochester Baptist Church in Rochester, England has faithfully been supporting Le Rivage, our church in Aix-les-Bains, for the last couple of years.  As a way to strengthen the partnership between our two churches, they invited us to join them for the Charles Dickens Festival in their town last weekend.  Jordan and I gladly accepted their invitation.

Everywhere we looked we saw people dressed in Victorian-style clothing.  Our hosts assured us that this was not their normal attire, but we're not convinced.

While many people from the city of Rochester avoid the Charles Dickens Festival, Rochester Baptist Church has determined to be present for this unique and cultural event.  With roughly 100 church members, 60 people (and lots of children!) committed to serving during this festival.

Twice each hour, an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" was performed by members of the church, using the Ghost of Christmas-Past to demonstrate the way that Jesus took our chains of sin and liberated us.  At the conclusion of the skit, members of the church were ready with tracks and information about their church, seeking to engage people in spiritual conversations.  They specifically wanted people from our church to speak with the many Francophones who come for the festival.  Though Jordan and I had very few spiritually meaningful conversations, we were kept busy speaking with many French and Belgians, and it was obvious that the Francophones were pleased we were there.

The church also served hot meals and drinks and offered a warm place to sit in their fellowship hall and coffee shop/bookstore.  Rather than earn money for their church, all proceeds were donated to a local charity.  It was sitting around the tables that we had the majority of our conversations.  As one church member said, if nothing else, people associated the warm, friendly environment with a church community.

If the guests at the Dickens Festival felt remotely as loved and welcomed as Jordan and me, they had a great experience.  The church welcomed us with opened arms; they served us, asked meaningful and thoughtful questions, and prayed for us, our team, and our ministry in Aix-les-Bains.  It was apparent to us that this church does not just support us with their finances, but people desire to be truly engaged with our ministry.  It was a unique experience that we're thankful to have had.