United Service
Shirley Miles writes on the Service for Christian Unity
   According to the Christian calendar, Sunday 23 January is the eve of the Conversion of St Paul. It was also an opportunity for all three churches in Harefield to come to together in Christian Unity for a service on Grace.
   And so, on a cold-drizzled Sunday evening, it was good to see a representative group from each church turn out to join in the combined service. 
   Margaret Gandon opened the service by reading an account of Paul’s conversion - of how he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. Pastor Ian Hewes then led the group in prayer, reflecting on the state of Grace by which we are all placed in our relationship with God.
   Nigel Agg (Church Elder) followed this by a testimony of his personal conversion and the events leading up to it. Nigel admitted that as a young man he was a committed Atheist and went on to testify how he seized every given opportunity to argue the case against God. It was only when he went to University that the scales slowly started to fall from his eyes - for (as he confessed), it is easy to be over-confident in one’s views when you are still living at home and are accustomed to having everything done and provided for you. It was therefore at University, when all the props and securities were kicked away, did he begin to see the world in a different light. His turning to God, reinforced by what he witnessed in the peace and joy all his close friends were experiencing - having themselves found God - only proved, in time, the reality of a living God for Nigel.
   Yet a relationship with God requires that we serve Him also…And we can only serve God effectively if we are in constant communion with him and therefore in constant prayer. If any relationship is to survive, it needs to be nurtured whilst recognising the need to set time aside to talk as well as allowing spaces in time to listen.
   Joan Cecil of St Paul’s Catholic Church spoke next about the importance of prayer life. She recognised the fact that we all lead busy lives and too often we give our excuses as to why we have not prayed. She underlined the necessity of communing with God - even if it is to say a ‘thank you’ prayer. We can say thank you in so many ways and for so many different reasons. We can say thank you for prayer answered and we can thank God for witnessing the beauty of the world in which we live.
   Joan reminded us of the need for communication in today’s busy world and, interestingly, highlighted the hypocrisy of ‘keeping in touch’. For example, we see so many people these days ‘glued’ to their mobile phones - whether in making a call or sending a text. Mobiles provide a sure method of keeping in touch and ‘touching base’ when it comes to talking to people these days. That, Joan said, is how we should be in our prayer life - whether it be a long conversation with God or a quick ‘text’ of thanks.
   Before concluding her thoughts on prayer, Joan (as though prompted!) was reminded of a story she wished to share. She recalled how a church she once went to had a constant visitor. A man whom everyone referred to as ’Holy Joe’ would arrive and sit at the back of the church in one of the pews - always accompanied by a couple of carrier bags, he would sit (it seemed) in quiet reflection, staring at the altar straight ahead. ‘Holy Joe’ never spoke to anyone nor involved himself in any other communication with any other visitor, but sat quietly until he would decide it was time to leave. His habit provided much speculation between those who witnessed his daily visits. One day however he was approached and asked why it was he visited the church every day and enquired of him what exactly it was that he gained from doing so. [Listening to the story painted a picture for me, though I had this ‘Holy Joe’ down as someone who had all his worldly possessions in those carrier bags and was visiting the Church to praise and thank God for all that he possessed! Editor] Joan however, finished the story differently: When asked as to what exactly he thought he achieved by sitting in the church day after day, he responded by saying:

“I look at God… and He looks at me.”