One of the great costs of being on sabbatical was to be away from our worshipping community for a long stretch of time. I missed worship at Bethany! At the same time, one of the great joys was to experience the community of Jesus in many different places around the world. Below is a summary of “where we were” for worship.

Holy Trinity Brompton, London, England
The birthplace of “Alpha,” we were able to worship here twice, both times in the evening. Our first Sunday turned out to be (“coincidentally”) longtime rector Sandy Millar’s final sermon at HTB. After 29 years, and at age 69, he and his wife are heading off to do a new church plant in a different part of London (and Nicky Gumbel, the “face” of Alpha, will become the head rector).

Since it was Sandy’s last sermon, the place was packed (500?) and emotionally and spiritually charged. It was such a pleasure to be there, Anne and I both cried! An old Church of England building, it is full of life and the Spirit. I’d say that anyone who is comfortable worshipping at Bethany would feel right at home here.

Westminster Abbey, London, England
The matter could be debated; as fascinating as the Abbey is, is it a museum or a church? I went to a small early morning service (40-50 people) in the “nave” of the Abbey, a classic liturgical Church of England service with the Book of Common Prayer.

Somehow, reciting the prayers and taking communion in that ornate setting with the early morning light coming in the windows made me feel I was connecting with people who had worshipped in much the same way and place for over 800 years. There was something comforting about that.

Westminster Cathedral, London, England
The large Roman Catholic cathedral literally across the street from where we stayed. Huge and ornate from the 1920s. Went to a “sung” vespers service one late afternoon.

All Soul’s Church, Langham Place, London, England
One of the unexpected treats of the whole trip. This is the old (of course) church where John Stott was the rector for many, many years. Stott is a well-known writer and pastor who has been very influential on a tremendous number of people in England and America, including me. He retired a few years ago, and became pastor emeritus.

Much to our surprise, we learned that he would be in the pulpit for one Sunday service while we were in town, and we were able to go. Wow. Stott is perhaps 85 now, and needed the help of a couple young men to get up the steps into the pulpit, and back down again, which actually made me cry. It felt like the torch was passing. But while he was in the pulpit, he gave a cohesive and powerful sermon. I was able to meet him afterwards and chat for just a moment.

Whidbey Evangelical Lutheran Church, Freeland, WA
Visited several times when on Whidbey Island. It’s a fairly traditional Lutheran church, with a vibrant community.

Church at the Center, Seattle, WA
Bethany has many connections with our sister church at the bottom of Queen Anne. We went to an early morning summer service and loved being there. Casual and personal. Perhaps you know that Church at the Center no longer meets in the Uptown Theater, and in fact will be joining its congregation with the small Westminster Presbyterian one on Capitol Hill to form a new church, and worshipping in the Westminster building on Harvard Avenue near Seattle Central Community College.

Mars Hill, Seattle, WA.
The very large, independent, seeker church which is often in the news, just across the Ballard Bridge. A really interesting experience, and glad I was able to finally get there.

New Life Christian Church, Seattle, WA
A small multi-ethnic congregation in South Seattle. New Life is pastored by Rick Danner, a friend I met on our trip to Uganda a few years ago. Great music, and such a warm welcome.

On our travels, we also had opportunity to be in many other churches just to visit during the week (not for worship). Actually, there’s at least a dozen more than this, but the ones that stand out in our memories were:

The National Cathedral, Washington DC
Many people don’t know this place exists, but it has slowly been built and finished over the years and is quite a stunning building. Often used for gathering in times of national tragedy or celebration.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
A truly remarkable place with an ancient history. I was able to climb all the way to the top and view the interior of the church from the “Whispering Gallery” and see London from the outside deck at the top of the dome. Stunning windows and details.

Perhaps you’ve seen the amazing picture of the dome and spire of St. Paul’s standing untouched amidst the smoke of the German bombing of London during WWII that left the rest of the city a shambles. If not, you’ve probably seen the movie Mary Poppins and heard the “Feed the Birds” song… “on the steps of St. Paul”!

Westminster Abbey, London
Besides the worship experience (see above), I also went to just look at the church (which you cannot do on Sundays), and sat and wrote and reflected for a long time in the famous “Poet’s Corner” that honors and/or houses many of the world’s best known literary figures (Chaucer, Dryden, Dickens, T.S. Eliot, etc).

Several of the College Chapels at Cambridge, including King’s College (famous for its choir) and Magdalene College (where C.S. Lewis was when he taught there). And several of the College Chapels at Oxford, and St. Mary’s Church (where you history buffs will remember Thomas Cranmer was given opportunity to recant and when he forsook the opportunity, was immediately taken outside and burned!).

Southwark Cathedral, London
The burial place of Lancelot Andrewes and Parish Church of Kensworth (a small village north of London). We had a private tour with friends of Barbie and Shawn Kelly. Wonderful old church; we climbed the bell tower up a stair/ladder just big enough to get your shoulders through…onto the roof and surveyed the English countryside. Part of the old building is still there from… 900 AD!