Centuries ago, John Fawcett was the pastor of a small, struggling church in Wainsgate, England. Since he was a talented and dynamic preacher, he soon received an offer to be the pastor of a large, affluent church in London.
It was a great opportunity, but it presented a problem: He dearly loved the congregation in Wainsgate, and it was killing him to leave.
After he and his wife had packed away all their belongings, members of the church came to see them off. During their good-byes, Mary Fawcett said to her husband, “John, I cannot bear to leave!”
He thought for a moment and said, “Neither can I. And so we won’t. This is our home and these are our people and here is where we’ll stay.”
John Fawcett spent his entire fifty-four-year ministry serving this one church.
Shortly after making this decision to stay, he wrote these words…
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
That’s the verse everyone knows. Here’s one of the other verses.
We share each other’s woes
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
T he sympathizing tear.
There’s a reason why old-fashioned things like Sunday School classes and Home Bible Studies are still such a great idea. It’s not just about what we learn from the lesson. It’s about what we experience in community with others.
It’s much more than just an advertising slogan: Life is better when we’re connected.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:46-47)
Today’s memo was updated from a previous post. It is taken from Steve’s series Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs.
