With winter closing in on us, it’s timely that we check to see if the church heater is working. This church tradition is not new… there’s a story of it happening as early as the 1800’s.
Nico Bougas1 writes,
“Five young students, before ordination spent a Sunday in London and were anxious to hear some well-known preachers. They found their way to Spurgeon’s Tabernacle. While waiting for the doors to open a stranger came up to them and said, “Gentlemen, would you like to see the heating apparatus of the church.”
They were not particularly interested in doing so on a boiling hot mid-summer’s day but consented. They were taken down some steps and a door was thrown open, and their guide whispered, “There Sirs, is our heating apparatus.”
They saw before them 700 souls bowed in prayer seeking a blessing on the service which was about to be held in the tabernacle above. Their unknown guide was Spurgeon himself. No wonder Spurgeon’s sermons carried so much power and are still widely read today.”
Nico uses this story to highlight the need for prayer for the work of Hellenic Ministries. May it be an inspiration to us also! Let’s create heat… a lot of heat!
1Nico Bougas is the International Director of Development and Communications