Doncaster re-visited.

40 years ago I arrived in Doncaster to begin my ministry. I was 22 years old, full of eager enthusiasm but worried about the size of the task. It was a big church and I was arriving as Assistant Pastor with a particular responsibility for young people. My boss was Tom Beckett who immediately gave me the job of preaching every Sunday evening. In those days that was the biggest service of the week. The congregation was about 350 and I was used to speaking to the youth group or to the sympathetic and homely congregation at Sleaford so this was a big challenge. Tom had lost ground in his preaching and his clarity and precision of thought had deteriorated through illness. He got himself into some self inflicted verbal skirmishes as on the occasion when he was preaching on spiritual poverty and said, "We've got nothing in the pantry," and then by way of explanation added, "I don't mean pantry on the shelf the goods thereon being not!"



I loved those days. I enjoyed every moment of my 4 years in Doncaster. Barbs and I got married there on a budget of £100. The women of the church provided our reception as a wedding gift. Catering was their skill and they did a fantastic job for us. We furnished our little flat with 2nd hand furniture and it was a homely, cosy little nest.



So here I am back again 40 years on. The church building no longer exists. It was torn down a few years ago and rightly so. It was a fine building but was disastrously cut off from the community by the cavilier road planning of Doncaster Council, (as was St. George's). Now they have a centre among the people in Netherhall Road and the Church now meets in the large sports hall of Doncaster College for the Deaf. It was so good to see about 350 people in that hall today. I didn't know too many people but there were some who I knew of the older generation. They are now called The International City Church. It was good to see such an ethnically mixed congregation. The welcome was great and the welcome pack included 2 sweets. This reminded me of Luther Thomas who Ernest Anderson referred to as "A very sweet man" because he always welcomed everyone to church with a hand full of sweets. They are carrying on a good tradition.



The preacher was Peter Rolls a very competent communicator. I thought he laboured the idea that "Jesus is fun" but he clearly had a strong appeal to his hearers. One of the people I knew well, with wide eyed wonder asked what I thought of the worship. She didn't wait for an answer but showed me a large pair of ear plugs! "Wearing these is the only way I can cope with the noise !" she said. The "wall of noise" worship style can leave older folks feeling left out of the loop! "Coming here is to expereience a great live gig!" was a comment from the leader. But is a great live gig really worship? For someone who has been a worshipper all her life to have to bring ear plugs to church militates against the concept.

Anyway it was good to back at the place of beginnings. It is now a different church for different times. It has pulled itself out of the doldrums of the nineties to become a thriving community. I'm glad to have had a walk on part in its history and to have known and been influenced by some of Doncaster's finest people.