Mrs G. has an exam tomorrow, so I decided to get out of the house to give her peace to revise. So while she went off to do her thing, I went into Edinburgh to Bristo Baptist Church. They claim to be the second oldest Baptist congregation in the UK, and they can trace their history back to at least 1765.
I've been working in Edinburgh for years, and I've always thought Bristo Baptist looked an odd shape from outside. The building fills a corner plot, which was originally intended to complete the row of houses on Buckingham Terrace, and I've always wondered if the sanctuary has a bend in the middle. Well today I found that there is one end for halls and the other for the sanctuary. If you like your thirties architecture, then this is right up your street. It's art deco with an outstanding marble baptistry that sits in the centre. The pews have been removed, allowing a worship space with flexible seating, an area for the children to play, and a separate area with a small kitchen and a couple of sofas. I thought the reformers banned comfortable seating...
This wasn't a church that I could sneak into. I was welcomed by everyone. The congregation wasn't that large, but they had a genuine warmth, and everyone circulated and chatted with friends. There seemed little discussion about the business of the church, and more about the life of the community.
In his sermon, the preacher told of his time as a student in England where he would go to different churches (with you there, bro) and noted the community spirit in each. One large church formed into closed circles after the service, so for him to join in a discussion, he would have to break in. Yet at another smaller church, where there were just as many dogs in attendance as there were humans, the welcome was considerably different. He also mentioned another church where they don't have a building, but meet over a meal at the house of a member.
It was actually one of my best visits yet, and nobody seemed to notice the time.
So how do we work towards the position where we have a large Christian community, but still retain the welcome and warmth that you can often get from smaller congregations?
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Afterwards, as I recovered my bike, there was a man nearby doing some gardening. He was smoking a cigarette of a certain herbal variety and even downwind, it was a little potent. This was the middle of Edinburgh, not the middle of Amsterdam. Is it becoming more socially acceptable to have some grass as you mow the lawn?
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