The first word when I think about God is LOVE.
The first verse I learnt from the Bible was John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son.
As a follower of Jesus I am amazed by His love for me
Love Ealing is one means by which Redeemer Church wants to demonstrate Jesus love for Ealing in practical ways. This will be as creative as the people taking part, and can be large or small: a wide range of activities, events and words are encouraged.
Below are some examples of ideas we have had already, plus some testimonies of how individuals have already been showing love to the people of Ealing!
What we’ve got planned!
As we’re getting closer to Christmas we’ll be doing some carol singing in the Ealing Broadway shopping centre on Thursday the 12th and Thursday the 19th of December. At 7:30 on both evenings we’ll be showing some love to the people of Ealing as they do some Christmas shopping, and anyone is welcome to join us!
In January we will be showing love to the emergency services around Ealing, gathering people to go to their local police station, a&e department, and fire service with thank you cards and gifts. Blessing them in response to all they do for us over the busy Christmas season.
We’re also looking to bless and show love to those who are supported by Age Concern and Retirement Homes in the borough, and will be taking teams of people to build community with the older residents of Ealing by singing Christmas songs, playing games, and just spending quality time with them around Christmas.
Finally, we’re putting on two fantastic and free Christmas events on the 15th of December! There will be a carol service at 4pm, and a Christmas concert at 6pm, both events are at the University of West London and will be followed by mulled wine and mince pies!
We would love to hear about your ideas or to get you involved in one of the ones mentioned above, come and find us at the Love Ealing table on a Sunday morning!
How we’ve been loving Ealing so far…
The other day I was in Pret with a friend and we thanked the lady who served us, let her know that she was loved and gave her a Love Ealing business card, there was no big conversation as a result but it was great just to spread a little joy as part of our lunch!
I was walking through Ealing Broadway and I stopped to chat to some people who were asking members of the public if they wanted to switch their bills! Often I find it easy to walk past these people, but I decided to stop, encourage them for doing something which quite often can seem a thankless task, and I offered to pray for them! They were kind and asked me to pray that they wouldn’t get rained on! I also gave them a Love Ealing card and I walked away praying for them, it was only such a small thing but I am trusting that God uses it to plant a seed.
I came to the realisation that on my daily commute I walk past so many people that I never really stop to chat to. One of these people is Graham, who works at Chiswick Park tube station every morning. I felt convicted to do something to thank him for his friendly ‘hello’ each morning and tell him about Love Ealing. One morning, I asked God for courage and walked to the station armed with chocolate and Love Ealing business cards. As I gave these to Graham, he looked shocked and so happy to receive this small gesture of appreciation. I told him that how our church is taking a few months to love Ealing in practical ways and invited him along to Redeemer, pointing to the address on the back of the card. With a delighted expression on his face, we chatted about our weekends before he said ‘thank you so much Hannah’. We’ve connected everyday since and now know each other personally! I was struck by how little that took from me, but how great the impact was for him. What if we slowed down enough to notice and bless someone on our commute everyday?
