Advent 09- St Mike's

Appropriately for Sunday, my Advent list of Good Things reaches my church, St Michael le Belfrey.

Once again I'm not going to deny that St Mike's isn't a church that has problems, and sometimes gets things wrong (in my opinion).  But it's also a church that gets a lot right.  There is a real concern there for the message of God to be spread, and for people to be built up in their faith- as the church's strapline says, for people to be brought in, built up, and sent out.

As I said earlier I arrived in York as a student with a firm faith but big gaps in my knowledge of God, the biggest of which was probably regarding the Holy Spirit- what he does and how he works.  Over the years St Mike's has helped me fill this in- to recognise the times when God through the Holy Spirit has been working in my life, even before I knew that this was the case, and to recognise and learn how to use the gifts that I have been given through the Spirit.  Not that I'm going into charismatic gifts here, I'm still not as 'happy clappy' as many people at church, just because that's not my way of worshipping, not because I think it's right or wrong.  Different styles suit different people.

St Mike's helped me worship in a way I had rarely worshipped before, with songs that engaged the emotions as well as the intellect.  It also gave me Christian friends my own age, something I had longed for but never really experienced- people I could discuss things with know that the other person understood where I was coming from much more closely than anyone else.  It gave me an opportunity to get involved with serving the church and city community, to take part in events with hundreds of people rather than tens and be encouraged.  It gave me space to decide what kind of Christian I wanted to be, rather than simply going to the church of my parents.  It has had a big impact on me, and I am grateful I went there and to the leadership and congregation.