Loving my Neighbour
By Annmarie Miles
(From the October - December 2020 issue of VOX)
I was never a great one-to-one evangelist. For someone who can tumble out ten words a second, I always got tongue-tied when talking about Jesus to an audience of one. Put me in front of a crowd and my confidence was limitless. Bring me face to face with a seeking individual and I would struggle to form a meaningful sentence.
It’s not that I didn’t want to do it; I just couldn’t get the words out. It’s not that I didn’t believe in Jesus and His wonderfulness; I just didn’t have any faith in me. It took years to stop feeling guilty about it. It felt like a pride issue and, as I write, maybe it still is. But I’m doing the best I can with the opportunities I have.
Since Mr Feint Saint became Rev Saint Feint, evangelism has taken on new shapes. Our church is not in a housing estate full of young families. We’re surrounded by sheltered accommodation units. There’s a lot more of making sandwiches and leek and potato soup in my life these days. (The Welsh love their leeks). Alongside a wonderful team, I help pensioners to their seats, line up the trollies and walking frames, pour tea, whip cream for the scones, or dish up the soup. I usually get to sing a song or two and always get hugs and hand squeezes as folk are leaving. The team then spend an age washing dishes, and when I get home, I wash tea towels and tablecloths.
You know something? I love it.
“I’m blessed to get to show love and hospitality to our neighbours.”
I’m blessed to get to show love and hospitality to our neighbours. When I do have a chance to sit and chat one-to-one, quite often it turns out they came to our church as a child, or their parents were married here, or their husband’s funeral was held here. So many of these dear people have a historical link to a church they haven’t stepped into for years, until we put on the kettle and the soup.
I have learned so much about what it means to connect with an individual: to show and tell the love of Jesus. To help them re-establish their connection with our church, so that they may make an eternal connection with God.
We haven’t been able to do much this year with all the restrictions but I can’t wait to get that kettle on again. In the meantime, I have neighbours to check in on...
Annmarie Miles is originally from Tallaght and now lives in her husband Richard’s homeland, Wales. As well as VOX articles, she writes short stories, and is working on a book about her journey with food, weight gain, weight loss and God. Visit her blog at www.auntyamo.com. On Twitter she is @amowriting.
