Article written by Scott Furey, pastor at St. Augustines Wembley park for REVIVE Summer 2024 zine
This summer, Wembley is Taylor Swift’s. Close to 1 million people will flock here, across her eight sold-out stadium shows – maybe you’ll be one of them! Here are a couple of other Wembley residents you’re less likely to hear about:
Liam lives behind the first door we ever knocked on in our door-knocking ministry. He’s a student who, despite living near the church for years, had never spoken to anyone from the church or been invited to come along. After a conversation at his door, Liam came to church that afternoon, and has been coming back regularly since. One week he brought his girlfriend. He has met up with our intern to chat further and seems hungry to know more.
Samir is an asylum seeker currently living in a nearby hotel. He’s from an Anglican background, so coming to our church was one of the few things that felt even vaguely familiar in a foreign context. The next week he came back with three friends from a wide range of backgrounds, all keen to hear God’s word.
They are just some of the individuals we’ve been able to connect with since the team moved here from Christ Church Mayfair in September 2023. Across our two services each Sunday, we’re seeking to welcome in the incredible diversity of people who call this part of London home. Through our door-knocking ministry we’re connecting with Hindus, Muslims, nominal Christians and even the occasional secular Brit. Humanly speaking many of these individuals have few opportunities to hear about Jesus. Our hope is that by being a local church, proclaiming Christ and loving Wembley Park, many would come to put their trust in him.
In many ways St Augustine’s is a very ordinary church – we’re small, not particularly impressive, still finding our feet and there’s so much more we’d love to do – but we trust in an extraordinary Saviour and have a wonderful gospel to share with Wembley Park. Taylor Swift may rule Wembley for eight fleeting nights this summer, but Jesus Christ is Lord for ever!
Please pray with us that we would be effective in our ministry and outreach; that we would play our part in reaching the lost of Wembley. Pray too for the individuals mentioned above and for others like them, that they would find forgiveness, hope and eternal life through faith in Christ.