“You wouldn’t do that if Terry Virgo was here!” is a phrase Annie has said to me many,many times over the years, invariably as a response to something I have just said or done. Usually it is accompanied by a wry smile…
Why Terry Virgo? Annie knows that he is someone I have looked up to for many years. Hearing him teach on grace back in the late 80’s was a life changing moment for me. Terry, until he stepped back a few years ago, has been the father figure to Newfrontiers, a worldwide family of churches all sharing similar values.
These values are what underpin Hope Church and explain our focus on creating culture, building community and communicating the good news of the gospel. At the centre of everything we do, our desire is to build a grace-filled community of Jesus followers bringing good news to Winchester and beyond.
In March, we will be kicking off a seven week series entitled “HOPE: A Church in the Heart of the City”, where we will be reminding ourselves of all that God has called Hope Church to be. We know that in the busyness of life it can be all too easy to lose sight of the values we hold. This series will give us that extra bit of help to live them out day by day.
You can imagine my delight then, when Terry said he would speak during the series on what being a grace-filled church looks like. Only after he’d replied did I let Annie know that Terry and his wife, Wendy, might be coming to stay overnight.
“You wouldn’t do that if Terry Virgo was here!” now comes with a knowing look and raised eyebrows whilst my longstanding response, “Of course I would” carries less and less conviction.
Watch this space!
Much grace
Steve