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| Ps Clement and Tracey-Anne Okusi |
Day 3 South London
Date: Sat 13 Aug
I went with some of the guys in their car with all the gear for the show. When we arrived at the place where we parked the cars there are approximately 30 black guys and one white guy carrying an axe, sledge hammers a weight and pieces of steel through the streets of CROYDON making our way to the mall. As I am looking at us walking with this stuff I am thinking this does not look good, next thing I know people are pointing at us saying I think these guys are looters. Then they get on their phones to call guess who.
So we have walked through the mall and arrived at where we are going to do the show, next thing we know there are 3 police cars and one paddy wagon (in total 10 police officers) that has pulled up to ask us what we are doing. I said that I had come from Australia and that I was doing a series of strongman shows, praise God we had some flyers with us. They then proceeded to take all the stuff saying there was no way that they could allow us to do the show because each thing could be used as a weapon. Once the heat of the moment had died down and they could see that we were not there to start anything they relaxed, some of them said that they might have come to the show if they had not been working.
They took Tee back to the church van and allowed him to put the gear in the van. I wasn’t able to get any photos as I didn’t want them to think that this was some kind of stunt that we were pulling. Their resources are stretched fairly thin and I apologised that we had dragged them away from what must already be a busy schedule. Who said serving Jesus is boring.
So we have walked through the mall and arrived at where we are going to do the show, next thing we know there are 3 police cars and one paddy wagon (in total 10 police officers) that has pulled up to ask us what we are doing. I said that I had come from Australia and that I was doing a series of strongman shows, praise God we had some flyers with us. They then proceeded to take all the stuff saying there was no way that they could allow us to do the show because each thing could be used as a weapon. Once the heat of the moment had died down and they could see that we were not there to start anything they relaxed, some of them said that they might have come to the show if they had not been working.
They took Tee back to the church van and allowed him to put the gear in the van. I wasn’t able to get any photos as I didn’t want them to think that this was some kind of stunt that we were pulling. Their resources are stretched fairly thin and I apologised that we had dragged them away from what must already be a busy schedule. Who said serving Jesus is boring.
Day 1 South London
Friday night I am preaching to the youth in the church, there are about 90 of them ranging from 7 through to 19 where they have their own service on a Friday night. Saturday I am on the streets with the church and I will do a mini type show and then do a full show that night. On Sunday morning he has double services so he has me preaching the first one and then the second one he has a wedding, they are having 12 this year and I think this one is number 7 they then have another wedding next Sunday. When Clement is preaching this Sunday’s wedding he wants me to go preach for one of his guys that is close by so that I don’t get bored.
Well I think that fills you in with the first day I will try and get another hour or so sleep as I am getting picked up for early morning prayer at seven.
Day 2 Youth Night South London
Friday 12 Aug 10pm
I had breakfast with Clement this morning, the more time I spent with him the more of an understanding I had of him. I asked him of all the things he has learnt in the past 11 years of seeing the Croydon church grow what would be the most significant thing that has contributed to the growth...he narrowed it down to one word DESIRE, he said he went above and beyond what was expected it was very inspiring listening to him.
We sat and talked for about 4 hours which was good he has not lost a hunger to see souls saved and for the church to grow. The church is predominantly black with a few whities sprinkled through.
He has a white girl marrying one of the black guys which the parents who do not come to church aren’t happy about. Firstly they think the church is a cult and secondly because he is black.
When a couple gets married in the church, the church pays for the couple’s wedding night to stay at the Hilton...this is where I am staying. Clement just goes the extra mile, he has a visitors pack that every visitor gets when they come to the church. I am going to bring one home with me to give us some ideas.
It is 10pm and I have just arrived back at the room after the youth night, there was approximately about 70 young folk there but they were predominately in the upper teens which was around 18 and 19. I preached on Developing the Human Spirit and then prayed for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There was quite a number that responded to be filled, there was at least 8 definites but others were embarrassed to step out. There was 6 people that responded to be saved as well...so it was a great night.
I’m going to do some reading now and then try to get some sleep, it will be a big day tomorrow.
We sat and talked for about 4 hours which was good he has not lost a hunger to see souls saved and for the church to grow. The church is predominantly black with a few whities sprinkled through.
He has a white girl marrying one of the black guys which the parents who do not come to church aren’t happy about. Firstly they think the church is a cult and secondly because he is black.
When a couple gets married in the church, the church pays for the couple’s wedding night to stay at the Hilton...this is where I am staying. Clement just goes the extra mile, he has a visitors pack that every visitor gets when they come to the church. I am going to bring one home with me to give us some ideas.
It is 10pm and I have just arrived back at the room after the youth night, there was approximately about 70 young folk there but they were predominately in the upper teens which was around 18 and 19. I preached on Developing the Human Spirit and then prayed for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There was quite a number that responded to be filled, there was at least 8 definites but others were embarrassed to step out. There was 6 people that responded to be saved as well...so it was a great night.
I’m going to do some reading now and then try to get some sleep, it will be a big day tomorrow.
Day 2 South London
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 4pm
The time here is 4 o’clock which I think that makes you 7 and half hours ahead of us. I woke up and could not sleep so I thought that I would send some news.
The show went well last night we had 2 people saved, there was a few visitors that were out but they are saying that some people might be a bit nervous about coming out at night because of the riots. I am not sure how many were out but it was quite a loud crowd, lots of young people and they were right into it. I didn’t get to see Clement until after the show where he met us at the restaurant that Tee (the assistant pastor) took me to. He had been tied up all day dealing with some other stuff and in the night he was asked to go on the BBC tv to talk about his perspective on the riots, he was saying though that no one would look at him when he had his hand up to ask a question. They were more wanting to put a bandaid on the situation than actually dealing with the reason as to why this happened. Over half the people arrested were young people under the age of 18, that came from fatherless homes and they were black.
As far as the riots go apart from a few shops that have been targeted and had their windows broken (they are the ones with plywood across the open area where the window once was) and stuff stolen it all seems fairly normal. Tee took me past one place on the way to church that was built in 1834 approximately, it had been in these peoples family for generations...they were now using it for a furniture shop. Apparently it is the footage the media are using of a building that has been set on fire, the place was totally destroyed. The building had been through 2 world wars but could not survive these riots.
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