Where do you find God in a place like this?

The reflections of a teenager whose parents served on an Urban Expression team

I grew up in a town shunned by the news, neglected by politics, rejected by the local area, underfunded by the council, blessed by God. I grew up in the sort of town you try to drive through as quickly as possible as you pass by. You would have heard of its name, but only through negative news reports of violence and young people losing lives to knife violence. 

This description can lead Christians to ask questions like: Where do you find God in a place like this? How can people find God in a place like this?

I can imagine my parents felt planting a church in this place was like planting a seed in a drought. I was too young to remember and understand the task my parents set themselves up for when we moved to HH. Growing up here was all I can remember and it was the complete norm for me.

The church was tailored to the needs of the people of the community we were based in. We would meet on a weekday in the evening, eating a large meal buffet style. Everyone brought a dish to add to the feast. We also shared communion, Jesus's body being represented by crisps, poppadoms, or the usual bread. The blood of Jesus was represented by juice, water and occasionally very strong squash when my dad used double-strength squash without realising it, surprising church members with the bitter taste.

Now we have moved church I understand how non-conventional this church was. We very rarely sang. If we tried to lead worship, it would often feel like a performance without much participation. My parents worked very hard in the community to find ways to bring people to Jesus. Many struggled with prayer so my parents made guides which made it much easier.

Not all people who attended our church believed in God. However, my parents still provided the space and community for these people to feel accepted, to give them friends and something to look forward to in the week. God was moving in people even though they did not know it and they still may not know it. People brought joy to each other, and God blessed the church with opportunities to open deep discussions.

Being a child I was never a part of these discussions. However, I did get reports back from dad about what the adults where discussing while they were washing up. This time of washing up turned into regular deep discussions often focused around the Lord Jesus. While the church was cleaning and washing up, in a way HH was becoming cleaner. God used this as a tool to spread his Word.

It's important to note I do not have a negative view of HH, and I do not share the opinions presented by the news or the local area. However, without this need for a new church, a new type of church, it can't be a perfect area. My parents have often felt a calling to work with the working class which can often be neglected by the church. 

There were other churches we partnered with, and we had many join the team working with us. This helped the dynamic of the church and we are very grateful for all the people who served here. While the goal was to go and set up a church in HH, I think personally my parents and the various members of the team's biggest achievement was the simplicity of being a great Christian witness to the local area. People who would not always necessarily believe in God or attend church would ask for prayer or ask for ethical guidance. God managed to use the people in this Urban Expression team to have great outreach and spread his Word.

As I entered my teenage years, I really started to understand how my parents' relationships really benefited others. I saw lots of families quite dependent on them. At the time this was frustrating, but now as I look back, I see a great beauty in it.

My mum was a great carer for the community. I remember one time being at rugby training calling her and asking why had she not picked me up yet. Something that day had happened with one of the families at church, and she just dropped what she was doing to care for them. At the time you can imagine I was cold and pretty annoyed my mum wasn’t there to take me home to a warm bath. However, God used her to shelter and look after a family so broken and with who the police were involved.

She has given hugs to broken mums, made warm coffee for elderly people in society and done the shopping for people too unwell to go themselves. All through this God used her as a witness to HH. It is impossible for people to not notice this amazing discipleship, and it's something I look up to her about. Her being this backbone to these families would probably not have happened if my dad had decided to be a normal Baptist minister in a conventional church. 

As for my dad, I would come home from school after a long day and wonder where he was. He was often doing very similar work to my mother. Many lads in the church had no father figure around, and often the father was in and out of the picture. My dad was my dad, but looking back I can also name a few others for whom he was also their father figure, teaching them skills their mothers could not. This is really special for me. I can't imagine not having my dad, and I am so grateful for just being a good example to me. 

My parents offered such a unique service to the people of HH. They were like a 24hr response team, and often put themselves last, as do many members of Urban Expression. It says in Matthew’s gospel that ‘whoever wants to be first must be your slave.’ This is talking about leadership, and my parents nailed this in my opinion. To show people God they had first to show people how God will lead them to serve the community, to be slaves to the church and to be slaves to HH.

Growing up as a part of an Urban Expression church is something I am so grateful for. When I speak so highly of my parents it is really easy to digest how they helped the community. I am in awe of their devotion to Jesus. How they can put themselves last in so many situations. They have been great Christian witnesses in my life, and this is why I recognise why they are so amazing and what they have done is so amazing.

And let this be a testament to all the members of Urban Expression and all the different teams who work so hard to provide for often rejected societies. The set-up of a church is amazing, and God will work in that church. But often, areas like HH just need strong Christian witnesses to help others. This will lead people to God. If people see slaves of God working for the community, then they will ask questions like what can be so beautiful, so wonderful and so great that people can live their lives for this cause: the cause of Jesus.

Growing up in an Urban Expression church, I often questioned why would my parents disappear for the evening. Why would we go to a church and not sing like all the other churches we go to do? Why do we eat in the middle of our church? Obviously, as I grow older, I understand why and there is such a great beauty in it. 

To finish, I think it is really good to look at any Urban Expression church like this. The question my dad will often ask is: “who would Jesus look after?" Jesus looked for the outcast in society and healed them. He ate with them, slept under their roofs and he died on the cross with them next to him. Urban Expression takes this outlook on Christianity and nails it.

I often questioned what my parents did and their work in the community. Now I understand the great effect God's work through them had on the community.

I was asked to write this reflection on what It is like to grow up in a Urban Expression church. It has been tough at times, but it has given me such a great outlook on life, completely different outlook from some of my friends who I am at school with now. I am really lucky to have grown up here. I have met so many lovely people, had so many lovely conversations and have been cared for by so many people society will teach shouldn’t be around children. Growing up in HH has been a great foundation for my faith which I look forward to building on many more adventures with God. 


Image | Adrian Raudaschl | Unsplash

These are the reflections of a teenager whose parents served on an Urban Expression team. He has asked to remain anonymous.


Urban Expression is a mission agency and a mutually supportive network of mission partners who choose to live in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in the UK, motivated by their belief in the all-encompassing love of God and their desire to follow the words and ways of Jesus.

For more on Urban Expression, visit urbanexpression.org.uk

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