When my daughter attended her first postgraduate course in a remote seaside town of Wales, the most living church there was an Anglican one. She visited all the churches. And when she made it to an Elim church which was Pentecostal, and pastor-less at the time, for the former pastor had left and the new one had not been appointed yet (it was the traditional kind, the way it is done in denominational churches - in our church history it would have simply meant that God would have raised someone from the church, who would have stepped in and taken over) - she was told - after she had described what she was after as to fire, and anointing etc. - to go to the Anglican church. So, you've got the clue. (And if not, then the HTB church which I mentioned above, is an Anglican church, but a living one. And this church in Aberystwyth, Wales, had a vision to reach to every one of the tiny population of the town, which had more students than regular inhabitants. The Anglican church was alive, and taught and trained its people how to prophesy and operate in the gifts of the spirit, and everything you would expect a living church to do - they made disciples and sought God for ways to reach the town, and they did it well. - Now, the named St. Michael's church which we shall be visiting, comes with a similar vision and outlook on their spiritual life. It has a living worship and the preaching is not too shabby either. Although it may nevertheless be no match to established prophetic churches, with a solid revelatory teaching of the Word - but to tell the truth, such churches are a rare find these days.)
We shall be at a luxury hotel in London, Belgravia. And we happened to schedule our stay for Christmas just for I gifted these stays to my daughter whom I expected to get job interviews and be already working in London, but things went different. She worked after her London university course in a local Russell Group university, and applied to temp jobs, while trying to secure a position in her newly acquired field. (And as you could have guessed, most of the jobs are in London). Whether it had to do with a lull caused by a pre-Brexit uncertainty or anything else, but her last London job interview happened in August. And then there was a calm. So, she decided not to use the vouchers on her 30th birthday (as it would have meant a free day from work, and she preferred to have money to spending it at the time), and as the stays were good only on certain days, we decided to go for Christmas, as it was a sure bet. And, a couple of temp jobs later (with the next one secured, and the university closed until January) here we are. Our Christmas staycation in London shall kick off tomorrow. We've got food (by the same Groupon vouchers) in places nearby our hotel(s) and a little further (although the Christmas Day itself is not fully covered yet, but we've got ideas - the thing is that it is the only day in a year when a buzzing city comes to a halt, with only bikes, and taxis and a random National Express coach making a move, and I am not too sure how far do I want to walk for a decent meal, so we shall whether decide to go get one in a nearby Lebanese restaurant, or opt for a stay in with antipasti and other offerings, also Mister Lasagna in Elizabeth Street announced that it will be open on the Christmas Day, and most of a handful of restaurants charge quite a bit for a five or seven course Christmas Day meal, which will be the only option on the table, and I do not know how do you feel about overeating, but for me it seems like a stretch, although a festive one.)
After a few good years of trying, we still have not been able to secure ourselves a place in London. It is a costly affair, and unless you want to live in a room only (although for two), it is a bit of a challenge to find a place for two in a good green and safe area, and for a reasonable price. But, we have not hung our hopes. So, this now is the second best option. We shall try living in the heart of London in Belgravia for a few days. It is a bit of a shame, that quite a few places are holidaying already now, like Boisdale in Belgravia which is an exclusive restaurant with a jazz scene and right around the corner from our hotel. But nothing to do. We shall celebrate at church, and 3 consecutive days of two different church scenes should do. Will keep you posted.
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