I just returned from spending a week in London where Gary and Belinda Kendall joined me for our 3W Seminar at the Church of God in Tottenham. The subject for this 3W Seminar was: "The Vision Ladder: Making Your Church's Vision Become a Reality." Gary and Belinda brought their years of experience and success in Pastoring, church management, and church planting to the material and it was an eye-opening, fascinating presentation. Three joined us from the Birkenhead (Liverpool) Church and attendance was very good.
All of us were riveted throughout this presentation. Every comment was deeply pertinent to our church situations and Gary's presentation was so easy to follow. After the first 45 minute section, I was already hearing rave reviews from the Seminar attendees. By Sunday afternoon when it all concluded, everyone unanimously agreed that this was an outstanding presentation that brought tons of clarity to our UK churches and to me personally. Everyone seemed to be taking notes furiously.
One of the things that I think Gary and Belinda embody (like Kelley Philips, Rod Stafford, and others I've admired) is their very clear investment in the next generation of leaders. When they could be hoarding power or creating inward ministries that keep them on top, they do the opposite and find young people to invest in. This is the 2nd seminar that I've done with the Kendalls (Rome in February 2012) and I always feel overwhelmed by the encouragement that they give me personally and the support that they give to Three Worlds by allowing themselves to be resourced. So thank you Gary and Belinda for being who you are.
And Sister Sadie and Pastor Mascall did a wonderful job of preparing things on the ground for this seminar. I greatly enjoy working with the U.K. churches who have been so supportive of Three Worlds from the beginning. We've had 5 seminars there and are in the process of putting Zach and Audrey Langford as Career Missionaries to the UK for 3W. I'm very grateful to both the Birkenhead Church and Tottenham for their support and cooperation.
Lastly, we did have some free time for the Kendalls to explore my favorite place in the whole world: London. While we saw some sights and I got to do some of my favorite things (visit Covent Garden, go to the travel bookstore, do some Christmas shopping for Marco and Jamie), a lot of that extra time allowed me to pick Gary and Belinda's brains about the work that they have done and what we at 3W can learn from it. There's a lot. So that time together is always extremely valuable and, as with the 3W Roundtable, gives us ideas on how to make Three Worlds even better.
I'll be back in London in March when we do a 3W Seminar on "How to Successfully Plant a Church." I'm very much looking forward to that one as well.
Thanks to all involved in the 3W Seminar London and thanks to all of you who support Three Worlds.