Closure and Re-Opening

A CLOSURE AND A RE-OPENING

As very many of the Lords' people will testify, He lays a burden of care for His own Assemblies upon us. Not that He has no care for them Himself, (far be the thought,) for they are His Assemblies, but He loves us to love them and feel for them in all their varying needs.

I try to supplicate the "Throne" for a handful or more of Assemblies that have become dear to me, by His grace.

My purpose in this "post" is to seek the fellowship in prayer for just two little Assemblies in the County of Gloucestershire in the U.K.

An Assembly in Tetbury has decided to close! This causes me great sadness. There is no other Assembly witness there in that popular little town. Please pray, that if it please Him, He will not allow them to shut, for He openeth and no man shutteth! They purpose closing at the end of this month of April! If this proves to be the case, please pray that some of those saints will join themselves to the little Assembly at Dursley, which Assembly I would like to speak of next.

There is then this little company of saints who meet at Bethany Hall in Dursley. I am very well acquainted with each of them, having been privileged to preach the Gospel there are many, many occasions of a good number of years. The Hall is in very bad repair and not at all "attractive" for visitors, rather the reverse. It is not a failure of "house-keeping" but the fact that it has stood there for many years and appears to have been built as a temporary structure.

Being so numerically few it is very difficult indeed for them to venture great improvements; and the financial element is also formidable. (This is NOT an appeal for funds!) This is a cry for fervent prayer that the Lord will not only over-rule, but undertake.

The Assembly, (and I am not "representing" them, they know nothing of this posting,) met for prayer to discuss whether to close or not. Humanly speaking I feared the worse, but the Lord encouraged them to continue a testimony for Him there in Dursley!

They go out and distribute literature around the town and invite people to come to their gatherings including a "coffee morning."

Recently a lady was brought to trust in the Lord Jesus as her own personal Saviour and has continued to regularly attend the meetings. A brother from the "denominations" has been attending too, fairly regularly.

Such indications of the Lords' presence in the midst is surely deserved of our interest and care for this little remnant testimony.

I have just realised that it is not clear what I mean by "A Re-Opening;" but the Dursley Assembly have not been using their hall while they have been attempting to decorate it externally and refurbish inside.