Eden Church - Celebrating 5 Years // 21 June 2026

Nigel Bainbridge

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Thank you, Pat, for sharing that. And I'm just going to pray now because the church in Page is actually meeting at this moment. So let's just pray for that. Dear Lord, we just pray for that gathering that they would know their future, that they would know something about the size of their future and the solidity of your purpose, even as they meet, and that you would do something transformational as they worship you this afternoon. We ask that in Jesus' name. Amen. Lovely to see you. Thank you for coming to this uh presentation about Eden Church. So I'll just do like a little summary before we look at some photos. So thank you, Jez, for the introduction. Yeah, five years ago, me and my wife Rachel and our family, we were sent out from one church Dover to go to Central Europe, Hungary, and to the city of Page and to the suburb of Kertvarosh. So it's quite unusual how God works. I can't say it's logical, but he chose an English couple to go to an area which was probably demographically really close to 100% Hungarian. And we didn't even go there to like start like an international church. God put on our heart to start a Hungarian church for Hungarian people in the Hungarian language. And praise God that exists now. And it was just a sense of conviction to go and a sense of compassion that, as Jez said, this area didn't have a church, and it felt unfair that they hadn't heard of the Good Shepherd, and they needed to, and they are beginning to, and it's for compassion for that area was the root of what happened. I'm gonna um look at some photos and give you like an overview so you can get a flavor of what it looks like now. So the first picture. So this it's as Jez said, it's a tower block area where it was built in one year, and um the area is called Ketvarosh, which means garden town, and it was um uh sort of used to make people think about how the natural aspect of that area, and uh the people in this area feel cut off. They are geographically cut off from the city because there's only a bypass that joins it to the main part of the city. But the people here, it's not a dangerous area, but there's low levels of hope. There's quite a lack of inspiration in people, and so we just felt like calling the church Eden was like twisting it and using the goodness of God for people to realize how He can bring transformation. So this is what it looks like. That there is uh on the right hand side is where the church building is, and on the right hand side are the two people who are leading it at the moment. So that just gives you an idea of what it's like. Next slide. Different things happen with Eden Church. It's really community connected, and it's not just about a worship meeting, and so I'm gonna show you some slides that are quite varied, and this was last month when they had, as you can see, an opportunity to play on a bouncy castle. And just to say that there are tower blocks all around looking there, so the number of people who can see is like really huge. Um, and then this was when Marcus and I were there last month, that was their last worship time. You can see there the building they've got. Um, it's an old doctor's surgery, or a previously a doctor's surgery, and it's really appropriate for a new church. It's got about four rooms, two toilets, different areas. Really good for a smaller group of uh people to meet. Next slide. This was the group of people who were there. And um the young man at the front, as you can see, is really disabled, and um God is with him, and Marcus and I prayed for him, Danny. But just to say how God works, four years ago, Rachel and I were standing in a square in uh Kertvarosh, and we saw two ladies, and one of them was had this pushchair with this young man in it. And I went over to speak to them, and I didn't know them, they didn't speak English, I spoke Hungarian badly, but enough to invite them to church, and that was the start of them coming to the children's work and different things that happened. And uh, so this is uh yeah, some of the people there who are involved in the church. Next slide. We have a children's club that meets every two weeks. Next slide. Children's club, next slide, and on the right, on the left, you can see Dave Dunford. So it's been great for me to travel and to visit with different people, and this is a house group. So they've got a weekly house group, um, they have different things going on. Next slide. Community garden. And they found this bit of wood and made it into a cross, and it's been there for over a year, so that's just a bit of a view. It's um a previous basketball court, so um, and it's been reused to be the Eden working in collaboration with another charity as our community garden. So the the heart of Eden is to certainly bring the transformational power of the gospel, but to come alongside people and make it practically useful. Next slide. Yeah, that's just as Eden Community Garden, and the other logo is the charity we're working in partnership with. Next slide. And that was Easter last year with a community event in uh our community garden. So you can see, although the church is small, I reckon there's hundreds that know about Eden Church. And I I counted over a hundred the time when I was there at this event. Next slide. Oh, yeah, it's not maybe the most interesting picture, but what's interesting is that these teenage boys are not part of the church, they're they're part of a local school. So Eden is working in collaboration with a secondary school for them to help with the garden. Next slide. And this is inside the building where these teenagers have come up with a design about how to decorate the inside of the church. Next slide. Youth camp. So there is a they're doing youth alpha at the minute, and this was last year, a youth camp they did. Next slide. Two of the youth studying God's word. And they have a parents meeting, which is like not necessarily like opening a book of the Bible, but it's talking about anger, time management, different things like that. And then they will bring the Bible into it. So you can see it's got a really wide net, a really diverse way of working. Next slide. These are the two leaders, Peter and Doreen. They are a real gift from God, a beautiful couple, and it's been a shock and amazing to see how God prepared people who have led it, but also they come up with ideas that me and Rachel are thinking it's like in line with what we were thinking, but just they've moved it on to the next level. Next slide. And these are the two other leaders, Anita and Timmy, and they're our four beautiful leaders. Next slide. Puppet show in the building. Next slide. Ah, yeah, this is they're quite a creative group in Eden Church, and this is at Christmas time hiding clues and presents around the estate, and then um you hunt for them. And if you find one and you register on Eden Facebook page, you go into like uh a competition to win a day out for children. And next slide, these are two of the children who, well, they got a prize. Uh, this one here, this is in Hungary. Festivals and events are uh celebrated, and this is Advent, and this is a community event, not a church event, making um Advent wreaths. Next slide, and that's uh Martsy with hers. Next. Oh, yeah, here's Rachel. So thank you, Lars, for your message this morning. It was really interesting talking about leadership and marriage and how different things work. So often I'm named first to do with Mission Page or Eden, but this is Rachel. I'd like to say a couple of things about her. So uh when uh uh we were when you're actually abroad and you're actually planting a church, you're actually left with the question, well, what are you going to do? What are you gonna do first? Are you gonna preach on the street? Are you gonna prayer walk? And we looked at the skills and the heart and the different things that we had, and uh leading children's clubs was one of the ones that Rachel could do well and I could support. And so the first piece of like pioneering really was for the um the children's club that we had, and it still exists now, and it's still uh powerful. Next slide. So I'd just like to say that there's at least four people who have become believers uh in this church, and um the first lady reminded me of the prophetic word that came through Pat. The first lady became a believer at the children's club that Rachel ran when we were there in 2022. She became a believer, but she we didn't have enough structure to disciple her, so she thought, well, I'll go to another church, and she chose the apostolic church, and so the pastor thanked us for the first bit of transfer growth that came from Mission Page, and uh Marika is now a member and attender and has been baptized and attends Paige Apostolic Church. But this lady is Judith, she was baptized last year, and uh she was one of the two ladies with the disabled guy that we spoke of that were in the square, so she's the second one. So I just wanted to say that of the four people that we know have given their hearts to order, directly related to the work that Rachel started with the children's work, and uh so that's tremendous what God has done. And also, um, there was a time when we had like a Bible study, and Rachel led it, and she really felt like the inclination to talk about like a garden and a connection with the community, and that's how the vision started about having a community garden and even the beginning of the name Eden. So, my name and sometimes even my picture is involved in this church planting project, but you just need to know how core and central Rachel is and was to what happened, and uh, of the four people that we we know that have definitely given their hearts to the Lord since this started, they're directly connected to uh the children's work. So, next slide. So I'm gonna look now. That was like a quick look at different pictures, but uh what I'd like to do now is just give you a little bit of a feel for Eden Church, and I'm just gonna read two or three sentences from their church brochure as they describe themselves. Eden Church, come and live as the one God created you to be. We're not a religious place, we're a community of real, honest people. Everybody can come along and bring something: a story, a wound, a question, talents. Here we learn together that life is not just about surviving, but it's about flourishing and growing. And um, I love the way that it's like a compassionate, they're very compassionate people and really open to touching the needs in the community. Um, last month, when Marcus and I were there, we had breakfast with the local pastor and his wife, and they used a phrase to describe Eden Church and the leaders, which I thought was really good. I'm just going to copy it, and they said they're they're ordinary heroes. Because the four leaders have never been leaders before, and they really are at the stage of saying, Well, the New Testament says this. Shall we try this? Have we got the courage to do this? And they're seeing things happen. So as you pray for them and remember them, they've not been on this route before. Some of them have had like Bible training, but they haven't had experience at leading the church before. And God is using them and blessing them. God is at work touching lives. And I've said that there are like four who we know who have moved from like not believing to believing, but you can see God moving in lives. And when Marcus and I were there last month, it was really fantastic to meet with their three uh young people who were there at that time. Because as we were chatting, it dawned on me that they really have a sense of beginning to understand the holiness of God, and that there's there's a God's divinity, and that we're not talking about something social, we're actually talking of something really special, and we're approaching the Holy One. Now they're beginning on that journey, but they are beginning to understand that. So, some pictures, a little bit of a flavor of what they're like, and now uh I'm just gonna describe uh church planting very briefly. I reckon there's probably four phases to church planting. One is agreeing it's worthwhile, feeling a sense of conviction. Paul says I was I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. And I first went to Hungary in 2005, and I think something started brewing then, but it accelerated. So the first thing I would say out of the four stages would be just actually having like a conviction and having gathering support, almost like that support team. The second thing is pioneering, and that would be really with like me and Rachel moving to Hungary. The third one would be emergence, where just something small is there and begins to flicker and grow. And the fourth one would be establishing, and Eden Church is in the establishing phrase now, the establishing phase. Sometimes when I describe Eden, I try to talk about the age of a person to give you an idea of how mature it is, and I would describe it as somebody who's doing their A levels. So it previously I've talked about a baby, a toddler, primary school, different things like that. But in terms of church maturity and development, I would say, you imagine somebody doing their A levels, that's the sort of like maturity they're at. And the Lord spoke through Pat about the journey they're on, but currently, as we pray for them, that's the sort of level of maturity that we're talking about. Next slide. So, five years ago, our family and uh soon became our son-in-law, Cam on the right-hand side. That was the day when we were sent out from One Church, Dover. And um being in another country can be sort of like quite a lonely experience. And uh really, I would just like to thank you, thank OneChurch for your exemplary care of us in every single way that you could think of. So, the giving of money, the receiving of money, the praying, the responding to different things. So, like, you know, Katie's ability to respond to questions really quickly. We had regular meetings with uh Marcus, all of these things make a huge difference when you're away. Because when you were living in Hungary, the the SLT was like me and Rachel. So, like at breakfast time, it's like a leadership team meeting. And in the afternoon, when you walk in the dog, it's a leadership team meeting, it's it's very like high-pressured like that. But uh, thank you for the support that you give. Many individual people gave money, and we give God glory that there was never been a time when there's been a financial difficulty with Eden Church, and they now have money that's been sent from the UK over to them to give them absolutely strong opportunities for a leap into the future. We had a local church there in Page, the Kikateau Church, uh Paich Apostolic Church, which were beside us and supported us, and five other partner churches. So that whole network was being fantastic. And something we really need to appreciate, I think, is yes, we went, but you supported, and you can plant churches in foreign countries because you sent us and it worked, and you'd never done it before. And uh, you know, I didn't know the depth of uh the sacrifice or the project, but when we were sent out, literally when we were on the stage, and I remember clearly Marcus saying, Whatever happens, we'll support you. And and I knew he would keep his word, uh, but the level that it was kept is just a different thing, and it's just a really beautiful thing about how that care that you in all different ways kept. But so together we achieved it. So praise God for how he worked. It's not logical to send an English couple, but we heard God, we felt God, we had conviction, and together that's what happens. Next slide. Used to be called Mission Page, now it's Eden Church. Next slide. Next slide. Some different pictures to do with partnership. Marcus has been an amazing help. It's quite useful that he's not here because it'd be a bit embarrassing for him. But he is now a really lovely pastor to the Eden leaders. They come alongside him and speak to him when we visit Page, and he is doing a beautiful job caring and and mentoring those leaders. Next slide. Helen visited and led uh a children's club with Rachel. Beautiful, thank you. Next slide. Oh, Michael Rogers. He came across and he gave his testimony. Of course, they loved him and remembered. Yeah, that's and then Rachel visited, and here's Rachel with the leaders. Next slide. And this is me hugging Dory. Dory is a lady who some of you have maybe seen some craft materials. She makes craft materials to say thank you to you. So the guys in Kerat Varish, they're really grateful, and I'm just like the middleman coming back telling you they're grateful, and they say they've they're sending their love. And this is just like a little bit of just saying thank you. Next slide. Oh, goodness me. And then uh not just Hungary, but also partner churches. So we've had five fantastic partner churches, and me and Pete went to one of the churches, Kakodi in Scotland, to thank them. Next slide. Um, so Eden Church, what about the future? Well, when we were sent out, there was an unusual but a really strong prophetic word that gave two words, which was the words poppies and pylons. And as uh Chris Bryant gave the prophetic word about poppies, he said it was symbolic of the poppies that you see in the First World War when there's been conflict and there's been seeds that are dormant, and then the flowers crop up, and something's happened like really deep, and then you see many flowers, hundreds and thousands of them. So I'd like us to remember that image about deep hurts being touched, and about the flowers and the population happening as we remember the prophetic word through Pat as well about what the Lord is going to do. When I was there with Marcus uh last month, Marcus felt it really inclined to just remember the parable of the sower uh multiplied by uh a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. If we go to the next slide, and the next slide. Yeah, so that was laid out when we had communion together, and they left those like sheaves of wheat just to like there's this concept, or not just concept, there's this readiness. They're ready for growth. And um as we remember them, let's pray for them and believe in that. And one of the things I'd like to just say is that we are family, you know that you sent me and Rach, but we're the mother church and they're the sister church, and it's our pleasure to look at these photos, but we have some responsibility, and there isn't another church like this in another part of Europe supporting them. They look to us for support, and one of the things I'd like to ask for you is to see them in a new way, to pray for them for the next five years. So they're doing A levels at the minute. Let's pray for them to like get a job and have children, and they're really ready for it. Their maturity and integrity is absolutely ready for it. In autumn uh 2023, the Lord gave me a vision of the future church of Eden, it was very precious, and uh, I've not had an experience like it before. I was listening to some Hungarian worship music, and as I was listening to it, it was from a local church and I knew some of the people, and I could have thought, oh yeah, that's Nikki, that's Catty. And then God took it in my mind, and it actually became the worship that was being sung in the Eden Church in the future. And the Lord said to me, Nigel, can you see the church in Kertvarosh? And I knew, because it's in a very small few phrases, the Lord can say a lot, and I knew what he was saying to me is I can see it, and one day you're gonna see it. And um, what it was, if I just describe it briefly, it was a group of people who had all been healed by Jesus and were worshiping him and they understood him as king. Whether it's physical, spiritual, or emotional healing, they understood him as king and they were worshiping. So it's our sister church, they've got a great future. And my appeal to us is to think about the next five years and to bring it on board and to pray for them. There's a bridgehead and it's strong. You know, it wasn't a few weeks ago, it was the anniversary of the D-Day landings, and um, I read something about what one of the veterans said, and he was looking at a memorial of some of the soldiers that had died, and he said this, he said, You know, you, when you read this monument, you you see the names of people. He said, When I read it, I see faces of soldiers and friends. And my prayer for this message is that you and I, in a new way, see Eden faces, some of these people, and that you feel that connection. Today's Father's Day, and we have parental responsibilities. Next slide, next slide, next slide. So as I left uh Eden last month, one of one of the leaders gave me this verse. She said, A great door of uh great door for effective workers opened, and then she said, Please keep us in your prayers. And that's my appeal to you to pray, chat to me, Rachel, Marcus, invite us to your home group, sign up for our bi monthly uh email, go on to Eden Church page and follow the story. We are our closest connection. They have friends in Hungary, but we are family, and let's pray for them and uphold them.