The reason we had two trips over the Dartford Crossing this weekend was that we were attending an event at the church we used to attend in Lewisham, Hither Green Baptist Church. HGBC was celebrating with Rev Richard Blyth who helped restart the church after it had closed in the late 1980s. He was still there when Jane and I arrived and, by the time he moved on in 2006, I was serving as an elder and was involved in the process that led to the calling of the present minister, Rev Honesty Kachidza.

My contribution to the service was playing bass and I had the privilege of leading a couple of worship songs. I picked one that I’d brought to the church (There is a Voice That Must Be Heard by Paul Oakley) and one I learned there (The Love of God by Frederick Lehman). I’m not sure how much they’ve sung them in the 18 years since I moved on but the congregation joined in with enthusiasm and passion. HGBC has had plenty of challenges over the years, and I think the view of history on Saturday afternoon was somewhat rose-tinted, but they are still a fellowship which loves to worship God and lift Jesus up in sung praises.

We also took the opportunity to do some other visits: one of Jane’s sisters, a school friend of mine that I’ve not seen for a decade or more and a school friend of Jane’s who she hasn’t seen in the flesh for significantly longer. It was a lot of driving to get there and back but certainly worth it.