Today was a very full day at Railway Town Baptist Church, and we welcomed a lot of visitors for a service that included a Baptism (hence the photo above, used with permission of the person who took it), reception into Membership of two other people, and commissioning of two new Charity Trustees.

I love this photo, taken from behind the baptistry, through the cupboard that is usually filled with tables, looking underneath the pulpit and capturing the reflection of the rose window in the southern wall of the church.  There is something strangely appropriate of the way that the mundane - a cupboard - and the symbolic - a baptistry are so closely aligned... There is something beautiful in the reflection of coloured glass in water waiting to welcome a Baptism... And there is something uniquely precious about our Baptist ways of doing things. 

We had a wonderful morning which included the sharing of Communion (using a gopak table at floor level, as the baptistry is right underneath where the heavy oak communion table usually sits!) and was followed up by celebratory Colin the Caterpillar cake.

As my time here draws to a close, as I and we reflect on what we have shared together, days like today are special and important... people still want to become part of the story of Jesus-followers, people still want to the throw in their lot with local churches, and people are still willing to do the work of Charity Trustees and Deacons.  All of this brings me joy.