Hampers of grace: witnessing to local businesses

Approximately 50,000 English speakers live on Spain’s Costa Blanca. Many of them operate small businesses, cafes, bars, and restaurants, or provide other legal or residential expat services.

Their lifestyles are not just laid back and easygoing, as you may imagine. That may be the lot of the ‘retiree,’ but for the business owner, life is just as challenging as running a small business anywhere.

In the Rincon area of Benidorm, there are many such businesses. Here also is the building used by The English Church, an evangelical light in the darkness, a place where the gospel is taught, worship is given, and community is found for many lonely people.

But the church feels a burden for its surrounding businesses. So in the weeks leading up to Christmas each year, the church members faithfully prepare 'hampers of grace' containing both goodies to enjoy and gospel literature to give cause for thought. So many business owners deeply appreciate this small gesture as often they are used to receiving abuse, complaints and general disdain from customers. Showing the love of Christ in the hampers, the church prepares the ground for further visits and contact.

The ongoing witness of expat churches like The English Church in Benidorm is a cause for thanksgiving and for prayer. Here are a few examples:

• Many ’nominal’ Christians, or those who may have a form of righteousness, frequently make their way to the building for a service and are often surprised to hear a gospel of grace, unlike they have ever heard before.
• Some want their marriages blessed, a service which the church is happy to provide with the condition that the pastor has the opportunity to open up the Bible and speak of the love of Christ. One such couple recently were 'R' and 'D'. He was in his 50s and had never been married. She had lost her husband many years before, and so this was a new start for them. Having some form of religion, they wanted a blessing performed in the church building. And so, on a Saturday afternoon in late November, they gathered with some friends and family members. They made their vows and then listened as Pastor Trevor shared the love of God in the cross.
• Then we think of 'C', a lady in her early 60s who, after being immersed in the world of new age thinking and occultism, came to Christ, was baptised, and now loves learning the Bible and is sharing her newfound faith on the streets of Benidorm.

None of this is unique to a mission situation like Benidorm. But God is not restricted by the culture. The Lord Jesus has promised to build His Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

For more information on the work of The English Church Benidorm, check out the website, YouTube channel, and other social media: www.englishchurchbenidorm.com