For many of us, our biological family lives far away. Phone calls, gifts, and occasional visits make the distance bearable, though never painless. We long to embrace, go for a walk, or share a meal with our loved ones.
While parents and siblings may be distant, we can still enjoy familial relationships here. Forging friendships with spiritual brothers and sisters, young and old, allows us to gain a sense of family - a London family. Our longing to be deeply known and loved can be met through God's people, even in a foreign city.
Charl and Kate know the realities of living far from biological kin and the joy of forming deep friendships in the church. As leaders of one of our life groups, they tell us about themselves and their vision for nurturing a sense of family in their group.
Charl, Kate, Joshua, Jacob & Rebecca
Please tell us about yourselves.
Kate: I grew up in Grahamstown in South Africa, met Charl at university, and we have been married for ten years. We moved to London eight years ago. I was a teacher and am now a certified child and baby sleep consultant.
Charl: I grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where I also studied Quantity Surveying. Kate and I met at the church we were attending and got married in 2013. We have three children: Joshua (5), Jacob (3) and Rebecca (1).
Charl and Kate lead one of our 22 mid-week life groups. Please tell us a bit about your group.
We have 16 people in our life group. We meet at our house in Kennington every Wednesday from 7-9:30 pm, and we love sharing a meal and getting stuck into meaty conversations about the Bible as we study God's word. We also seek to support one another as a spiritual family through life's various trials and tribulations.
Snapshots from the last year
What’s your vision for the life group?
We see our life group as a mini-family within the greater church family. We hope to all grow 1) in our knowledge of God's word, 2) in our knowledge of who God is and 3) in our love for one another as we do life together.
What’s your favourite thing about being a life group leader?
We love seeing our group grow in their knowledge of who God is, demonstrated in how they love and support one another. It’s also been amazing to share our lives with people in the church who we might not have otherwise had the opportunity to know at such a deep level.
How can we pray for you and the life group?
Please pray for continued growth in our knowledge of Christ and his great love for us. Please also pray that more life groups would be able to open up and have the same opportunity we have had to sow into one another’s lives.