I’ve had a great weekend with Jubilee Church, Teesside. I’m going back there to speak at their Carol Service in December, so I took the train up on Saturday morning to begin the preparation process, envisioning the whole church through the weekend for the wonderful opportunity we have at Christmas. I was collected at the station by Raj Saha, who leads the church, as well as being a local GP. Raj became a Christian in 2000, from a Hindu background. His Dad came to Teesside from India to work in the chemical industry. Raj ended up studying medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, just a stone’s throw away from where we live in London. After some shocking family bereavements, Raj returned to his native North East and met some doctors who were Christians, including his future wife Charlotte, also a local GP, and Raj came to Christ through going on an Alpha Course. I’ve not really done justice to his story, which in my opinion would be worthy of inclusion in Jonathan Edwards’ “narrative of surprising conversions”. I talked church strategy at a gathering of the church eldership yesterday afternoon, and then spoke to a wider leaders meeting of 30 to 40 at Holy Trinity Church, North Ormesby on Saturday night. This morning we had a great time equipping the church at their Macmillan Academy venue in Middlesbrough (pictured).