In 2018, an invitation came through the church doors in Edmonton to attend a conference related to crime in North London at the Edmonton Methodist Church. A group of members from Edmonton central answered the call along with Pastor Jude Jeanville, the local pastor at the time. After the conclusion of the discussion, Ps Jeanville struck up a conversation with the minister at Edmonton Methodist, Reverend Dedji Valentin, and a friendship blossomed from there.
While they kept in touch sporadically, the pair would once again find themselves in the same space at the funeral of the mother of Pastor Terry Messenger who was herself a Methodist though she began attending Adventist services with her son. Rev Valentin’s church hosted the service and Pastor Jeanville delivered a prayer of comfort for the family - giving the ministers an opportunity to serve side by side and strengthening their bond.
As their relationship grew, Rev Valentin extended an invitation to Pastor Jeanville to share a word at the Methodist Church’s Men’s Convention, an event that richly blessed a great number of attendees and the presenters.
Despite the recent lockdown and social distancing, Pastor Jeanville and Rev Valentin kept in touch, sharing their experiences as ministers and encouraging one another. In May, Rev Valentin was kind enough to extend yet another opportunity to Pastor Jeanville to speak to his congregation in June, this time over Zoom and YouTube. Inspired by the presentations at recent Virtual Camp Meeting, Ps Jeanville offered Dr Chidi in his place to deliver a timely message on health. Rev Valentin accepted and invited the members of Tottenham Church, where Ps Jeanville now serves, to join. Dr Chidi excelled in his duty, providing much needed guidance on health linked to Biblical principles and answering questions from the congregation.
Pastor Jeanville is very excited about his continued relationship with the Reverend and members of the Methodist Church. “When we first met, I did not know what to expect,” says Pastor Jeanville “but my mantra is found in the following statement from the pen of inspiration. ‘The Saviour mingled with men, ministered to them, met their needs, won their confidence and then bid them follow him’ (MH. P.143). As we face a world in need of God, it is vital that we are willing to follow the example of Christ, creating relationships in our communities to build a kinder, more Christ-like world while we are here.”
The Tottenham Church continues to seek opportunities to build and strengthen relationships in the community by lifting up Christ in our daily lives and encounters (John 13:32) and looks forward to welcoming brothers and sisters of faith in in the future.
Lifting up Christ through in our daily lives and encounters. John 13:32.
