Reformation celebrated
With Reformation Day falling on a Sunday, Emmanuel Church, Canterbury, took advantage of the occasion to hold a special service, dramatisation and tour.
The last day of October marked the 493rd anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the university chapel in Wittenberg. Those meeting in Canterbury met a Martin Luther look-alike, outraged at Johann Tetzel’s selling of indulgences, but joyfully discovering in Romans chapter one that the righteousness of God is a gift from God, through faith.
Then Peter Buss, formerly pastor at Union Chapel, Bethersden, used Romans 1:16-17 to give a presentation of the work of Christ, and a clear gospel call.
Finally, a group led by the minister Richard Hagan walked around historic sites in Canterbury, finding out how the Reformation changed the entire fabric of this nation. They learned the contrasting significances of early Roman believers, Augustine, Thomas Becket, especially Thomas Cranmer, and Robert Cushman.
The group stopped outside the building where Cushman leased the vessel Mayflower in which the Pilgrim Fathers crossed the Atlantic, seeking to establish a godly community.
Emmanuel Church meets at 10.30am on Sundays at Kingsmead Primary School. (More information: www.emmanuelcanterbury.org.uk)
David Longley
