A Cambridge God Adventure* 42) The joy of Martyn and Margaret

(*please skip if you have not been following this story).  More about that new minister!  I talked with the Principal of the college in Oxford where I trained and asked if there were possible candidates entering their final year in 1982 who might begin with us in 1983.  He mentioned two students.  One of them turned out to be a miracle for me. I know that Martyn Travers should tell this story from his side. A law graduate, married to Margaret, he was willing to consider visiting us. Joyfully I recall that from the very first I felt an instant bond with Martyn, and longed for him to visit and preach so that the church could meet and hear him.  Our prayer diary record marks the date of Nov 7th 1982 as the date Martyn and Margaret first visited with a triumphant follow-up note in December about the unanimous call to him which he accepted.

Of course he had to finish his degree and could not join us until Summer 1983 but along the way we were to experience another miracle.  Among many practical details was the sticky issue of providing adequate accommodation.  Sticky because Cambridge was growing to be a difficult and expensive city to find a house.  Various attempts in the next few months to find affordable accommodation all came to naught.  In April 1983 the church meeting received another despairing report that no property had yet been found.  One member stood up and told us that this failure to find accommodation was a serious sign that God was not supporting the whole idea!  "If God wanted us to have another minister surely he could have made it plain by showing us confirmation in signs following. How can we possibly think of welcoming a new minister and his young wife to this church when we don't have anywhere for them to live?"  It was a good point.

So much did seem irresponsible and naive - especially since Martyn and Margaret were expecting their first child.