The view of Greenock from the Mid Park

This is the town where I live and serve as the pastor of a small church. It is a place in great need. There are high levels of deprivation. There are high levels of drug and alcohol related deaths. During the summer, the population swells and shrinks daily as cruise ships bring tourists looking for the train to Glasgow.

It’s a place where the gospel witness is small but deeply rooted. It’s a town which once boasted many faithful churches. Now one of the old church buildings is a furniture store. Another has been turned into housing. One lays vacant, seemingly waiting to collapse.

It is a place that needs great prayer. As winter gets closer, the nights darker, there is a growing sense of the desperation found here. Not yet lunch time, watching men down pints as they throw their earnings into the fruit machines.