Snowbirding? : Dr. Brian Morris on helping church plants in the Costa del Sol

Retire to the Costa del Sol to help plant churches!

What follows is one believer’s account of an annual six-month winter sojourn that has become a spiritual blessing of deepening faith and joy.

I have been a Christian for over 40 years. About five years ago, three pals (Mike, Harry and Brian) took a two-week holiday in Spain. We rented a flat there and toured the Costa del Sol, in the south of Spain. Now, we have all retired, with Mike and Harry moving away from London to the south coast of the UK, but the church we discovered in Spain made an impact on me. And its members seem encouraged by my commitment to it.

The original idea to go south, to the south of Europe, to a better climate in winter, began with Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Victorian preacher. The Spurgeons would take winter vacations in Menton, France. While in Menton in January 1892, C.H. Spurgeon left this earth in his 50s. But Spurgeon’s winter legacy lives on.

We three went further south than France, to the Costa del Sol in Spain. I had been struck by an English-speaking church we found there, which met in a function room at the back of a Roman Catholic church in the small town of Torre del Mar on the Costa del Sol.

Retired and free

Being newly retired, I was free to roam. So I returned there for the month of November, and then again the following winter.

The whole experience has been and continues to be a wonderful and challenging eye opener. The Christian message is preached there freely and faithfully. There are Bible studies and even its own church plant activity at nearby Torrox Costa.

Abundant life

It is similar to life in the UK, but there is something different about it too. It has life, and it has that life abundantly. People go out there for four weeks in winter and then return to the UK for a period of weeks, and then return again! This is called snowbirding by some. Just like migrating birds, this ‘snowbirding’ urge to fly south in the winter months is very strong and often for health reasons. Particularly if, like me, you need the sun to stay free of severe bronchitis. Is this a new sociological phenomenon? The church was planted by the Presbyterian Church of Ireland in 1988. Its current status is that of a church plant, and is part of the Evangelical Presbytery of Spain.

The services are in English and cater for Christian English residents and English ex-patriots. It is a mission field. Mission is not a new sociological phenomenon, but ‘snowbirding’ is. As I write this I am in Torre del Mar Church and I am in the middle of a six-month stretch out here at 68 years of age. It beats trying to survive gloomy winter days and dark nights in London.

Ex-pat community

In southern Spain, there are many ex-pats living in retirement, yet in need of the gospel. This is something that the Catholic church is not too keen on, but Protestants are. It is a veritable mission field. It is the ministry to expats, from all parts of Europe, that energises me. It really is the Great Commission writ large. Are there English-speaking churches in Spain? There certainly are! For both the snowbirders and the expats.

Snowbirding is common in North America. It seems Canadians and Americans retire to the south (Miami and California) for the winter months for rest and relaxation. But to do so, and combine it with typical church work and outreach, is unusual and very energising.

In the past, people who retired in Birmingham might have moved south to Bognor. In these EU days, people in the UK can now retire and move to the south of Europe, to the Costa del Sol. People who do so will be welcome at the Protestant Torre del Mar Church (and other churches such as the Anglican church), especially those people who can speak Spanish.

People, from all over Europe, come out for a month and then return to the UK for a month — and repeat the pattern throughout the winter. I have met many Christians from all over Europe in south Spain — and what a blessing it has been. Some have bought cheap fincas; others simply rent apartments for a month to six months, at around £100 per week.

Half the week can be taken up with the very full church activities, particularly at Torre del Mar Church, with its church plant at Torrox Costa. It is a community of believers who abide together, sharing their time and doing the Lord’s work together during the week.

How does it work?

There is no owned church building. The Torre del Mar Church meets in a four star hotel paying a weekly fee for the hire of a function room. In this way, costs are kept low. The modern facilities of the hotel are available (cleaning, restaurant, modern equipment, coffee service, etc.).

There is a cash collection, but little availability for BACS services for giving through e.g. Stewardship (http://www.stewardship.org.uk). It seems the key factor is time. The people that reside here, and the snowbirders themselves, are free from wage slavery. Consequently, they join together to do the Lord’s work in sunshine and daylight, on an ‘all week’ basis. The phrase ‘a gleeclub for the over 60s’ conveys some of its spiritual truth: what is wrong with joy? What is wrong with being free indeed? What is wrong with lots of smiles and touchy feely Spanish social welcomes? And the singing…..!

Another side

All this is within easy access, by airplane, from London, UK. This article shows another side to church work, here in southern Europe. It is a joyful, yet theologically serious side, in the sun.

Pastors with church members who can speak Spanish may wish to encourage them to use their linguistic skills to help the English-speaking community in Torre del Mar.

Just Arrived – Joel Mistry

Joel Mistry

No more details exist as yet but this is a very young Joel Mistry, his photo having been uploaded to Facebook just three hours ago. Joel is Nigel Edwards’ second grandchild, born to Lucy and Hitesh Mistry and ready no doubt to give older sister Esther some brotherly love in the years to come. I think he is going to look handsome with all that hair.

60 is becoming a favourite number

The house and garden of Ray and Maria James’ in Surbiton provided an excellent facility to celebrate Janet (Gray) McGovern’s 60th birthday, though unfortunately Ray and Maria were unable to be there.  It was a slightly cool evening but we were still able to enjoy the outside and Barry managed to keep the barbeque alive and the meat hot.  Yummy desserts were followed by short speeches and a ceremonial blowing out of candles on a cake produced from the kitchen by Becky McGovern.

A familiar selection of Grangers were present to help Janet cope with reaching this milestone!  We seem to have had quite a few 60th birthdays in the last couple of years, some with parties, some not.

As a special treat Barry bought Janet a helicopter trip from Denham Airport (just outside and north west of London) down the Thames.  In his younger years Barry used to work for Weston’s helicopter engineers and it seems his former enthusiasm hasn’t waned.  Hope the weather is fine for the trip to take full advantage of what will be a unique view of London, Janet.

Mel Fitton, Douglas Findlay, Jon Fitton (looking very tanned) and Yvonne Findlay

Pauline Dunne

Janet and Norma go so far back that they can recall a sorry tale of when Norma hit Janet over the head with a jar of Marmite from pram to pram. All is forgiven and Norma has been a life long friend. Norma was a member of the early Grange and is seen here with her partner Derek.

The birthday girl herself, Janet chatting to guests

Margaret Wallis, who currently lives in Greenford, is, like some of us have done, contemplating a move, possibly towards Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Angela and Paul Yarnell enjoying the food and company

Chiswick Revisited

Harry and I are planning on moving away from London and hopefully joining Mike and Tricia Benge in New Milton, on the South Coast of England. I had been thinking for some time I would like to take some photos of Chiswick before I left, we currently live in Ealing, close by. I made it to Chiswick last Saturday, when I had lunch with Janet (Gray) McGovern and then spent some time taking some photos. I might add to these later if I get chance to go back to a different part.

Chiswick High Road

This Catholic church has been at the corner of Dukes Avenue and Chiswick High Road for ever and its distinctive red brick makes it a land mark.

Linda James (a good and close of Grace Gouldthorpe's) ran the florist shop in this parade of shops just down from the Catholic Church

In between Linda's shop and the Catholic church is the former location of Mylos, kids ice cream paradise. The Mylos name has been left in the ground outside Tanner's the shoe shop. In the 50s every child in Chiswick loved to stand just there as the ice cream lady scooped up soft ice cream and added flake to the cone before handing it to you. The next few moments were ice cream heaven as you savoured the wonderful creaminess of a unique brand made on the premises - all this was long before soft ice cream was fashionable or common.

Opposite Mylos was a well known and much loved department store in Chiswick - Goodbans, famous for its payment system which comprised a complex set of wires along the ceiling which routed canisters containing customer's money, and on their return a receipt. Watching these containers whizz around the store was the only thing that kept you entertained as a child while adults shopped.

Close by to the former Goodbans' site is Waitrose. This version of Waitrose is a new addition to the high road and has replaced Woolworths. There was formerly as Waitrose opposite Turnham Green, which closed when Sainsbury's opened behind it on the grounds of the Fromow nurseries. Waitrose has popped up again and is very popular. Brian and Marian Morris love it; they live a couple of streets away.

A few doors down from Linda's florist shop and Mylos and opposite Boots is the Barley Mow pub another Chiswick landmark.

The Barley Mow pub was where Frances, Grace and Martin and I met up for a small Chiswick County Girls Grammar School reunion. We sat in this courtyard on a warm sunny day I think in 2002 and met Christine nee Palmer who told us about Lesley (Nicholson) Vickers and thus began trail of a reunion within a reunion, because eventually as a result of talking with Christine, Grace and Lesley were able to find Lesley Vickers after many years.

A bit further down the High Road towards Sainsburys is Turnham Green Church - landmark No 3.

And this is Turnham Green (part 2) separted by a road yet opposite the church. In the far corner you can just make out the beginning of Wellesley Road.

Just round the corner from Turnham Green is Chiswick Road where Lesley (Nicholson) Vickers lived before moving to Isleworth.

Lesley lived in one of these flats. The blocks have been seriously rennovated since she lived there with her parents and brother Keith. I remember that when we were about 12 or 13 Lesley invited me for tea. We were in the same class and later became close friends and are still in touch today.

Chiswick Town Hall is also very close to Turham Green Church on the end of the Green.

Alwyn Avenue the road where Marian and Brian live, and in times past where Lilian Fromow, Joy and Frank Driscoll lived too. All these people were members of Gunnersbury Baptist Church for many, many years and where many Grangers worshipped too.

The next road down is Wavendon Avenue. As mentioned at the beginning we are planning on selling to move to New Milton. There are only two Wavendon Avenues in the country : one in Chiswick the other in New Milton. One of our abortive purchases was a house in Wavendon Avenue in New Milton - a quirky coincidence.

Just along from Wavendon Avenue is Barrowgate Road, this connection is much more relational. My husband Harry lived at No 33 in a flat-share with John White and Marian (Barrowclough) Morris also had a flat near to Harry and John. Tommy Cooper, the well-known British comedian and much loved Chiswickian, lived along here and I have never quite worked out if it was true that he lived the house formerly owned by Gonda Merwyn, who ran a ballet school on the premises, where I and several of my little friends learned to dance.

This is the flat where I lived, just off Sutton Court Road, from the age of sixteen and at the age of eighteen, I became a Christian here in this flat, the night I went to my room after a Grange meeting, and prayed the Jesus would come into my life.

Opposite our block was and is a school, I think it might be called St Thomas' Primary School. I have a feeling that my good friend Frances West attended this school as for a while she lived in Devonshire Gardens which is just the other side of the railway.

It’s a hat thing!

I may have O.D.’d on Zoe Skye Heckman but these two photos continue the theme of “Oh-so-much-cuteness” and I just couldn’t help myself.