letter from Spain
God at work - even in Benidorm
Trevor Ramsey
It started as a normal Friday. We had gathered in the rented church building in Benidorm to remember our Lord’s death with the breaking of the bread - a service which we held every Friday morning. It was just a small gathering but we are always aware that we are honouring Christ and always expectant for lives to be changed.
About 20 were about to start worshipping the Lord when a young lady walked in. She was bilingual with an English mother and Spanish father - one of the thousands of similar individuals along Spain’s famous Costa Blanca.
letter from Spain
Seedy clubs, drugs & alcohol... but the gospel too!
Trevor Ramsey
Located on Spain’s sunny Costa Blanca, the town of Benidorm is known for many things - only a few of them are particularly healthy! Through popular TV programmes, such as Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, A Place in the Sun or the sitcom Benidorm, many UK citizens have got a taste of life on the sunny coast.
Benidorm is still a very popular holiday destination - indeed nearly 800,000 UK tourists flock there every summer, seeking the perfect holiday of sun, sea and sand. Parts of the town are beautiful and peaceful but certain areas are awash with decadence and immorality, fuelled by excessive alcohol and a lax drug use policy, particularly on 'The Strip', the notorious street full of bars and seedy clubs. It’s a veritable hive of activity and noise and depravity, especially when the sun goes down.
Benidorm: Complex truth behind partying headlines
Trevor Ramsey
The town of Benidorm doesn’t enjoy a good reputation. Fuelled by stories of out-of-control parties, most people avoid it when choosing a holiday destination. The truth, however, is far more complex – but we will leave that to the travel writers. What concerns us is the gospel.
In the summer of 2021, just after I had finished a year as President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, and with the support of the large church I pastored, my wife Maggie and I moved to Benidorm to serve the Lord in this unique place. Today, I pastor the only English-speaking evangelical church in Benidorm, called The English Church.