innercity church with a ♥ for cape town

there's an unmistakable sense of supernatural power at work when gathering together for church in a building with this kind of history: originally a theatre open to all races; in 1829 slaves and free blacks no longer allowed to attend; then later it's ironically used as a mission church for freed slaves. Today, with the Common Ground innercity church meeting in the St Stephens church building on Riebeeck Square Cape Town, it is being used to bring hope and freedom to people of all ages and races.

I attended their 2nd evening service last night and was moved by their heart for the people of the City of Cape Town (most probably because this is part of my personal vision from the Lord that has come through a seriously challenging time of seeking God's purpose in creating our lives). But anyway, the story of the building gets more interesting: beneath the church is a cellar which in the past was hired out to local merchants, one of them a wine merchant. Because of this, the following was "graffiti'd" onto the walls of the church:

There's a spirit above and a spirit below,
The spirit above is the spirit of love,
The spirit below is the spirit of woe,
The spirit above is the spirit divine,
The spirit below is the spirit of wine.


So not just a venue but a building with a story. And as it goes, History is His story. So i'm guessing another beautiful story lies ahead in the partnership with Common Ground innercity church.

(Image by Mervyn Hector on Flickr)