I’ve never thought of going to Tenerife even though I love the sun, and countless people seem to love holidaying there. And I don’t think I would have gone if a friend hadn’t mentioned that I would probably be willing to preach there invited. I am so glad he did because Mo and I have just come back from a month of sizzling sun and fantastic fellowship, nd we can’t wait to go again.

The beaches are not as nice as ours but you can guarantee a sunny day (I was told it hardly ever rains on the island of eternal spring) and there are some amazing views (Los Gigantes for example is simply breathtaking). But for all the cheap food and fantastic weather, it’s the church that we’ll remember most. South Tenerife Christian Fellowship may be small but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in faith and generosity, and it was a privilege to teach there for the whole of July.

Visitors are a constant source of encouragement with some 16,000 of them attending the church in any particular year. And, as you would expect they come from all walks of life adding weight to my conviction that the Christian faith is as credible and relevant today as it has ever been.

This came home forcibly to me on my first and last Sundays. Following the first morning service for example, I found myself chatting to a High Court judge who told me that he knew the lawyer I had quoted in my sermon. Norman Anderson had once told a radio audience that he was convinced he would see his son again even though he had recently died of cancer. He was persuaded of this because he trained lawyers to examine the facts, and as far as he was concerned all the evidence pointed to one conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead.

And then, just before I began to preach on the final Sunday morning I was there I was reminded of a Baptist minister I have not seen for years. He was living in Gwent when we first met, and he had an amazing story to tell. In fact he is the only person I know who has come to faith in a toilet! Let me explain. Mike was a chronic alcoholic; in fact he had reached the point where he actually enjoyed rolling around in the gutter. But a young lad working in his office kept telling him that if he ever wanted to beat his addiction he should ask Jesus to help him. Mike did just that and ended up as an evangelist in Covent Garden.

Now I didn’t mention Mike by name. I simply told his story and assured everyone that what God did for Mike he could do for anyone. Amazingly, there was a family in the congregation that morning that attend the church where Mike is now a minister and they were able to tell me that the young lad who pointed him to Jesus has become a pastor too.

As a result of all this, I have come back from Tenerife with a renewed sense of confidence that what whatever the weather, we don’t have to travel to Tenerife to find the Son. We can find Him anywhere; all we need is faith.

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]