Baptist Life 10

Check out our new-look website

www.baptist.org.uk

Small Churches active in mission

Encouraging Young Disciples

Home Mission - Just Imagine READ ONLINE AT WWW.BAPTIST.ORG.UK/BAPTISTLIFE

Baptists: A Sacrificial community

OCT - DEC ’11

Just Imagine ...

by Amanda Allchorn - Head of Communication Department

Just imagine… you could help to transform the lives of young people?

Just imagine… you could help to reach out to people in isolated rural communities?

Just imagine… you could help to support new ways of being church?

Just imagine… you could help to bring love to an ignored estate? …by giving to Home Mission you are!

All of the illustrations above are mission and ministry situations supported by funds from the annual Home Mission Appeal – which this year seeks £4.4m. Money given generously by churches just like yours is reallocated through a range of grants to equip others as they seek to serve God across our Baptist family. As God calls His people to reach out in mission, Home Mission ‘joins hands with’ and ‘empowers’ those who otherwise could not afford to bring their dreams and visions into reality.

But I wonder how many of us really understand how much Home Mission does?

I am increasingly convinced that Home Mission is one of our Baptist family’s best-kept secrets! The challenging truth is that some of you reading Baptist Life will only know a little about what we call Home Mission.

Because of that lack of understanding and as other good causes scream for attention some churches are not increasing their giving. The impact of this is that we cannot

respond to all the requests that are made for support. Yet, if I told you that through Home Mission giving you and your church are playing a key part in transforming lives and communities for Christ, I am sure that you would be jumping up and down with excitement and want to do more!

So this autumn we start a new journey together to seek prayerfully to ‘capture a fresh understanding and passion for Home Mission’. To help us do this we see the very beginning of a new initiative called ‘Just Imagine’ developed by a group made up of folks from across the country. Our prayer is that as we ‘walk together and watch over each other’ we will learn to love each other with greater compassion, care more deeply about what God is calling others to do, and this will move us to step out in faith and give with a new spirit of generosity as a Baptist people.

Through creative story telling, interviews, fresh resources and much more ‘Just Imagine’ feels more like an adventure than a project! Our group will prayerfully develop the theme and resources as we listen to God and each other. ‘Just Imagine’ invites us all to celebrate what God is already doing through Home Mission and encourages us to dream a little about what God could do through us as a missional movement.

Just imagine if we don’t…

Credits: Baptist Life is edited by Chris Hall. Design by Flavour Design (James Stamp) Like the Baptist Union of Great Britain on Facebook www.facebook.com/baptistuniongb

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Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/baptistuniongb

Just Imagine ...

Baptist Life will play a key part in bringing to life the new ‘Just Imagine’ Home Mission initiative. Stories, interviews and information on new resources will all seek to bring to life the heart and soul of Home Mission. To start off with:

Posters Just Imagine helping to transform the lives of young people by giving to Home Mission you are!

just imagine if we didn’t...

Grant to support, equip and empower a Community Youth Worker through ‘Word on the Street’ (Gillingham, Kent)

Just Imagine helping to support new ways of being church by giving to Home Mission you are!

Grant to support, equip and empower the minister of Jacob’s Well in Yate, (near Bristol)

just imagine if we didn’t...

Just Imagine helping to reach out to isolated rural communities by giving to Home Mission you are!

Grant to support, equip and empower a Missioner for Breconshire

Just Imagine helping small churches to grow and bring love to an ignored estate - by giving to Home Mission you are!

just imagine if we didn’t...

just imagine if we didn’t...

Grant to support the minister at Hivings Free Church (Chesham, Bucks)

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers

www.baptist.org.uk/home-mission

www.baptist.org.uk/home-mission

www.baptist.org.uk/home-mission

www.baptist.org.uk/home-mission

Look out for the ‘Just Imagine’ posters soon to be appearing on your church noticeboard.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks will also be available from your Home Mission representative.

Just Imagine helping to transform the lives of young people - by giving to Home Mission you are!

Just Imagine helping to support new ways of being church - by giving to Home Mission you are!

Just Imagine helping to reach out to isolated rural communities - by giving to Home Mission you are!

Just Imagine helping to reach out to isolated rural communities - by giving to Home Mission you are!

just imagine if we didn’t...

just imagine if we didn’t...

Grant to support, equip and empower a Community Youth Worker through ‘Word on the Street’ (Gillingham, Kent)

Grant to support, equip and empower the minister of Jacob’s Well in Yate, (near Bristol)

Grant to support, equip and empower a Missioner for Breconshire

Grant to support, equip and empower a Missioner for Breconshire

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers.

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers.

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers.

Home Mission supports, equips and empowers.

just imagine if we didn’t...

just imagine if we didn’t...

DVD and Booklet

Early in 2012 we will be sending out a short DVD and booklet which explains more about ‘Just Imagine’.

Facebook/Twitter

There will be updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages. The hashtag on Twitter is #hmjustimagine.

Things to do

Pray Find out who your Home Mission representative is.

Find out how much your church gives to Home Mission.

Collect stamps, coins, medals and postcards – send them to Alan Cookson, 41 Pemberton Close, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 7NY.

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“We work together, pastor, deacons, elders and members and use ideas which we feel are inspired by God Himself,” says Celia. “We are open to ideas and most definitely we are a team working in the rural situation where God has placed us. We are small but we can work to do great things for God.” Ebenezer Baptist Church has been working with local organisations and groups to help get the good news out there and best serve the community they are in.

Just because a church is small does not mean that it cannot be active and effective in serving its community.

Morton New Day Baptist Church in Lincolnshire (East Midland Baptist Association) and Ebenezer Baptist Church in Coseley near Birmingham (Heart of England Baptist Association) are two good examples.

A loan from the Baptist Union Loan Fund back in 2004 for some much-needed building work has energised Morton New Day Baptist Church according to church member and Home Mission representative, Celia Darvill.

EVANGELISM

“Seven years on the loan is almost repaid and in spite of being a small rural church we are moving on and great things are happening. The building is a hive of activity throughout the week and we serve the community in many ways and so witness the love of Jesus to those around us.”

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Ways in which the church serves its village include a monthly luncheon club, a church shop selling a variety of goods, providing refreshments at the annual street fair and a very active handicraft club that has knitted various items that have gone to local care homes and the premature baby unit.

They have started a very successful tea dance in collaboration with the local police.

The 999 Tea Dance has typically 50 to 70 people attend each month, some of which have undergone some form of recent trauma and have been identified as vulnerable members of our community who need help with social reintegration. “The Tea Dance offers individuals a safe place to come where they can make new friends, have a wonderful lunch, get entertained and hear the good news of the gospel,” says Chris Campbell, a deacon at the church who recently became its voluntary community worker.

Other activities that the church is involved in include conducting school assemblies with Tipton Youth Project, running two youth clubs and an intergenerational cafe run from Coseley Youth club in collaboration with local police, scout leaders and local authority youth workers.

“The majority of what we do would have never been achieved without God laying specific sectors of our society on the hearts of a few key individuals and then linking them up with community minded people from both the public and private sectors to help carry them through to fruition,” says Chris.

“We’ve had our financial constraints like most other churches but when you start becoming salt and light to the community where you live, things will happen.”

CREATION CARE

HERE COMES THE SUN During August Baptist House can be a bit quieter but not this summer.

The building in Didcot (Southern Counties Baptist Association) that holds BMS World Mission and Baptist Union of Great Britain’s National Resource has been surrounded by scaffolding as workmen have installed 190 electricity generating solar panels onto the roof. The system, which was commissioned and switched online in September, will generate electricity for the building with any excess sold back to the National Grid. It is expected that the investment of £200,000 by BMS and the BUGB to pay for the panels will be recouped in 10-12 years. It will also reduce the building’s carbon footprint. “The project makes sound financial sense but also reinforces our commitment to creation care and gives us the opportunity to reduce our consumption of energy considerably over the next 25 years,” says BUGB General Manager, Richard Nicholls.

DIVERSITY

MEN AND WOMEN WORKING AS EQUALS Consider a world where inequalities don’t exist, where each person is valued, where men and women work together as equals. Consider what such a future might look like for our Union – men and women working together to create justice and equality for all in Christ Jesus. That is the premise behind the theme for this year’s The Gathering facilitated by the BUGB’s Racial Justice and Women’s Justice Groups. “Join us and help shape the future of our Union – moving closer to making equality and justice for all a reality,” says Charmaine Howard, minister at Northolt Park Baptist Church (London Baptist Association) who is helping to organise the day. “Come and share your stories, listen to others’ perspectives and together we will create our vision.” For more on The Gathering see the advert on the back page.

DIVERSITY

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS WITH SOUTH ASIANS When you share your faith with others quite often questions will arise. How do you respond, especially if it is someone from a different background? The London Baptist Association (LBA) in partnership with South Asia Forum of the Evangelical Alliance and other bodies has produced ‘Jesus Through Asian Eyes - 15 frequently asked questions’.

This booklet, partly funded by a Mission Project Grant, aims to inform Christians of potential questions and misunderstandings that South Asian neighbours may have and helps answer and address them. LBA Regional Minister, Kumar Rajagopalan, believes it will be a useful and important resource for many Baptist churches. “It is my earnest prayer that this resource will help South Asians in their journey to discover the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.” To order copies, visit www.eauk.org/saf.

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Encouraging Young Disciples

How is the work with children and young people going at your church?

If you are a children’s or youth leader do you feel that the resources you use and your approach is effectively getting the gospel message across to young people?

The BUGB Mission Department recently researched with Baptists and other likeminded Christian organisations into ways our churches’ work with children and young people could be improved. The report, called Encouraging Young Missionary Disciples (EYMD), looked at the topic from a range of different angles and how children’s and youth work is organised and provided in our churches.

Much to celebrate

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The working group behind the EYMD report found that across the Baptist Union there is much to celebrate in the work done with children and young people.

The enormous effort, sacrifice, and contribution that is being made by volunteers week in, week out, often with little by way of encouragement, appreciation and support makes the church the largest provider of children’s and youth support in the UK.

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Time for something new “We recognise that what many churches are doing is great but we want to evaluate why we do what we do and how we can develop it afresh,” says Ed Jones, a member of the EYMD Task Group who is a Baptist minister and Executive Director for Arise Ministries, a children’s ministry developed by the Girl’s Brigade and Viz-A-Viz Ministries that has led children’s work at the Baptist Assembly and Leading Edge. “Maybe we have done certain things over the years because it has always been done like that but actually where are children and young people

today? What are the pressures that our society and culture are throwing at them and how can we stand by them so they can grow as followers of Jesus in the 21st century and beyond?”

Mission for all-age groups Another finding of the EYMD report was that work with children and young people should be part of an all-age strategy to make discipleship work from cradle to grave. It should not be completely separated from the other age groups in the church. Faith and church must be seen as whole-life, all-week, not simply something that happens at meetings and on Sundays. Investment in children must lead to investment in teenagers, young adults, adults, middleaged, and seniors.

“As a group we were constantly considering the nature of discipleship and when it starts. There was no clear consensus on this so it is an important on-going exploration,” says Anne Lane, another member of the EYMD Task Group, now Tutor in Community Learning at Regent’s Park College in Oxford (Southern Counties Baptist Association). “If we are saying that the whole of life should be an encounter with Jesus, then we should expect people of all ages to be responding to him, in many different ways, all the time. Developing a ‘Sowing, Reaping, Keeping, Commissioning’ approach to engage with children and young people as life-long disciples, recognises and provides particular opportunities for faith to grow.”

Other findings included: • Children’s work should be about discipleship not merely entertaining children whilst the adults are in the service.

• The church and parents need to work together in their shared responsibility to nurture and disciple children and young people.

What happens next?

A new working group has now been chosen to explore these ideas further in consultation with local churches which it is anticipated will lead to new resources for churches. “We really want to work with our churches,” says Ed Jones. “We want to look together at the challenges and the questions on how we actually support children and young people, as they hopefully make a decision to follow Jesus and then to realise the implications that decision makes in their lives.”

Please pray for this working group, for work amongst children and young people in your church and across the UK, that it will be relevant and will ensure disciples in our churches of all generations today and in the future.

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OPINION For over 10 years now the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) has followed Five Core Values, declarations about the sort of Christ-centred people we ought to be. The Opinion section of Baptist Life is looking at these core values. This time Clare McBeath looks at what it means to be a sacrificial community.

SACRIFICIAL The Revd Dr Clare McBeath is minister of Openshaw Baptist Tabernacle, Manchester (North Western Baptist Association) and a Team Leader for Urban Expression. She is coauthor of Crumbs of Hope: Prayers from the City and of the web resource www.dancingscarecrow.org.uk “Take up your cross and follow me”. These very familiar words from Jesus sound so simple but capture the invitation which lies at the very heart of our faith. Far from being easy, this invitation is deeply challenging and turns the tables of many of our world’s values and dare I say it, some of our churches’ values too.

This is not an invitation to a kind of passive, door-mat theology but an invitation to journey actively with Jesus to the foot of the cross.

An invitation to walk with the incarnate Jesus alongside all who are suffering – the bread-winner who has been made redundant, the families who live in sink estate high rises or inner city terraced streets, the child who is terminally ill, the teenagers involved in last summer’s riots, the migrant worker struggling to support family back home, the older person with dementia. It will be a painful and difficult path because it is the path of vulnerability and letting go of self. It is the path that leads to crucifixion – because we are called to be a sacrificial community.

During ministerial training I found myself wandering around a local inner-city community where a possible church placement might be arranged. I now know the streets well but then I remember thinking “what a dump” – boarded up houses, razor wire, broken glass, graffiti and a strong sense of apathy and despair. Then I heard the words from the Exodus story “I have heard the cry of my people” and felt a strong sense that this was where I was called to be. Persuading my husband to move into the inner-city with my two year old son and a daughter on the way took a lot of heart searching.

Several years on, after walking with the community through the upheavals and demolitions of regeneration and several waves of immigration, the community is still at the bottom of the social heap but now I feel very differently because I have grown to love the community and its people. There is very little in the way of money or resources or even success to keep a small Home Mission-funded church (now building-less) going but we have learned not to have to own and control everything. With humility, we share with the community buildings, volunteers, stories, food, laughter and tears. And our “reward”? The glimpses of hope, of resurrection, seen in the seemingly insignificant incidents of daily life. The promised taste of new life.

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For more on Five Core Values visit: www.baptist.org.uk/baptist_life/what_is_a_baptist/five_core_values.html

Resources The Story of Women in Ministry in the Baptist Union of Great Britain is now available from BUGB. This recounts the history of women in leadership amongst us, including the significant debate that took place at Council last year. To order a copy go to the BUGB Online Store section of the website: www.baptist.org.uk/resources/bugb-online-store.html

Get in the Picture Get in the Picture is a simple way to help people talk about the meaning of Christmas. Start planning now with other churches in your area to make an impact in your town or village this Christmas. For more information to get you started, download the new Mission File www.baptist.org.uk/component/docman/doc_download/842-get-in-the-picture. html

Christmas Podcasts from the Northumbria Community Coming in time for Advent is a series of short reflective podcasts presented by former BUGB President Roy Searle and the Northumbria Community to help prepare you for Christmas. Roy and the Community produced podcasts for us last Christmas and Easter and they proved very popular.

Visit www.baptist.org.uk in the last week of November for more on how you can download and listen to this series.

D u lc e a’s D ia r y Ent ry Nu mb er 777 Dear Diar y

falli ng, plun der and the wor ld’s gone mad: Gove rnments What a year ! What a year ! It’s like g to get wors e. Worse. goin fight ing. And the Lord says it’s pillage, murder and riots, fam ine and thes e days . It’s so s new the read anymore. I can’t even I don’t thin k my poor heart can take s wor ld! The light God for Jesus! Good news in a bad new sad. But than k God for Jesus! Than k le will see peop ness cann ot overcome it. I real ly hope shines in the dark ness but the dark all abou t. I he’s t wha and they will hear who Jesus is Chri stm as diffe rent ly this year. I hope ger and Man a in y Awa all not It’s . nd a bit more now thin k I see it now. I thin k I can unde rsta come ha, Maranat stm as pudding, mist letoe and wine . e, Silen t Nigh t, stuf fed turk ey and Chri Com e! nam his se r, halle lujah ! Come Mighty God, prai e Lord Jesus. Come, Won derf ul Coun sello peac and ent rnm gove e. And of the incre ase of his Ever last ing Fath er. Come, Prin ce of Peac glor y to all the ange ls and heavenly host s sing with And God. to y there will be no end. Glor He is with us inde ed. his name is Imm anue l - God is with us!

God, glor y to God in the high est. For Ame n, Ame n, Ame n

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rayer Prayer Guid Guide

Strengthen our Faith

God of grace, in your love and compassion strengthen our faith and enliven our hope.

God of grace, by your Spirit’s breath help us to pray and to trust you now and every day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Taken from Gathering for Worship (Code BU318) available from BUGB Publications www.baptist.org.uk/resources/bugb-online-store.html

Welcome to the final quarter of the 2011 Prayer Guide – your opportunity to pray for the wider Baptist family over the next three months.

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If you would to like to access more prayer resources contact your Baptist association or go to www.baptist.org.uk/prayer_worship.html where you will find a range of materials including monthly prayers of intercession.

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October 2-8 October Bristol Baptist College Pray for wisdom as the college addresses government changes in higher education policy especially as they affect overseas students and youth workers. Remember the ministerial students who leave next summer and are currently seeking their first churches. Please pray for the new students as they settle into their placements and adjust to college life.

www.bristol-baptist.ac.uk

9-15 October The Gathering This Saturday The Gathering, a multicultural conference organised by the BUGB Racial Justice Committee, is being held in London. The event will explore how men and women can work together to create justice and equality for all in Christ Jesus. Pray that those who attend www.mainstream-uk.com will be inspired to act on what they learn.

www.baptist.org.uk/events.html

16-22 October Mission Department The Mission Department is focusing on major projects at the moment with its partners through the Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and www.ctbi.org.uk/511 Ireland. Pray for the department as it focuses on rethinking the children’s and youth work within our churches and for relationships developing with other denominations and Christian organisations that are doing likewise.

www.baptist.org.uk/mission

23-29 October Baptist Union of Scotland The Baptist Union of Scotland together with BMS World Mission is holding the Baptist Assembly in Dunfermline from 27 to 29 October.

The Assembly will be considering a fresh invitation to journey in a missional and relational direction coloured by a creative understanding of their roots. Pray that they might be strengthened and encouraged.

www.scottishbaptist.org.uk

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November 30 October - 5 November Regent’s Park Baptist College

As the academic year gets underway pray for new students settling into college life – ministerials, undergraduates and postgraduates.

Pray for those who left college this summer still facing an uncertain future, and for the staff who endeavour to provide an environment in which students may flourish and world-wide visitors using the college’s resources feel welcome.

www.rpc.ox.ac.uk

6-12 November Home Mission JUST IMAGINE ...

This autumn a new initiative called ‘Just Imagine’ has been launched to help capture a fresh understanding and passion for Home Mission. Please pray that ‘Just Imagine’ will inspire a radical change in the hearts and lives of the Baptist family that will motivate us all to do greater things for God’s kingdom and glory. www.baptist.org.uk

13-19 November BU Council Pray for those attending Baptist Union Council from 14 to 16 November at Swanwick. Pray that there will be grace in the discussions and prayerful consideration of important issues that are facing the Baptist Union at this time. Pray for the departments and committees that will act on recommendations and decisions made this week.

20-26 November Central Baptist Association Pray that church members in the CBA will respond enthusiastically to new training opportunities like the work that Anne Lane, the new part-time Community Learning Tutor with Regent’s Park College, will be doing with the association. Pray that ‘Help! I’m a Deacon’ roadshows during January will better equip those called to serve as deacons. www.centralba.org.uk

27 November - 3 December Spurgeon’s College Pray for the community as they adjust to new students and new staff joining it. Pray for wisdom for governors as they make important and strategic decisions, for new and departing students undergoing major transitions, for financial provision after three years of large deficits.

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www.spurgeons.ac.uk

December 4-10 December East Midland Baptist Association Pray for fruitfulness in EMBA churches during the season of Advent and Christmas. Pray for wisdom as the association continues with the ‘Investing in Leadership’ initiative. Pray for all EMBA churches that they may be authentic disciples and generous as they share the love of Christ with those in their communities.

www.embaptists.co.uk

11-17 December General Secretariat Pray for General Manager, Richard Nicholls, as he oversees the work of the National Resource and supports the work of regional associations and colleges. Pray for Jonathan Edwards as he leads the BUGB as General Secretary and represents Baptists at a national www.mainstream-uk.com and international level and for Angie and Monica supporting them both administratively.

www.baptist.org.uk

18-24 December Christmas Pray for carol services held this week in Baptist churches especially for visitors who do not regularly attend church. Pray for those for www.ctbi.org.uk/511 whom this Christmas will be a difficult period. Pray for ministers and those who are especially busy at this time, that they will have opportunity to relax and be refreshed by God.

www.baptist.org.uk/mission

25-31 December London Baptist Association Pray for the new Team Leader who (it is hoped) will be taking up their post in January. Pray for David Pile, the LBA’s Olympics and Paralympics Church Engagement Co-ordinator, and that churches in London will make the most of the mission opportunities offered by the London 2012 Olympics and its legacy.

www.londonbaptist.org.uk

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INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE BAPTIST UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

THE BAPTIST UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN. INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE FROM ACROSS Alice McDermott, until recently, was a pilot in the Royal Air Force. In September she started ministerial training at the Scottish Baptist College.

Favourite Bible verse Zephaniah 3:17: ‘The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.’ This verse was given to me by friends at Newbury Baptist Church when I went to fly into Iraq for the first time. This verse is the one I turn to when I have been flying into dangerous places.

Alice

What does Remembrance Sunday mean to you? A day when I remember people I know and have flown with whose lives have been lost. In particular one of my crew from my first trips into Afghanistan who was onboard the Hercules which was shot down over Iraq early 2005.

What is it like being a Christian in the Armed Forces? It is amazing how many Christians are in the Armed Forces, however many of them keep their faith quiet. I have had amazing opportunities for sharing my faith, especially when I have been in the Middle East!

What prompted you to train for Baptist ministry? When I returned to my faith five years ago, I felt like a prodigal daughter returning home and the natural step was to be baptised. In the water as I was prayed for I felt called to ministry. I was encouraged to test my gifts and study in response to this calling.

I started to preach, lead and discovered my burning passion for evangelism. My sense of calling became so strong that I could ignore it no longer.

Jamie Kidd is a former Para in the Army who is now entering his second year of ministerial training at Spurgeon’s College and is minister of Pinner Free Church, London.

What is it like being a Christian in the Armed Forces? Tough! It can be an easy environment to fall into violence and debauchery if you do not have a grounded relationship with Christ. I received little to no spiritual help during my short 8 years service - it was only when a good Baptist Chaplain by the name of Cole Maynard came to our battalion that I even knew there was discipleship available.

How did you become a Christian? As I grew up I suffered from a poor self image and found acceptance in gangs and criminal activity.

Homeless at 15 with no qualifications, shortly after I joined Britain’s elite Parachute Regiment. However, I was now trapped in a world of violence, pornography, drinking and subsequently facing divorce. It was during the invasion of Iraq and a parachute malfunction that I was left examining my life. I came to Christ, repented of my many sins, put my faith in him and asked him to save me and heal my broken life. God answered and saved my marriage, gave me hope, true peace and a sense of purpose, but more importantly an assurance that should I die I will spend eternity in heaven with him. It is this God that I worship and want to shout about from the rooftops!

Ja m ie

What prompted you to train for Baptist ministry? I came to Spurgeon’s College from an independent evangelical church. I immediately felt part of a family and was moved by the atmosphere of worship, dedication and reverence for the Word that I questioned whether I was in the right place.

Shortly after, and with much prayer, I felt called to join the Baptist family.

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Christian events – October to December October 15 16 16 23 23-30 27-29

The Gathering 2011 www.baptist.org.uk/events.html Healthcare Sunday www.healthcaresunday.org.uk Micah Sunday www.micahchallenge.org.uk Bible Sunday www.biblesunday.org One World Week www.oneworldweek.org/v2 Baptist Assembly in Scotland, Dunfermline www.baptistassemblyinscotland.org

November Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer 7 www.baptist.org.uk/prayer-download.html Remembrance Sunday 13 Baptist Union Council, Swanwick, Derbyshire 14-16 Prisons Week www.prisonsweek.org 20-26 Inter Faith Week www.interfaithweek.org 20-26 Advent Sunday 27 December 1 10 24 25

World AIDS Day www.worldaidsday.org Human Rights Day Christmas Eve Christmas Day

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Baptists Beyond 400 Friday 4 May – Sunday 6 May 2012 Westminster Central Hall, London Please visit the Baptist Assembly website in October for more information.

The Gathering 2011

Date: 15 October Registration from 09:00 Venue: Brixton Baptist Church, Solon Road, London SW2 5UY (Nearest tube: Brixton) Main speakers: Pat Took (BUGB President)

Anthony Reddie (Author of Is God Colour Blind?)

Cost: ÂŁ15 to include a Caribbean meal Register and see the programme on line: www.baptist.org.uk/events.html Please send any comments or ideas for future editions to Communications Baptist House PO Box 44 129 Broadway Didcot OX11 8RT telephone 01235 517756 facsimile 01235 517715 email communications@baptist.org.uk Website www.baptist.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1125912

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