Anniversary celebration at Rugby Baptist Church

By Brian Coleman  

Rugby Baptist Church celebrated an anniversary recently: 215 years of Christian service …a piece of cake? Well, quite a lot of the celebration weekend did involve food.

We were giving thanks to God for the ‘movement’ in Rugby growing from a group of local Christians to a broad church that it is today. This includes worshipping groups of Portuguese and Chinese-speaking congregations alongside the main congregation that consists of African, Caribbean and other worshippers from around the world complete with a Senior Minister with Polish roots and an Associate Minister who is Dutch, a diversity that is encapsulated by the love of God.

One of the cakes in the anniversary Cake Bake competition shown here is an interesting caricature of the church, of God’s love outpoured in such variety and a blessing to enjoy.

Saturday opened with breakfast and a testimony from the Brigades’ chaplain. During the day exercise was taken with dogs, expressions of art and handicrafts were appreciated, baked cakes were sampled and judged and the day rounded off with an evening ‘talent competition’. How broad can a church be? There was a classical piano recital, beautiful Chinese dancing, spiritual songs in Portuguese, woodwind and vocals from 8 to 28 year olds, a 1930/40s sing-along, and Brigade officers expressing their innermost ‘talents’. The finale was How great is our God?, simultaneous singing in Portuguese and English.

Sunday started with a morning Parade Service at which the Girls’ Brigade and Boys’ Brigade Companies participated, with God’s word coming from Regional Minister the Revd Geoff Colmer, a blessing for all.

Rugby Baptist Church is not only part of a 30 strong church movement in Rugby known as Revive, it is also part of a four-church cluster of Baptist churches, viz. Daventry, Dunchurch, and Wolston. There was a good representation of the cluster churches at the evening service where a team of five people from the churches were commissioned prior to a term of service in Albania in a few weeks time. Celebration was also given for the news of revival in the cluster, ‘rebuilding’ with bricks and mortar, and souls.

So “How Great is our God?” How long have you got?

Is the Christian life a piece of cake?...it is a good way with which to share your faith but in another sense it is not always easy, but is it worth it? We had an inspiring message to leave with based on five myths in Revelation from Peter den Haan (associate Minister), giving a vision of bright hope for the future.