Addlestone Baptist Church

 

• A radical overhaul has brought about transformation to this previously declining fellowship in Surrey

• A diverse congregation meets together over a breakfast gathering with worship and prayer

• Praying for evangelists to help the church become more missional

We may be a 191-year-old Baptist Church, but it all feels rather new at the moment. Having faced the stark reality of a declining fellowship three years ago, we undertook some significant changes. Our Sunday service went through a radical overhaul, moving from a mid-morning traditional style to a 9:00am breakfast gathering where we feast on worship, prayer, the Word and croissants, cereal, toast and good coffee.

It may seem a trivial change but now we are Christ’s family in practice as well as name. Our congregation has increased by over a third in just a few months, and we now face challenges fitting everyone in. Alongside this, our congregation is now far more diverse with people, young and old, differing backgrounds, nationalities, and life situations all gathering together as brothers and sisters in Christ. God is clearly building his church!

Thanksgiving:

• For the signs of new life within the fellowship
• For the deepening of relationships between church members
• For the sense of hope and vision for the future

Prayer requests:

• An evangelist(s) to help the church become more missional
• Improvements in our finances so we can reduce our dependency on Home Mission
• Raising up of new leaders to strengthen our various ministries

One practical need:
The front forecourt of the church leading to the main doors is in desperate need of renovation. Unfortunately, we do not have the skills within the fellowship to tackle this ourselves, or the finance to outsource this commercially. Any help/creative ideas gratefully received!
Thank you!

We believe Addlestone Baptist Church is in a great position to make a strong impact in the community. We already run a foodbank, toddler group, CAP courses and other ministries out of the church but would love to do more. The changes we’ve made to our Sunday expression of church has had a massive impact on who we are and how we can reach out to our community. But this would not have been possible without the support of SEBA Home Mission and our wider Baptist Family. Through your support you have given us the opportunity to re-imagine church, and take the risks (or rather, ‘faith steps’) necessary to be who we are today. Thank you!

Click here to read more stories about how the money you give to Home Mission is being used to bring the love of God to communities around the country.

The story of Addlestone Baptist Church's overhaul of its Sunday morning service was shared in the Summer 2019 edition of Baptists Together magazine (p14)