Weekly Prayer Focus

Fakenham Community Baptist Church, in Norfolk, is living testimony that a church is not a building, or even its activities, but people together on a mission to know Jesus and make Him known.  Their 30 or so mainly older members, with a few younger people, currently meet in Fakenham Community Centre in the middle of the town.  They hold Little Fishes in the community centre on a Tuesday, a weekly Lifegroup and coffee meetings.  At the town’s Thursday Market, they run a market stall where they enjoy good relationships with the other stall holders and where people also come for prayer; while at their local Weatherspoons, they host weekly ‘sit and chat’ drop-in sessions.  They hold fast days and monthly corporate prayer meetings and are…

Dereham Baptist Church is well placed in the centre of the small town of Dereham about 15 miles west of Norwich. Nigel Bayley, their pastor of 9 years adds, “The Church has a heart to impact the town for Jesus, seeking to move out of our walls and help people to experience and know Jesus.” Dereham Baptist has 3 congregations, an English speaking one on Sunday, a Portuguese speaking one on Saturday evenings and a gathering for families in Toftwood that grew out of one of their two toddler groups. They also have small “Thrive” discipleship groups (3-5 people) and a few other small groups, including one for young adults and another for teenagers, which was launched after a group of youngsters returned from “Newday”…

Avenue Baptist Church is an active and thriving City Church in the centre of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, with all the needs, challenges, and joys of suburban life. God’s faithfulness is ever present and was particularly evidenced in 2016 when all monies were raised for completion of a large-scale sanctuary refurbishment. On 8th June this year they joyfully celebrated their 150th anniversary of service to their God where their minister Jane Guest sensed the underlying theme of ‘Celebrating God’s Faithfulness’ through the years. On the anniversary itself Jonathan Edwards, former General Secretary of BUGB, spoke inspiringly on the importance of encouraging others, ‘to put courage into people.’  They were also pleased to welcome Claire Blatchford, Regional Minister and local Councillors, MP’s and the former Mayor of Southend…

People experience life-changing events every day within the NHS. Across the EBA, Baptist chaplains serve in a number of hospitals, providing pastoral, spiritual and religious care to patients, visitors and staff of all faiths and none. While chaplaincy is not a statutory NHS requirement, most hospitals provide chaplaincy services. Chaplains offer compassionate, person-centred support, listening to people’s stories, respecting their beliefs and helping them find meaning during difficult times. They may also conduct or facilitate religious rituals and acts of remembrance or celebration. Chaplains play a vital role in responding to crises and supporting people through traumatic experiences such as pregnancy loss, sudden death, mental health crises, life-limiting diagnoses and end-of-life care. They also support NHS staff, students and volunteers, contributing to wellbeing and resilience….