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Weekly Prayer Focus: Maldon Baptist Church

Week 04

Maldon is an ancient Essex town and was once a thriving port where the Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater converge before continuing their journey to the sea. The town is growing with new housing developments springing up on the outskirts. Maldon Baptist Church was founded in 1872 and has very large buildings near the town centre.

The current congregation is small and mainly older, and numbers, while stable, have not returned to pre-covid levels. The church is led by Secretary Richard Lewis and Moderator Rev Michael Child (from Witham Baptist Church). Sunday services are mainly led by Richard and Michael and a faithful group of visiting speakers from other churches. There is a weekday programme which include a Bible study meeting and a bi-monthly bereavement group. On Thursdays there is a TWAM meeting (Tools with a Mission — a Christian charity that primarily collects unwanted usable tools, refurbishes them, and sends them to the developing world for livelihood creation).

Despite large and deteriorating premises, the church has big plans for revitalising the work in Maldon and have established a mission team from outside resources to look at new opportunities and the potential for mission in the town. Plans are currently at the feasibility stage to redevelop the church premises into a multi-use space for more than just Sundays and also convert part of the sprawling buildings to new residential properties to fund the project. And there are ideas being worked through to take on a pioneer minister to plant a new congregation among the people coming into the new housing developments or for a missioner to work in the town.

The church has an ambitious vision and requests prayer for:

Wisdom in knowing God’s leading about the buildings and premises.
That the leaders and members may have boldness to accept the challenge of change.
The members, deacons and mission team at this time of uncertainty.
Activities and participation with Churches Together in Maldon.