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Weekly Prayer Focus: Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church

Week 49

Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay are the two communities that form the eastern edge of the City of Southend-on-Sea. Shoeburyness is a former Garrison town and Thorpe Bay is a newer residential area. The church is made up of people from both communities and beyond.

At the start of November STBBC launched their vision/framework for the next season of church life – Hope & Hospitality. God is definitely stirring the waters and there is anticipation and excitement about how things are developing.

In 2020 the church adopted a Statement of Inclusion and they have subsequently registered for same-sex marriage, conducting their first in May 2021. STBBC has since worked with a number of other churches who are discussing LGBTQ inclusion. Many people in the church have also taken part in racial justice learning communities, and STBBC is actively working on how to better support and engage with people who are autistic.

STBBC continues to be active in their local community, especially through work with children and young people and their Parish Nursing team. The live streaming of services and use of social media is enabling the church to increasingly engage with people online also.

The church currently has two Pastors – Rev David Mayne (Lead Pastor) and Vicky Baker (Pastor for Children and Families), with Rev Jo Hellenbrand (Pastor for Caring and Serving Ministries) set to join the team in January.

For prayer:

For the Elders and Trustees as they work through the various challenges and strategic decisions facing the church.
For the appointment of a new Youth Worker in January 2023.
For the good welcome and integration of new people attending each week.