A Little Introduction to Home Mission

Jonathan EdwardsGeneral Secretary

Home Mission:Encouraging Missionary DisciplesHome Mission is quite simply the Baptist Union’s family purse. When we want to do things together then we need to find the money from Home Mission.

I want you to be really excited about Home Mission, because it enables us to do an immense range of things together. And all of those activities are inspired by the fact that we are united in wanting to encourage missionary disciples. That is to say, we want to be obedient to the words of Jesus who called us to follow him and to encourage others to do the same.

In this little book I want to open up for you the amazing ministry of Home Mission. I want you to meet many of the people who are supported by Home Mission – and there are more than 400 of us!

But let me be honest. I am desperately keen for Home Mission to grow – and it can grow! It will do so as more and more people commit themselves to this exciting ministry. Before anything else we need your prayers and your interest. But we also need you to give money … and to save up your stamps, coins and postcards … and to make sure that Home Mission is mentioned in your will. In these very practical ways you can ensure that the Kingdom of God will grow.

Home Mission:Putting faith in the workplaceHome Mission supports some of the 200+ Baptist ministers acrossEngland and Wales who are involved in chaplaincy on a full or part-timebasis. There are chaplains in education, the Armed Forces, industry,retail, healthcare, prisons and sport. A chaplain supports staff and raisesissues of justice and humanity with the institution being served. Forthose with whom the chaplain works, it can be their only contact with aperson of faith.

Adrian Thomas is a chaplain at Bournemouth Airport and for an insurance company who have offices in the seaside town. He is also team leader of IBEX,an ecumenical charity supported by Home Mission, which encouragesChristians across the central south coast to make connections betweenfaith and work, to start voluntary chaplaincies and to integrate work-related themes into their worship. “I think it is important for us to affirmpeoples’ working lives. To reassure them that what they are doing ismaking a valuable contribution to the local community and is an importantpart of God’s purpose,” says Adrian.

Home Mission: Giving people hopeButtershaw Baptist Church is situated on a challenging estate in Bradford, Yorkshire. Buttershaw is in the top two percent of deprived wards in the UK, adult illiteracy is three times higher than the national average and life span is 26 percent less than the UK average.

Annora Elliott, Lee Huggans and Marie Lacey all live on the estate. From difficult situations, they have been given hope and found faith through the friendship and community involvement of Buttershaw Baptist Church and its family centre. The Family Centre offers a variety of activities and services including counselling, playgroups, after-school clubs, a cooperative which sells fruit and vegetables, and a contact centre for parents who are separated or divorced enabling them to see their children in a safe environment.

Home Mission funding has supported the work of Buttershaw Baptist Church for nearly 20 years. This investment has produced dividends, not in monetary value but in changed lives.

Home Mission:Showing God’s love for families through fun

Part of Home Mission funding is given to support local church projects

that are evangelistic or trying to alleviate poverty. In 2008 Bridgnorth

Baptist Church in Shropshire, received a £3000 BUGB Mission Project

Grant for local churches to hire a marquee to provide a Christian

presence at the Bridgnorth Children’s Festival held over the Bank

Holiday weekend. In the marquee people could participate in a variety

of arts and play activities and a host of entertainment including stories,

puppets, music, dance (even break-dancing). They could also get

information on caring for the environment. Christian literature was

available including promotion of an Alpha Course as well as contact

details for local churches in the area.

The festival itself is the vision of Bridgnorth Baptist minister, Stephen

Derges and his wife Rosalyn, who wanted a free community event to

celebrate children and families. They invited all community groups

with a family focus to get involved and it has turned into the largest

free event of its kind in the West Midlands. In 2008, over 4500

attended over the two days that the festival ran.

Home Mission:

Enabling new ways of being church

“My name is James Karran and I’m a Baptist minister from Ararat Baptist

Church in Cardiff. I’m also on the leadership team of the Solace Bar

Church for which I’m supported by Home Mission.

A lot of younger people find church an alien place to be. They’re not

going to want to go there, even if they do have questions about God,

spirituality and things like that. We felt that if they’re not going to come

to the church then let’s take the church to them. So we decided to set up

Solace in various bars in Cardiff City Centre.

The purpose of Solace is to create a form of church that connects

relevantly and authentically with our culture in the 21st century and to

explore different ways of making that connection. We have speakers,

live bands, debates, meditative stuff … and we can have as many as 50

or 60 people turning up.

Throughout Britain, people in pubs are having discussions and debates

amongst themselves about the government, about politics, about sport,

whatever it happens to be. We just think it’s really great that now God’s

getting a look in as well and we can give people the opportunity to really

explore him.”

Home Mission:Resourcing you for missionThe National Resource centre in Didcot resources, supports and represents Baptist churches, associations and colleges. There are nearly 50 members of staff, all of whom are funded by Home Mission. Here are just some of the areas of work they are involved in:

• helping churches with local ecumenical partnerships• providing resources on political, social and international issues• providing worship materials• supporting ministers• giving grants for mission projects• advising on evangelism and church planting• helping with legal and property issues• dealing with the media• advising on child protection issues• gives financial guidance including taxation and charity accounts• advising on charity registration

and much, much more.

Home Mission:Local support for your church

There are thirteen Baptist associations around the country whose regional ministers and support staff are there to advise, support and

encourage the churches in their region. Their work is funded by Home Mission.

Opposite is the regional ministry team of the London Baptist Association (top to bottom David Shosanya, Kumar Rajagopolan, Pat Took and

Paul Martin). Together with their support staff, they are responsible for promoting mission-minded congregations, offering pastoral support

to ministers, helping churches with issues like racial justice and strengthening the links between Baptist churches across the capital.

re:Source is an urban ministry project set up to help small Baptist churches in deprived areas of Bristol to reach out and play an active part in their communities. It does this by facilitating partnerships for these churches with larger churches in the suburbs, working in conjunction with the West of England Baptist Association (WEBA) and Bristol Baptist college. These partnerships also provide opportunities for people who want to gain experience and training in urban mission and ministry.

Home Mission:Working together

in mission

In 2006, Mary Clarke, originally from Cairns Road Baptist Church, went to Lawrence Weston Baptist Church for a year’s urban mission placement with re:Source. Lawrence Weston is in an edge-of-town estate with high levels of economic and social deprivation. Mary worked with the minister, Sheila Cooper (who was, and still is, on loan from Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church) to build relationships with people on the local estate. Mary still attends the church and is now training to be a minister. People from other local Baptist churches have also supported Lawrence Weston with all kinds of work and ministry - building and tidying, children’s clubs, Sunday worship, and running activities and groups for people on the estate so that the church can better serve the community. From just eight people, the congregation has increased to 25. “It is early days but the green shoots are there. We are now a church with a new vitality and a new relevance to its community,” says Sheila. re:Source is supported by the Baptist family through the West of England Baptist Association and a ‘special ministry’ grant from Home Mission.

Giving generously

How you can help Home Mission ...

Please give generouslyThrough the generous giving of our 2000+ churches each year, over 400 projects, ministries and other initiatives similar to those in this booklet are supported by Home Mission. As God calls and Baptists respond, these funds enable visions and dreams to come to life!

Review your church budgetIf you are a church leader why not prayerfully look again - during your next deacons’ meeting - at the amount your church gives to Home Mission? Then have a chat with your association team to review the church’s giving - visit www.baptist.org.uk for details of the team in your region.

Hold a special event!Why not hold or take part in a fun sponsored event to raise money for Home Mission - a great way to bring people together for a purpose. A cake sale at the next church coffee morning is a simple way to raise funds! For more ideas please visit www.baptist.org.uk/homemission.

Why not leave a legacy?By leaving a legacy in your will, you would be making a huge difference for others in the future.

How you can help Home Mission ...

Collect stamps, coins, medals and postcardsDid you know that these items can be turned into money for Home Mission?! For several years, Home Mission has been collecting and selling stamps,

coins medals and postcards to raise funds. Please send items to Alan Cookson (41 Pemberton Close, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 7NY) or drop them off at the Communications Department at the National Resource if you are visiting Didcot...every little helps!

Baptist House PO Box 44 129 Broadway Didcot Oxon OX11 8RT United Kingdomtelephone 01235 517700 facsimile 01235 517715 email info@baptist.org.ukwebsite www.baptist.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1125912