Earlswood Baptist Church

 
Earlswood Baptist Church is a small fellowship with a long history. Initially a children’s mission as part of the work of Redhill Baptist Church, planted in 1909, it became a Baptist Church in its own right in 1987. With a new meeting room built in 1978 which was renovated in 2008 and a hall added in 1997, the church has been blessed by God in its mission to the community in Earlswood.
 
We praise God for:

• His faithfulness over the years.
• His provision of finance through the generosity of the church members and through Home Mission.
• A tremendous growth in the youth and children’s work at Earlswood Baptist Church over the last 5 years. 

We continue to seek God:

• That in the area of finance His provision will continue.
• That we might see families joining the church as a result of the youth and children’s work.
• For wisdom in following where the Lord leads us in terms of serving our community. 

A key area of need for us is finding enough volunteers to effectively resource the youth and children’s work. Our youth club, since being formed nearly 5 years ago has grown into a key part of community outreach, with 75% from non-church based families. Our children’s club for 4-7 year olds has grown in two years from 2 or 3 a week to regularly hitting the high teens each week and our Holiday Club Specials, which happen every two months, consistently see around 20 children attending, with parents joining them 3 times a year. For a small church this puts a tremendous burden on those who are able to support the work.
 
Another key area of need is that of worship leaders/musicians. We currently worship mainly with the use of backing track videos, but would love to welcome guest worship leaders and musicians from other fellowships to help lead and develop our worship at Earlswood Baptist Church. We have had this support in the past but unfortunately those who were helping us have had to drop out for various reasons.
 
We are very excited about a new initiative that we have just launched. Once a fortnight there is a “Coffee Club” meeting in the church. The idea is that those that are 55 and over can gather in a relaxed environment for coffee (or tea), cake, a chat and some games. This has been very well received by church members with whom we have piloted it (regularly seeing 13 folk) and we now plan to extend an invitation to the local community.
 
We are also planning to continue with the development of our youth and children’s work. We are already planning for the summer Holiday Club, as well as looking to develop the Holiday Club Specials. In September 2015 we are also planning to add a new children’s group, taking the 7 year olds from our current group and extending it to cover up to 10 years old. This represents a significant commitment from the church in both volunteers and finance. We are also planning a number of community fun/outreach days.
 
We are always thankful to God for the tremendous sense of fellowship and love at Earlswood Baptist Church. There is a real desire in the fellowship to move things forward and to see the Kingdom of God increased.
 
The support of Home Mission has been tremendously enabling to Earlswood Baptist Church. I personally am very grateful to the opportunity that Home Mission has afforded me to minister at Earlswood Baptist Church and feel blessed as a result. I also believe that the church has developed and grown its role in the community as a direct result of the opportunities that Home Mission support has provided.
   
 

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