Mayor and MP welcome new Baptist minister for Hemel Hempstead 

The Mayor of Dacorum Borough Council, Councillor Robert McLean, along with Hemel Hempstead’s MP, the Rt Hon Mike Penning, have officially welcomed the appointment of Hemel Hempstead’s new Baptist minister, the Revd Colin Cartwright

The Mayor and Mike Penning joined 300 people to welcome Colin at his induction service, held at Carey Baptist Church, in Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, on Saturday (4 February). 

'There was an unmistakable sense of celebration at this significant event in the life of Carey Baptist church,' said the church's joint moderator Jon Neall, 'Colin is the 36th minister to serve this church in its 335-year history and we’re hoping that, during his period of service, he’ll build on the friendship that was evident at the service on Saturday.'

Suzanne Watts, of the Dacorum Inter-Faith Network, Nikki Daly, of Churches Together in Hemel Hempstead, and local religious leaders - the Revd Austin Janes, of Grovehill Church of the Resurrection, and the Revd Garry Jenkins, of Belmont Road Baptist Church, Hemel Hempstead were all present to welcome Colin into his new role. 
 
They were joined friends and members of Carey Baptist Church; Colin Cartwright’s previous church of Trinity Baptist Church, Chesham; members of other local communities, and Colin’s family.
 
The current church building was opened on October 15th 1861, but Baptists have been worshipping in Hemel Hempstead since 1679. The first Baptist chapel was built in 1688 in the grounds of what is now Old Marlowes House at the bottom of Midland Road. In 1962, the church was instrumental in establishing Belmont Road Baptist Church and, in October 1980, Marlowes Baptist Church merged with Boxmoor Baptist Church to become Carey Baptist Church, based on the Marlowes’ site.
 
Today, in addition to its regular worship-based activities, Carey Baptist Church offers a number of activities and interest groups specifically for children, young people and families – and also serves the wider community by allowing community groups to make use of its premises. It aims ‘to know Christ better and to make him better known’.


The picture shows (from left): Jon Neall, joint Moderator of Carey Baptist Church; The Rt Hon Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead and Minister of State for the Armed Forces; The Revd Colin Cartwright; Councillor Robert McLean, Mayor of Dacorum; Robert Little, joint Moderator of Carey Baptist Church, and The Revd Geoffrey Colmer, Regional Minister of the Central Baptist Association.