Bovingdon Baptist Church
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Growing the relationships with the community which had been restricted through the pandemic
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A small church taking big steps to promote Fairtrade as widely as they can
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Preparing to celebrate 150 years of ministry through Bovingdon Baptist Church
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Three years ago, we began a new season of openness to God and to others with social activities in and around the village. We had groups as big as 15 on our 'Walk, Talk & Coffee' mornings, and people of all ages at Table Tennis club in the chapel on Sunday afternoons. Our annual quiz night saw the church packed with enthusiastic participants. We were delighted to welcome the wider Bovingdon community to these events and to Sunday services and midweek groups such as Coffee Morning and Youth Group. However, what 'walking together' looks like for our church family, friends and neighbours has changed dramatically since the Coronavirus pandemic struck – and continues to evolve now that restrictions are lifting.
From the end of March 2020 until May 2021, we held just two services inside our church building while we sought to protect the health of the vulnerable among us. However, we joined together to worship God via video-conferencing, and held prayer meetings, church members’ meetings, coffee mornings, social events and even our quiz night on Zoom. We circulated a weekly e-newsletter which was also printed and hand-delivered for those without internet access.
We painted pebbles and hid them around the village for schoolchildren to discover during the holidays. And before Christmas 2020 we put together 650 ‘Make-a-Christingle at Home’ kits and distributed them to children at the local primary and pre-schools, and to other friends and neighbours, brightening up their Christmas (and raising £300 for The Children's Society). Our pre-recorded Christingle service reached hundreds of people instead of the 60-80 we could seat in the chapel!
On Pentecost Sunday 2021 we finally returned to our church building for in-person worship, with much rejoicing. Since then, we’ve had in-person services most Sundays and are gradually resuming some of our other activities, such as Youth Group, Table Tennis, Coffee Morning and Walk, Talk & Coffee. In early March, during Fairtrade Fortnight, we’re hosting a Divine Chocolate Tasting evening with a master chocolatier. This is a hybrid in-person/online event, something we’d never have dreamt we could have organised just a couple of years ago, but here we are - a small church taking big steps to promote Fairtrade as widely as we can.
September 2022 marks 150 years since the founding of Bovingdon Baptist Church (meeting in a chapel built on a farmer’s field, set back from the High Street). We are making our plans to celebrate the anniversary by throwing our doors open to our neighbours and friends so that we can share the Good News with them. However, we’ve learned through the pandemic that, although we may make our plans, it’s the Lord who will determine our steps. And maybe God’s plans for us are greater than we could even imagine.
Mary Moody
Minister
January 2022
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