We have continued to ask God to ‘Grow us, not to what was, but instead towards what we can become’

Developments at The Baptist Church, St Peter’s in Broadstairs, with minister Rhodri Walters and Kate Grant, who heads the Westover Beacon mission work.

Through the pandemic we prayed: Lord, transform our thinking, reform our practice, fill us with your presence.  We’re now trying to live that out... taking Ephesians 3:20 to remind us that God can do immeasurably more than we might dare to imagine even in our wildest dreams, through his mighty power working in and through us!   
 
As much as we may have preferred the easier option of going back to how things were pre-pandemic, we have continued to ask God to ‘Grow us, not to what was, but instead towards what we can become’.   
 
There is much to thank God for. The church family, though small (about 30), has been faith-filled and courageous. Over the past few years we have launched a Schoolswork charity, a Renew Wellbeing group (which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary), a foodbank outlet, a toddler group, a youth group and have been supporting an organic mission work (Westover Beacon) on a local estate, which is being fruitful as they work out what church on the estate can look like.  
 
This ‘organic mission work’ has grown from one family to a community of 40 over the past four years, with the majority being new to faith. One lady, who came via the foodbank during lockdown, came to faith last year, was baptised in December, and went as part of a mission team to Macedonia in March to tell others about Jesus.   
 
All of this has been in partnership with other church congregations: Baptist and beyond. This has helped to transform our thinking about what church looks like. We are currently in the process of reforming our practice, and all through God filling us with his presence. Prayer is the foundation (we’ve been praying together with the other churches in St Peter’s for the past eight years), and it’s all about Jesus.  

Give thanks for:

• The God-given courage of a faith-filled congregation  
• The increasing willingness of church congregations to work together  
• Those who have come to faith and those who are exploring faith - particularly through Westover Beacon  

 

Pray for:  

• ACTS (Active Christianity in Thanet Schools) - our local schools-work which needs Christians and churches in Thanet to catch the vision to reach out to children and young people who are increasingly not found in our church communities. ACTS needs an increase in income through churches and individuals financially supporting it (as well as success with grant applications). It supports many local primary schools and would like to expand its work into secondary schools as well.  
• Our new leadership team, as we explore transitioning alongside Westover Beacon towards a network of missional communities, rather than just a Sunday congregation.   
• Us to be shaped as God wants us, so we can see his Kingdom grow here in St Peter’s and beyond.  

Facebook: The Baptist Church, St Peter’s

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