Baptist Union Monthly Update - November 2026
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our November monthly email, where below you will find our one key message we are sharing this month.
This update shares further news, resources and events.
Baptist Assembly 2027 - Tickets now open
We are excited to share that tickets for Baptist Assembly 2027 are now available to purchase. With our early bird special offer price available on weekend tickets until the middle of January, get yours for the discounted price of £125.
Assembly is the annual gathering of our Baptist movement and a fantastic opportunity to be inspired, learn and connect with others in the Baptist family across England and Wales. We hope and pray that your church will be represented at Assembly 2027 as we gather and share local stories of God at work in and through our churches and other mission contexts. Why not come with a group and make use of the buy two tickets and get a third free special offer for churches?
Click here to book your tickets, find out more about the programme, as well as venue and local information.
Baptist Resources and News
The November Prayer Diary is
now available to download from our website.
Over this month, we are praying for:
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Baptist Women's World Day of Prayer
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Remembrance Sunday
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Interfaith Week
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Southern Counties Baptist Association
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20th anniversary of the Joint Public Issues Team
Transform contains all the latest reference material for church ministers and leaders. It has previously been sent with the printed Baptists Together magazine to all churches; however, it will now be published only online.
Christmas and Advent Resources
Are you planning for this coming Christmas and trying to find resources that differ from your church's tradition? Or are you simply looking for resources you can rely on and love? We are collating a list of Christmas resources for you to use.
Read the latest email update from Baptist Insurance featuring resources and advice for getting your church ready for cold weather and stories from grant recipients.
Baptist churches with an annual income under £100k are currently excepted from the need to register as a charity by law. The excepting regulations will end on 31 March 2031, and after that all charities with an income over £5k will have to be registered. The Charity Commission has told us that they expect all currently excepted churches to be registered before the March 2031 deadline. We are waiting to hear how the Commission intends to phase this registration process over the next few years, but as a first step we encourage churches that have not yet adopted a BUGB Approved Governing Document as their constitution to do so. The Commission has said that churches that adopt an Approved Governing Document without making amendments will be able to benefit from a simplified and automated registration process. Further information can be found in guideline leaflet
C06 Churches and Charity Registration and
C03 Church Constitutions.
Our friends St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry have a couple of exciting vacancies. Is this you, or someone you know? For more information on each of the roles and details,
visit their website.
Resources
Are you or someone you know 18 to 35 years old? Curious about Christian unity? Love to travel? The Bill Snelson Young Ecumenists Fund has been set up to give young Christians the opportunity to experience ecumenism abroad. This experience can be study, pilgrimage, volunteering or any activity that promotes church unity. There is £6,000 available each year across multiple applicants to people who want to experience or learn more about ecumenism outside of England. The ecumenical experience can be study, pilgrimage, volunteering or any activity that promotes church unity. Applicants need to be affiliated with a CTE national Member Church. Applications close on midnight on Saturday 31 October. Find out more
here.
In Silence We Remember Them
Remembrance Sunday is a moment that many in our country will mark this year by joining us at commemorative services. Hope Together has produced a resource to help people to pray, to think and to dwell on eternity and faith during these services and when they return home.
In Silence We Remember Them, produced in partnership with the Naval and Military Bible Society, is a four-page card created for churches to give away at Remembrance Day services and events. It traces the story of the Two Minute Silence, first observed in 1919, alongside the Kohima Epitaph and the Ode of Remembrance. It explores the four Bible verses inscribed on the grave of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey, reflecting on sacrifice and the hope of eternal life found in Jesus. With space to pause and pray the Lord's Prayer, this handout gently points readers towards christianity.org.uk to discover more, a meaningful gift to mark Remembrance Day events.
Click here to find out more.
The easyfundraising Impact Fund is back for a second round, with unrestricted grants of £1,000 available for churches to apply for. Applications are now open until Sunday 8 November. If you applied previously, you are able to apply again, whether you were successful or not. The application is quick and simple, with grants awarded to churches or community organisations that best explain how they would use the funding. As the grants are unrestricted, the £1,000 can be spent wherever it's needed most.
Apply now here. Easyfundraising help you to raise unrestricted funding every time your church community shops online. When they shop with 8,000+ retailers via easyfundraising, retailers donate to your church at no extra cost to them. Find out more
here.
From 1 October 2026, VAT on some electricity supplies drops from 5% to 0% for six months. If your charity already pays the reduced 5% rate, usually because you use electricity for non-business charitable work, this change applies to you. You don't need to do anything. Your supplier will bill you at 0% VAT for the full six months. Not sure which rate you pay? This is a good time to check. Utility Aid is here to support you and is offering an online bill-checking service for free. We'll go through your bills with you, explain what each line means, and look for quick wins or anything you've been overcharged for.
Click here to find out more.
Proximity is an urban mission resource hub equipping churches, leaders and those on the ground. They have created five short films for Advent, bringing the nativity story to life through different contemporary voices. Signup for early access to receive the videos when they are ready in October that can be used in small groups, on social media or in services.
Sign up here.
Could you host a Table of Welcome this Christmas? This Christmas, communities across the country are being invited to come together around a simple idea: sharing a table with people we might not otherwise meet. We Are United – Together at Christmas is a growing national movement encouraging people and organisations across the UK to create 1,000 Tables of Welcome anytime during December 2026. Baptist churches are wonderfully placed to be part of this. You might host a table yourselves, work with other churches, faith communities or local organisations, or simply bring together people from across your neighbourhood. The We Are United team has
produced practical resources to help you get started. Who will you bring to your table this Christmas?
Events
Join Everyone Everywhere on Saturday 7 November at Sundon Park Baptist Church, Luton, for an inspiring day of worship, encouragement and connection. Featuring a keynote message from Ness Wilson (Leader of Pioneer UK), worship, creative activities, prayer, and discussion, this event brings women together in a shared experience designed to equip and encourage. With a theme of courage running throughout, we'll explore what it means to respond to God's call with confidence and help create new opportunities for people to encounter Jesus—enabling more women, in more places, to say yes to God’s mission.
Multiply: Midlands - 10 November
Multiply: Midlands is a church planting event for every church that longs to reach new people, in new and renewed ways, with the good news of Jesus Christ. The event will gather leaders and teams to share wisdom across traditions and contexts, exploring how to grow a truly mixed ecology of church across the Midlands. Together we’ll hear stories of renewal and multiplication emerging from local settings. Hosted by CCX, Church of England Birmingham and the Baptist family via Everyone Everywhere at Gas Street Central, united by a vision to see healthy churches planted and multiplied across the Midlands. Find out more and how to book here.
BUEN National Sustainability Webinar - 17 November
The CBA and EBA BUEN Hubs are hosting a national meeting for Baptist churches in all regions with Nigel Walter, an architect and buildings specialist who has written the book ‘Making You Church Sustainable’. Nigel will be sharing his insights on how churches might begin the journey towards sustainability and what is the right path for different-sized churches. His talk will be followed by time for Q&As. To register for the meeting, please
click here.
Teen Dating Violence: Unmasking the unseen realities - 17 November 
International statistics indicate that girls between the ages of 15 and 19 who are in a settled relationship, one in three have been victims of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their partner. The IBTS are running a webinar in November which will raise awareness of the different ways in which Teen Dating Violence is perpetuated and the pressure and shame that it induces. Find out
more here.
The IBTS are also running an online course in 2027 on ‘Stand against domestic violence’ starting in March. Further information will be shared in due course.
Shine Your Light 2026 - 11 - 13 December
Shine Your Light, the evangelistic initiative which encourages UK churches to take carol and other Christmas services out from church buildings onto streets, marketplaces and shopping centres, will take place this year from 11-13 December. For more information about the initiative,
click here.
Baptist Assembly - 21 - 23 May 2027
Bookings for Assembly 2027 are now open, with an early bird special offer price available for weekend tickets until the middle of January. Assembly is the annual gathering of our Baptist movement and a fantastic opportunity to be inspired, learn and connect with others in the Baptist family across England and Wales. We hope and pray that your church will be represented at Assembly 2027 as we gather and share local stories of God at work in and through our churches and other mission contexts. Why not come with a group and make use of the buy two tickets and get a third free special offer for churches?
Book now and join us for this wonderful gathering of our Baptist family.
Baptist Pioneer Conference 2027 - 4 - 6 October 2027
Organiser Chris Friend, NBA Mission and Pioneer Development Facilitator, writes: "We are excited to announce the inaugural Baptist Pioneer Conference, taking place from 4-6 October 2027 right opposite Holy Island. The heart of the Cradle of Christianity that saw the Good News of Jesus flow from the obedience, innovation and people-centred approach of the archetypal Pioneer St Aidan is our location.
We will take our inspiration from him as we consider One for the Road: Forming Pioneer Disciples. Having spent almost all my life in Northumberland, I want you to share the beauty and blessing of this 'thin place' and sense the affirmation of God again on your gifting. So, if you're a pioneer (whether in the NBA or another region), why not join like-minded others in this prayer-soaked land as we walk where Aidan walked and sense a renewed call of God on our lives as we work in the margins.
Catch up with the latest Baptist Times stories here.
Whilst we’ve carefully chosen these resources and events because we hope they will be useful to you and your church family, we are not directly responsible for the content from other groups and organisations. The Monthly Update is sent monthly to all ministers in Baptist Union of GB churches, church secretaries, church treasurers, regional teams and other subscribers. If you would like to receive it by email, please subscribe by completing the 'Sign up to our newsletter' form below.