Just imagine… what could happen if there was the opportunity to start all over again? This rare privilege has been the experience of Beacon Community Church in coastal NE Norfolk.
For over 150 years a Baptist Church was based in the current buildings. Sadly, over the years, a gradual decline led to the church becoming untenable. In conjunction with the Eastern Baptist Association a decision was made to close the existing church and plant another. Whilst many considered this to be a resurrection of an older work, in reality it was something completely new.
I was asked to lead this new work that started in March 2009. The obvious downside to a new venture was that there is no-one else to blame for our mistakes but ourselves! The considerable upside was that we could build firm Word and Spirit foundations, establish a new culture of expectation, and be open to all that God had for us.
Starting from scratch had implications in many areas including finance. We are in receipt of Home Mission funding that has been a key part of our financial provision for the past two years and, we trust, for the immediate future. Mission Project grants have also enabled us to facilitate specific ideas, particularly in multimedia. My role at Beacon is currently part-time.
In 2011 we were so encouraged to see two people come to faith, both of whom were baptised and two further baptisms followed in November. Two more baptisms are planned for March 2012. The Harvest Fun Day for the community brought in about 100 adults and children who are not part of our regular congregation. An after-school club started last year and regularly sees 10+ children and 3 Mums stay each Wednesday. Connect Groups enable folk in the church to receive and contribute in a smaller group setting during the week. The attendance at the most recent baptism was our highest to that point at 66, though it was topped at Christmas with 80 people of all ages. More regular numbers on a typical Sunday morning are now 40+ on a lower week. Visitors are always welcome!
We have been particularly challenged to see church as much more than the Sunday morning service. Church is people, and our times together need to be ‘God Friendly’ so that he is free to act as he wishes. That means that often our corporate times do not follow a conventional pattern but are open to what God is saying on that particular occasion. We (mostly) know how we are going to start, but what happens next can either run exactly as we have prepared, or be completely different. Such flexibility was built in at the beginning and is one of the major benefits of starting something completely new. We also have an opportunity to respond to what God is saying each week.
Hospitality and a genuine welcome make a good first impression. To this end a ‘First Impressions’ team was established which looks after visitors from umbrellas in the car park on rainy days, cafetiere coffee and refreshments before and after the service and the option to take food and drink into the main hall for the meeting. This has become a hallmark of our times together.
At the very beginning God impressed on me the need to see the church as a well providing life-giving water to which thirsty people can come and drink. Some are only with us for a week or two. Others come from time to time or make longer term commitments. Like the huge sheep farms in Australia that are too large to maintain a fence around the flocks, and where the farmers sink wells to attract the sheep instead, we seek to ensure that God’s refreshment is always available.
Our vision: Connect with God – Equip the Church – Transform a Generation.
Please pray for us, visit us and check us out online at www.beaconcentre.net
Jonathan and Paige Squirrell
