Eastern Baptist Association

In September 2005 the fellowship of Lode Chapel (with the help of a Home Mission Grant) called Simon Goddard as their ‘Minister-in-Training’ whilst he undertook three years of church-based theological study at Spurgeon’s College. Lode is situated about 8 miles north east of Cambridge city and the Chapel served five rural villages: Lode with Longmeadow, Stow-cum-Quy, Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior and Bottisham. The membership of Lode Chapel had been declining, and in 2005 stood at around twenty members.

As a consequence of a recent mission consultancy, there was awareness amongst the fellowship that some sort of worshipping presence was needed in Bottisham, the largest of the local villages and the natural hub of the area. During the first half of 2006 the church held three ‘trial’ services in the hall at Bottisham Community Primary School – it was a space that local children and parents were familiar with, and was within walking distance for many of them. These first three services had a slightly more informal and interactive format than a Chapel service, but disappointingly for the fellowship, very few non-regulars attended these services, and the next step was unclear.

At the same time Lode Chapel was preparing for its biannual summer holiday club. In the past despite positive contact being made with a large number of local families, there had been very little follow-up to the club. This became part of the holiday club preparation discussions, and was raised at one of the local fraternal meetings are held every six to eight weeks with the local Anglican vicar. In that meeting the possibility of a monthly ‘Kids Club’ was raised and there was a real sense that this was the way forward. It was interesting, given subsequent events, that the idea arose in this context, but at this stage the ‘Kids Club’ was to be just a Lode Chapel activity.

So in September 2006, Lode Chapel decided to cancel one of its Sunday morning services each month and instead hold a ‘Sunday Club’ at the Primary School. There were personal invitations for each of the sixty or so children that had been to the holiday club, and adverts in the village magazines and through the schools. It was advertised as a ‘holiday club on a Sunday’ and this meant that there would be video, games, craft, action songs, a creative prayer activity, and a very short talky bit focussed around a memory verse. A number of families from the holiday club joined us at the first event and although a few didn’t return, many continued to come to the monthly event. The hard work put into preparing each event, including transporting equipment to and from the school, seemed to be bearing fruit. There was, however, some disappointment amongst the church members that these families were not starting to come to the Chapel services on the other Sundays of the month as well.

Early in 2007 the local vicar was approached about having a curate, and Simon met the prospective ordinand as part of the decision-making process. Jonathan, and his wife Emma, had, like Simon, previously worked as primary school teachers, and were excited about what was happening with ‘Sunday Club’. When they arrived they were keen to get involved, and from September that year they joined Simon in planning and leading the events. The close friendship that had developed through the regular fraternals had borne fruit, and there was a real commitment, at least at a leadership level, for this work to develop ecumenically. We recognised the weakness of our individual churches and the need for us to work together. As Jonathan shared with the parish churches news of what was happening in Bottisham plans for a similar venture in Swaffham Bulbeck were suggested. This event was held at the primary school in that village after the morning service at the parish church, with a small team from that congregation helping to resource it. So, from May 2008, the newly renamed ‘RE:NEW’ events began to take place on a fortnightly basis. As well as the provision for children, a RE:NEW Café was also held where the adults chatted over coffee and cake before watching and then discussing a Nooma DVD.

Jonathan, Emma and Simon were working well as a team, and co-ordinated the 2008 holiday club together. That summer, after completing three years at Spurgeons Simon was ordained and was called as the full-time minister of Lode Chapel (with the continued assistance of a Home Mission Grant). There was a sense, however, as this new phase started, that the vision needed clarification. To this end Jonathan and Simon set aside a day of prayer and discussion at which they were joined by the local vicar and the elder from Lode Chapel. This was a very positive occasion with some honest conversation and debate about the encouragements and challenges of what was happening. At the end of the day there was a real sense of unity about the need to develop discipleship and a sense of belonging for the people in these new congregations. Prayers were also soon being answered with regards to expanding the leadership team. Five committed Christians, some of whom who had recently moved into the area, joined the team and these included an ordinand at the local Anglican theological college on placement with us and a local hospital chaplain.

Over the next couple of years the format of RE:NEW and the numbers who attended varied. There were also discussions with a Regional Ecumenical Officer about the possibilities of a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) as well as a meeting with a Fresh Expressions advisor about seeking a Bishop’s Mission Order (BMO). At this point, with the original fellowship still meeting at Lode Chapel three Sunday mornings a month, it seemed that RE:NEW would develop into a new congregation (a church plant) and the BMO application sought resources from the diocese to appoint a leader to help nurture it.

It was soon clear, however, that these resources were not available, and at the end of his curacy, Jonathan took up his first incumbency in Birmingham. Without the help of the curate the parish church in Swaffham Bulbeck felt unable to continue the event there, and suddenly the future of RE:NEW was uncertain. Over a period of five weeks in Autumn 2009 Lode Chapel had three church meetings during which God’s will for the future was sought. At the end of the third meeting it was agreed, unanimously, that early in 2010 (coincidentally Lode Chapel’s bicentenary) that the fellowship would stop meeting in Lode on Sunday mornings and instead meet every Sunday at the Primary School. When the vote was taken one of the young people present at the meeting (they had been included in the discussions) exclaimed ‘it’s a miracle!’ – and indeed it was.

So on 14^th February 2010, with the help of Rev. Richard Lewis (the Regional Minister) and Rev. David Thomson (the Bishop of Huntingdon) the Lode Chapel fellowship announced that ‘the church had left the building” by holding two special services, one in Lode and another at the school. Since then the congregation has referred to itself as RE:NEW, and has met in the school every week – with one Sunday a month still taking the form of Kids Club and RE:NEW Café. A Home Mission Grant of £1,700 helped with the purchase of new sound and music equipment which is stored at the school. Simon has been on the governing body of the school since 2005 (currently its vice-Chair) and the headteacher has been very welcoming of the RE:NEW congregation and all that it is seeking to do within the community.

On 1^st January 2012, after almost two years at the school, 8 new people, who had started coming to RE:NEW since the move to the school, were welcomed into membership. There are others about to go through Alpha and perhaps come into membership at a later date. It hasn’t, however, all been positive growth – two of older members died and a couple of people moved to different churches. One family who attended RE:NEW (and were a key ecumenical link) moved on recently as the mum began her curacy after completing her training at Ridley Hall. Thankfully, the family of another pioneer student has joined RE:NEW – Martin is training for ordained ministry within the Church of England and is on placement (about 5 hours a week) with the church.

Some people ask what has happened to the Lode Chapel building. Well, it is still well used by the local community for a variety of events such as a weekly toddler group, a regular photographic club, RE:NEW’s youth group and so on. It is also used three Sunday evenings a month for a variety of different services: a traditional chapel service; a prayer meeting called ‘The Waiting Room’ to wait on God to speak, to empower and to heal; and a contemplative service called ‘Sacred Space’. Indeed, the building is increasingly become a venue for prayer and reflection and with a programme of Quiet Days led by Baptist minister, Rev. Tricia Troughton. These are well attended and attract people from a wide area and a wide variety of church backgrounds. The local Youth for Christ group also use the chapel for regular prayer and many churches are now using Lode Chapel as a venue for church or leadership away days.

On the fourth Sunday evening of the month RE:NEW also holds a traditional service at Great Wilbraham Chapel which, from 1^st January 2012, entered into a covenant relationship with Lode Chapel. Membership there had declined to only three, and after discussions facilitated by the Regional Minister it was agreed that RE:NEW would take responsibility for the upkeep and future use of that Chapel.

As RE:NEW moves into 2012 it is trying to make sense of its organic growth and development over the last few years. Indeed, it seems that there are a variety of different congregations:

-          the congregation that meets three Sundays a month at the school,

-          the group of people who just come for the Kids Club and RE:NEW Café,

-          the regulars at Sacred Space and the local people who come to the Quiet Days,

-          those who prefer to attend the traditional chapel services in Lode and Great Wilbraham,

-          and possibly, the growing youth group could also been seen as a separate congregation.

By identifying the different ways of gathering together, and making mission and discipleship (e.g. through the existing or new small midweek groups) intentional for each congregation, RE:NEW hopes to develop each of these ‘missional communities’ so that together they will form a single church united around a common vision and values. The church will soon be meeting to discuss what these values should be, but the following have been suggested: Relevant, Ecumenical, Nurturing, Empowering and Welcoming.

Ian Bunce had identified that there were several thousand Portuguese speaking migrant workers in the area of the fens, in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and into the East Midlands.

Tracy Morton at Bishop’s Stortford, who had worked in Brazil, recognised a similar trend in the vicinity of Stansted Airport.  Ian gathered partners and Jorge and Hermalinda Damseceno were called, along with their children, to come and help churches to share the Gospel with the Portuguese speakers.

Five years on, churches have been planted, people have come to faith and been baptised, ministers have been called.

Home Mission is one of the partners that is supporting AMIGOS.

Jorge & Hermalinda take up the story…….

Within the EBA geographical boundaries it is becoming common in many cities and towns to meet with people, whether in the shops or markets, from other nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. In many churches of our region the presence and, sometimes the involvement of people other than English is becoming more frequent.

When the Amigos Project was set up, we specifically aimed at the Portuguese speaking migrants, by the way, some people think that they come just from Portugal, but in fact there are nine places in the world that speak Portuguese: Brazil (South America), Portugal (Europe), Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, St Thomas and Prince Island, and Guinea Bissau (Africa), East Timor, Goa and Macau (Asia). Believe or not I have met people from all these places in the region.

After five years of existence, it brings us great joy to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ being preached to all these nationalities represented in our communities.

It is wonderful to see how many Baptist churches understanding the Peter’s concept in mission of embracing and welcoming people regardless their ethnicity. For many of these churches being unite in mission has brought a reviving experience and approach in the way mission and evangelism is done. Places like Dereham, Great Yarmouth and Bishop’s Stortford has experienced and exciting missional journey as they interact with the Portuguese speaking community and walk together towards integration.

An Alpha group is planned in Attleborough.  Portuguese speaking ministers have been called to the churches at Dereham and Great Yarmouth.

Amigos works in other Associations as well as the EBA.

We believe that the Amigos Project still have a lot to contribute in the region towards the formation of missional minded churches, but one should never forget that behind the success of the project lies the effort of its partners, especialy Home mission. We have been encouraged and supported in every way possible to keep the wheels in motion.

It is very exciting to be working together for the God that is concerned for people regardless where they come from, after all we are all part of God’s promising to Abraham.

Jorge & Hermelinda Damasceno