Our Ministries

Sundays

Our main church family time runs from 9:45 am (10:30 during school breaks) to about 12:30 pm. In the evening we meet again at 6:00 pm in a more informal gathering, often with questions and discussion following the teaching.

• 9:45 am (10:30 during school breaks): Prayer Meeting - we believe it is important to start the day in prayer.
• 10:00 am (term time only): All Age Bible Classes - these take place for both children and adults from 10:00 to 10:45 am. They run in term time only. Specific age related classes are run for children. Adults are generally split into two or three Bible class groups.
• 10:45 to 11:15 am: Fellowship Time (with coffee) - we have a break and spend time together as a church family with refreshments. When there are no Bible classes, our family time together starts at 10:45 am.
• 11:15 am: Family Service - this contains a time of praise and prayer, and some Bible teaching (normally split about 50:50 between the two). Sermon helps are provided for children. Once a month (on the second Sunday) we celebrate the Lord's Supper during our morning meeting.
• 6:00 pm: Evening Service - the more informal evening service includes teaching often linked to the morning meeting as well as opportunities for testimony. There are sometimes slots for questions and discussion following on from the teaching. We celebrate the Lord's Supper in the evening on the fourth Sunday of each month.
• 7:30 to 8:30 pm: SESAW - the acronym officially stands for Sunday Evening Scripture Analysis Workshop, although some prefer to translate it as Sunday Evening Supper At Wendy's. The meeting is aimed at young people, from about 10 years upwards, and and consists of refreshments (hence the unofficial acronym translation), followed by a variety of activities.

Midweek: Prayer & Fellowship

Prayer is the lifeblood of the church and we meet regularly to pray together. Our midweek meetings have a strong emphasis on prayer.

• Tuesday 8:00 pm (1st & 5th Tuesdays): Prayer Meetings - general prayer meeting.
• Tuesday 8:00 pm (3rd Tuesdays): Missions Prayer Meetings - prayer meeting with a special emphasis on the work of missions, often focussing on news from our partner organisations such as GBM and Delhi Bible Institute.
• Tuesday 10:30 am and 8:00 pm (2nd & 4th Tuesdays): Fellowship Groups - fellowship, love and concern are most easily expressed in smaller groups, so we meet twice a month in homes. Each meeting is given to discussing the teaching we receive in the church and praying for the church, its work and for one another. Each member of the church belongs to a group which meet at various times so that everyone can attend. The Fellowship Groups have recently been rearranged - the newly-formed Sandhurst group has not yet settled down to a regular time slot or venue.
• Thursday 10:30 am: Ladies' Fellowship - our midweek Ladies' Fellowship group has been meeting for over 60 years. Each week a group of ladies get together to sing, share fellowship and listen to the Bible being taught. Once a month they meet for lunch (12:30 pm). You would be very welcome to any of their meetings.
• Friday 7:00 am (1st Fridays): Community Prayer Meetings - focussed on praying for the needs of our nation and community.

Midweek: Youth Ministries

These activities take place in term time only.

• Monday 7:30 pm: Youth Club - a session for 14 to 18 year olds which takes place on a Monday evening. There is snooker, pool, table tennis, PlayStation and a short Bible study each week.
• Wednesday 5:45 pm: SonSeekers - for years 1 to 5, SonSeekers provides a safe and fun environment to play games, sing songs, make stuff and learn about the Bible's message. There is a tuck shop provided. SonSeekers takes place from 5:45 pm until 7:15 pm every Wednesday.
• Wednesday 7:15 pm: T3 - for Years 6 to 9. As well as Bible teaching there is a mix of games and fun, plus outdoor activities when the weather permits.
• Please note that following Celia's departure, our Toddler Time meeting will be suspended until further notice, due to lack of volunteers available to run it.

Other Ministries

We do not want our witness to be limited to our local area, and these are some of the ways we are reaching out to the wider world:

• Missions: we have a full-time worker in Missions, Ian Flanders, who works at the GBM Radio studios in Abingdon, producing the French-language programme Esperance a'jourd hui ("Hope for Today"), which covers a variety of topics, and is broadcast on many local Christian radio stations, mainly in Africa. We also support the wider work of Grace Baptist Missions.
• Partnership: we are delighted to be able to work together with Christian organisations in other countries, particularly the Philip Project, which trains African pastors in the techniques of expository preaching, and the Delhi Bible Institute, which is working to spread the Gospel in northern India.