Getting Ready for the Tour

 Chris Duffett's Big Hearted Tour will be visiting WEBA in just six weeks' time. Here I'm reproducing a short blog post he wrote in July about his preparation for each leg of the tour.

So, how do I prepare to visit each of the associations on the Presidental Big Hearted Tour?

• Yes there is the expert planning of Nicky Edwards who works with me in Chester (as I typed this sentence Nicky actually phoned to go through some of the itinerary of the Southern Counties tour!) 
• Yes there’s the books and information that I bring to each event.
• Yes there’s preperation for the teaching and training.
• Yes I book the van and make sure all the equipment for outreach is ready…

Most importantly and running the risk of trying to sound megga spiritual the most important thing I do is pray and fast. Seriously, this is the most vital part of the preperation. Evangelism is a much neglected discipline of most of the church in the UK. To change this and to motivate Christians to share their faith there has to be a supernatural encounter. I pray for that.

We are all being called to a day of prayer on Sunday 9th September. Perhaps we could pray for some of this  supernatural change in ourselves when we gather together then.

Follow this link for more details about the Big Hearted Tour in WEBA

Rocky's Plaice

4 evangelical churches in Moredon and Rodbourne (Swindon) held a joint holiday club at St Andrew’s Methodist Church. (The other three were AVC International, St Mary’s CofE and Rodbourne Baptist). All the churches supplied team members. The children were entertained by Mrs Tagliatelle the chef; Peter the apostle who interviewed people who were around in the days of the first church in Jerusalem; Captain Ketchup; Colonel Mustard and the worship band: The Sardines.

Each day we looked at a key word and everything, except probably the games, tied in with this word. We had HOPE because if God says that He will do something, He will. One of the promises is that whoever asks for the HOLY SPIRIT will receive Him (about 2/3 of the kids did). We looked at how the Holy Spirit gives us FAITH to believe God for miracles and finally how God wants us to TELL our friends and family.

The kids obviously took note of the latter one because when we had our Parents’ Evening there wasn’t a spare chair!

As the Leader of the Club, I was grateful to have such a talented, dedicated and enthusiastic team of helpers, many still in their teens. We have given them all information about children’s work at the four churches and look forward to seeing them when term starts ....

Paul Rhodes
Rodbourne Cheney Baptist Church

Good listening at a crucial point

This is a story about being salt and light in an inspired and innovative way - providing a listening ear to detainees at the local police station.

Gill Putnam wrote this article for the newsletter of the Diocese of Bath and Wells, and it was sent to me by Jenny Collins of Clarence Park Baptist Church in Weston-super-Mare who is also involved with ChAt, an ecumenical group of volunteers from the town's churches. 

When first launched in 2005, ChAt (Chaplaincy About Town) was set up as a confidential, non-judgemental listening ministry and signposting for all people in Weston-super-Mare town centre, regardless of faith, background or lifestyle, making visible God’s love and concern for all his creation. Described by Bishop Peter Price as “an exciting way of living out the gospel”, we had very little idea of how exciting it was to become!

An ecumenical project, with some 30 volunteers (and a vision to increase the team to 90!) drawn from all Christian denominations, ChAt has grown and found its niche in the life of the town. Whilst still working from shop premises and focusing primarily on ministry to individuals, ChAt has also developed other strands of ministry, and works with other groups in the community, including North Somerset Council, the Town Council, the Town Centre Partnership, Weston BID, Somerset Racial Equality Council, the Black and Ethnic Minority Network, NS Alliance for Cultural Harmony, NS Faith Forum, the Children’s Centre, as well as a number of nursing homes. 

The latest step has come at the request of the Police for us to provide a team of ChAt Custody Chaplains to visit any detainee at Weston-super-Mare Police Station. After months of planning and training the team, which includes both ChAt Chaplains and Street Pastors, the project was finally operational on 16 April 2012. Cllr Roz Willis, Chair of ChAt, Volunteer Chaplain Reg Hiscox and I, the Lead Chaplain, went to Weston Police Station for the launch at 8.00am.Before 8.30am the first detainee asked for support and I was in a cell! Less than an hour later, the detainee, who had been held for most of the night, was focussed and calm, had a plan to seek professional help on returning home, and was in a much better state of mind for the police interview.

We have these encounters at a crucial point in the life of an offender, a time of regret, remorse, shame, and a time of longing to make life-changing decisions. Through good listening and signposting the person is empowered, lives can be transformed and new beginnings made.

We come to every listening session with faith that three people are present – the speaker, the listener and God; it is His presence and peace in the session which makes these encounters different from those with other professional aid agencies.

With the Custody Chaplains as a pilot scheme in Weston-super-Mare, the Police hope it may be possible for the service to be offered in other custody suites in the Avon and Somerset area in due course.

We are now ready to increase the team of ChAt Custody Chaplains. We shall be offering a ‘Come and See’ information stand at our Coffee Morning on Saturday, 1 September, from 10am at the Boulevard United Reformed Church, Weston-super-Mare.. If you would like to know more, please contact me or simply come along on the day. Those who wish to join the team will be asked to provide two references, one of which will be from their church leader who has known them for at least one year, attend an interview, have an enhanced CRB check, and attend a training day on Saturday, 13 October.

As to the future, talks are already taking place regarding the possibility of recruiting and training a ChAt team who will specialise in ministering to nursing homes, particularly those for dementia sufferers, and this team would serve not only the patients but also their families and the staff.

If you would like more information with a view to taking any part in this exciting adventure for God, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me on 01934 643533 or 01934 416917, email me , or call into ChAt at 67 Meadow Street, WsM, BS23 1QL.


Revd Gill Putnam, Lead Chaplain and Trustee

Chaplaincy About Town (Reg. Charity No. 1101541, Co. Reg. 07868068)

The Dream

This testimony was given in one of our churches last week. I've included it here because God is growing his kingdom in WEBA through dreams as well as through our creativity as his church. To protect his identity, I have changed this young man's name to Jamal.

I am 21 years old. I was born in a Muslim country. I am from Afghanistan.

First, when I came to this country, I did not believe in God. Yes, people asked me, what is my religion, and I didn't have the choice to say anything else so I said I'm a Muslim, but I didn't know anything about it, nobody told me because I was not educated in Afghanistan. My cousin, he was a Mullah at the mosque and he didn't teach me anything about God, he just used to hit me.  I stopped going to Mosque because I didn't understand.

6 years ago, my life was in danger and I escaped from my country. I was travelling a dangerous journey across the world to find somewhere safe. Every day I woke up, I didn't believe that I was going to be alive the next day. I was fighting for my survival.

After 6 - 7 months I arrived in England. I started going to college. I learned English language and I got some education - yes, thanks so much to all the teachers at college. I made friends over here, was offered a job, and met my girlfriend.

Last year I was invited by some friends to come to a local Spiritualist church. I started going every week on Sunday. It was good to meet people but there was not too much talking about God. At the time, one of my friends got very sick and he lost his job. He was swearing at God, and it was making me angry. I was scared to be his friend. I told him, if you don't believe in God, you shouldn't swear by him. OK, he was telling me off. He said "Jamal, I don't care. Don't tell me what to do." So I could understand something wasn't right. I stopped going to the church.

But I felt something was missing in my life. I was gambling my money, and drinking too much alcohol, and I was not putting attention into my life - what to do?

But now I am completely changed. 3 weeks ago I had a wonderful dream. All over the room was light. Jesus, Father, Lord, came to me, he said "Jamal, just wake up, come follow me, I'm alive." It was so beautiful.

I made a decision for myself to find a church and find what it means to follow Father Lord. I was cycling around the centre to find a church timetable, but only when I came back I read the timetable at this church, and I started to come here two weeks ago. First day when I came I got something from it. I heard lots of good things about Father God and Lord Jesus.

With the help of Jesus I have stopped gambling, stopped drinking alcohol, and I'm feeling so much better. Thanks to the Minister for welcoming me, to the man who gave me the Bible in the Persian language, and thanks to all the members of the community here who have given me your support. Thanks to all of you who will support me in the future. Thank you for listening.

Cycling to Calne

The day after Bradley Wiggins arrived in Paris, the Home Mission video of me arriving in Calne by bicycle is finally released! This is the first in a cycling tour of WEBA films we're making to promote Home Mission over the next two years. (Read more about that here)

You can give to Home Mission now via my Just Giving page:

Go for Gold!

We've had this report from Grange Baptist Church in Tuffley, Gloucester, about their Olympic achievement:

With hardly time to catch our breath and take down the bunting from our recent May Jubilee party, we were in full sprint for our June fun day called GO FOR GOLD!

After a week of torrential rain in Gloucester, no-one outside the church expected the event to go ahead. A number of craft stall holders cancelled at the last minute. Tony Minter, minister of Grange, said "Driving back from Swindon on Friday (the day before the party) the rain was non-stop. What should have been an hour’s journey home took twice as long due to the incredibly heavy rain. Even Saturday morning one member of the church asked if we were still going ahead.” So it was nothing short of a miracle that at 10 am the sun was brightly shining and as we set up it was actually very hot!

GO FOR GOLD provided anyone the opportunity to have their photo taken holding one of the official Olympic torches with either the Olympic flag or any country of your choice projected behind. The digital pictures were immediately wired to an email address and were offered free of charge.

There was also a large bouncy castle, Olympic style races and games, and medals were awarded to all participants. We also had our own personal trainer and fitness class instructor Matt Coopey on hand giving nutrition advice and training tips. For those less energetic there were lots of tables to browse over with books, bric-a-brac, candles, plants, honey, etc.

Younger children could have their faces painted with Olympic rings or anything of their choice. They could also make their very own Olympic torch candle by rolling beeswax into a cone.

There was also a bar-b-que and ice creams, tea, coffees, and juice. GO FOR GOLD a great success and so encouraging on many levels as Grange continues to develop relationships and friendships with its neighbours and wider community.

Another new venture for Grange is the launch of Grange Coffee House. Every Monday morning the church now runs a coffee shop where anyone can drop in for a 'cuppa and a chat'. There is fresh filter coffee, as well as instant for those who prefer, and  a wide variety of teas including fruit and herbal. There are cookies and biscuits to enjoy and daily newspapers to read.

This is a modest beginning but it is hoped that once everyone has passed their food hygiene course at the end of the summer, a menu will be developed to include, among other things, soups, paninis, and jacket potatoes. As soon as security softward has been installed there will also be free wi-fi (which is already in the church) available to coffee house customers. 


So, if you are in Gloucester on a Monday morning why not pay us a visit for a great cuppa and warm welcoming people.

Getting on my bike

Since the beginning of 2012, in addition to my role in the WEBA office, I’ve been part of a pilot project to raise awareness of Home Mission within WEBA.

WEBA churches have given faithfully and generously to Home Mission over recent years, but my suspicion is that awareness of what the fund is for might be limited to an older generation who remember a time when Home Mission Sundays and collecting boxes were more commonplace.

These days, churches tend to give to Home Mission from within their general budget, and the amount is set by the leadership team and church meeting. This has worked really well, but what might happen when those now in their 20s and 30s take over as treasurers and deacons?

My suggestion to overcome this relies on storytelling – and on exploring ways to actually get stories to people. Why is there is a Home Mission fund? What it has achieved in the past? How is it helping churches now as they seek to be authentic disciples of Jesus Christ?

I suggested making a series of films highlighting some of our churches who have benefited from Home Mission support, either in the past or at present. It was Amanda Allchorn, Head of Communications at National Resource, who suggested a cycling tour of WEBA, focusing on place, history, and what’s happening in our churches now. The first of these films will be released shortly and features Calne Baptist Church in Wiltshire. It gets a mention in this July’s edition of Baptist Life magazine, which is delivered to churches so that every member can have a copy.

Calne Baptist Church is a lovely fellowship. From Sam King, the minister, with his startlingly original creative thinking, to Cynthia Williams whose enthusiasm for the gospel hasn’t waned during ninety years, to the gentleman who admired my 1960s Carlton Mixtie bicycle, it was a delight to meet them all.

It was also a hot and exhausting day for us (BUGB’s film crew Ian Britton and Alex Baker, and myself) and for those church members who took part. Thanks especially to Sam who choreographed a service, an open church meeting, and all the interviewees for the film all at the same time. And thanks to those who prepared the most amazing and welcome church lunch I’ve ever tasted.

Talking to Sam

Several members commented that Sam, whose ministry is enabled by a grant from Home Mission, has brought the church together, and acted as a catalyst to get things going that were already latent in the congregation. Sam has also developed connections with townsfolk, beginning with the Estate Agents who sold him his house, which have led in all kinds of directions, from live lambs in a service to singing the Hallelujah chorus in Sainsburys – most importantly, they have led individuals to seek God for themselves. Hallelujah.

Cynthia Williams, who took part in the film

At this point I need to come clean – I’m afraid I’m not going to cycle around the entire Association, from one church to another. But for each church I visit, I have been looking up cycle routes on Sustrans’ brilliant website, and working out a way to get to each church with help from a train or two. It’s surprising how many of our churches are near to these routes, and they give you an entirely different way to approach a place. Cycling into Calne on a beautiful Sunday morning, along the route of the old branch line, I could imagine a time before even the branch line existed, when Calne’s first minister, who came from Broadmead Baptist Church, commuted each week from Bristol on horseback. WEBA churches were working together nearly 200 years before WEBA existed!

Ross Mills talking in the supermarket car park where the church works with local young people

Home Mission in its modern expression is 100 years old – as Baptist Life points out, it was inaugurated as the Sustentation Fund a few weeks after Titanic went down. Its earliest roots, however, go back to fundraising for itinerant preachers who would travel the countryside on horseback, preaching in villages. Its roots are not in the preservation of existing churches, but in going…to make disciples, as Jesus commanded.

From 2014, Home Mission Grants will be administered regionally rather than nationally. Hopefully this will be part of a move to a more engaged, local mission strategy that we can all see and become engaged with.

Watch the Calne film here