September / October 2016

Transcription

1 ORPINGTON BAPTIST CHURCH September / October 2016 O B C

2 Contents Page From Martyn 1 From Danny 2 From David 3 Parenting Teenagers 3 From Ivor 4 Sundays 5 Ministry of Flowers 6 Tales from The Cafe 7 Harvest 8 Street Pastors 8 Church Family Meeting 9 Pop-Up Art Exhibition 9 Boys Brigade 10 Read a Good Book Lately? 10 Girls Brigade 12 Womens Friendship Group 13 Lifegroups 13 BMS Birthdays 14 Tearfund Connected Church 15 Thanks & Pilgrim Hall 17 Sharing Your Faith 18 BMS Link Missionaries 18 Holiday At Home Baptists Together 20 Signpost dates 21 But God s word is not chained 22

3 Dear friends, From our Minister September always feels like a new year in the life of the church. So much starts up again and new plans and projects also take off. Not least we celebrate Harvest on Sunday 25 September with an international flavour as we hope to have the minister of the church in Istanbul with us. Do stay for our Harvest Church Family Lunch that day and help us celebrate all good gifts around us. I m also launching a new Sunday morning and Lifegroup series called Just Jesus which will lead us up to Christmas. It s vital for our faith and for all that we do that both in our lives and in our church we give him central place. Just Jesus is about focusing our attention on him. I want to ask of you one other thing your prayers. This Autumn I m also travelling to Zambia for a week with a fellow trustee to visit the mission project we support there. I keenly feel the need for spiritual refreshment myself and am also taking a week out in Spain on a led retreat for Christian leaders like myself. I cherish the prayers of my church family as I preach, teach, lead and serve that I might bring glory to God and, by his Holy Spirit, blessing to many people. Finally, as a new season of church life begins let s take strength from the promise of our Church Text for this year: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) Yours in Christ s love, Martyn THROUGH CHRIST 1

4 It s been a busy summer break for all involved with the youth work here at OBC. We ve had BB camp, Soul Survivor as well as planning for next term s youth clubs we have also organised a few one off events; an evening of prayer for our youth and On our way to Soul Survivor! From Danny, our Youth Pastor children work, a seminar on parenting teenagers, and an equipping day for our youth teams. Throughout all of these camps, events and activities our aim remains the same, to make disciples. As we work to help young people discover Jesus for themselves we want them to find out what following God means for the whole of their lives and their identity as Christians. This decision is more than identifying as a Christian, it s about letting God be a part of every aspect of life. The song When I Survey The Wondrous Cross really puts the cost of this discipleship into perspective in the line, demands my heart, my soul, my all. This cost is something that I have been reflecting on over the summer and is the reason why we have put a lot of time into putting on these events alongside our extensive youth programme. Youth work is a really important job, it can be great fun but there are also demands as we invest in young people s spiritual and personal development. That's why we want to equip those that help us achieve this aim through training, uphold them in prayer and stand alongside their parents. Helping young people find Jesus is a privilege but its something we re all involved with in some way. Dates for your diary Thursday 1st Sept from 7pm: An evening of prayer for our youth and children work 18th Sept from 10am: Equipping day for the youth team 18th Sept from 6pm: a seminar on parenting teenagers 2

5 Autumn Term From David, our Children & Family Worker Kidzone A big thank you to those within our fellowship who led Kidzone during the summer holidays so that I could get away, and now feeling refreshed look forward to the new term. We will be promoting the children on Sunday 4 September during the morning service and unpacking our new programme looking at stories from Matthew s gospel, Nehemiah and Zechariah over the coming months. Our lively sessions include children s worship songs, prayers led by the children, high energy activities and a take-home craft. Thank you to our dedicated team of volunteers each week who are nurturing our children. MUMS & CHUMS 3 Mums & Chums and Tiddlers On 7 and 9 of September we will be opening our doors again to all under 5 s and their families within our community and church fellowship. I know many of them appreciate the times of fellowship we have all together and it is our aim to introduce many of them to other opportunities, thus engaging them with our church fellowship. As is usual in September there will be new families joining us, so please continue to support us in prayer this coming term. OK Group For new mums and their babies up to 15 months : Friday mornings from 9.30 I am delighted to say that before the end of last term we saw more children coming along to the OK group which is very exciting as we said goodbye to a couple of the older children as they moved on to our youth programme. It s so wonderful to see a smooth transition from children s work to our youth work and long may it continue. As numbers have grown on our Wednesday afternoons, so too have the opportunities

6 to disciple the children. It would be great to hear of someone within our fellowship who felt they could support this vital work even if you could not commit to every session. Our next two dates for your diaries are Wednesday 7 and 14 September. Spinnaker School Assemblies Dates are already booked for this coming term in Tubbenden, Blenheim and Poverest Primary schools, even a special Christmas assembly is booked! Apart from regular assemblies, our primary schools do look to Spinnaker Trust for support in RE lessons and church visits and I m hoping that I can facilitate where needed. These opportunities as well as regular assemblies help to engage the children in the Bible and how its teaching can be applied to our lives. Many teachers are very positive about this and have said so many times. Spinnaker produce news updates several times throughout the year together with my prayer letter and dates and if you would like a copy then please do speak to me. Holiday Bible Club October (Half Term) Booking forms are available 4

7 This time of year I spend many From our Treasurer hours in the garden. Many hard working hours, with lots of machinery and followed by many trips to the recycling centre. Many hours of enjoyment and a few hours of pain, hours of shaping, designing and making the whole place look wonderful. Hours that reveal views that we haven t seen since the winter and hours that reveal the sun in all its glory for the final few days of light evenings this is my annual hedge cutting exercise!! We have a lot of hedges at our house ancient deciduous ones, newer evergreen ones and protective ones made from pyracantha. We also have hazel, hornbeam, privet, beech, leylandii and some sharp pointy thing that I don t know the name of!! One of the long hedges marked the border of Kent and Greater London during the early part of the last century and requires careful management. It is a varied task and every cut and tidy, every prune and shaping reminds me, as a Treasurer, of my role in shaping the budget for the coming year. Like a giant hedge, the OBC Budget needs pruning and shaping, it takes a bit of machinery, it is designed for growth and should reveal the Son!! It is made up of new spends and very old spends. Some of the lines have been there for many years while some will be new this year. Some people review and renew their standing orders and envelope giving every year while others have remained the same over the six years that I have been doing the job. Like hedging, it all takes time but is a very valuable exercise. Without it, over time, the whole thing becomes ragged and after a couple of years would be a mess!! So, play your part this year. Whether on the Income or Expenditure side have a look at it, prune it or add to it and make those changes so that the final hedge is fit for purpose. Ask yourself: Do we need to spend that? Should I be giving more? Could we add some new expenditure? Are there some new areas we could be going into? Let s grow together, have a great Autumn. 5

8 September Worship together - Summer in the Psalms 6.30 Healing & Communion Worship together - Just Jesus 6.30 Sharing your faith - with Sara Bottomley Worship together with Communion - Just Jesus 6.00 Parenting Teenagers Harvest Thanksgiving - with Pastor Carlos from Istanbul Harvest Church Family Ploughman's Lunch October Worship together - Rev Tony Cross 6.30 Healing & Communion - led by Danny Brown & Jon Newman All-age & Parade Worship together with Communion - Just Jesus Worship together - with Pastor Norman Dix 6.30 United Churches - celebrating ten years of Orpington Street Pastors Worship together - Just Jesus 5.30 Golden traditional service 6

9 Date Donated by Remembering Arranged by September 4 Vera Brewer The anniversary of the death of her father, George 7 Dolly Salins & Linda Timmins 11 Christopher Meade His parents Joseph Patrick & Pat Meade Wendy Collins 18 Ann Ochiltree Anniversary and other happy occasions Viv Cox Her husband Richard Karen Sumner 25 Viv Cox Sue & Richard Davis Her friend Maude Marshall Sue s Mum & Dad s Anniversary Team(Harvest) Donations to decorate the Emily Wlson Her parents Christopher & Chrissie church gratefully received October 2 David & Joyce Wright Joyce s Mum Chris & Brian Kuhrt Hazel Williams Their Mum, Ivy Miller s birthday John Williams and their Wedding Anniversary Dolly Salins & Linda Timmins 9 Anne Uden Philip on his birthday Fran Morris Sheila Cooke Her Mum 16 Jo & Richard Lewis Family members Marilyn Crisp 23 Marguerite Redsell with Paul & Sonia Mulley Her daughter Lisa, Sonia s sister Karen Sumner 30 Available Karen Hicks If you would like to take part in this ministry, either as a regular annual donator or with a single donation for something special, please speak with Linda Timmins (linda.timmins@ntlworld.com )

10 If you'd like to explore the meaning of Baptism please speak to Martyn, Danny or Katie Tales from the Café It has been lovely to see new volunteers in the Café recently, thank you to Keith & Pauline Hollands for being Holiday cover and to Ahu Bilger on Wednesdays and to the new younger faces of Sam Wolfe, Bev & Kathryn Donald & Julia Pedley helping when you can. It is good to have a large volunteer base so that we can cover holidays and illness easily too. Helping in Café is a great way of getting to know some of us if you are new to the church. If you might be interested to join the team please let us know, we still need help on some Saturdays too. Saturday 10 September will be our next Saturday Café. On Saturday October 8 we will be hosting our first Pop Up Art Exhibition do come along and relax with us and enjoy the work of a small selection of local artists. The Café is a great way to introduce family and friends to the church and also a good place to link up with existing friends and contacts, please pray and think about who you might invite along. Just lately we have been happy to be able to host NCT Post Natal group meetings as well as a business meeting for SMILE International too. We do enjoy getting to know people and building relationships. Where we can, we want to reach out to other needs people may have and we continue to pray God will guide us in this. It s a privilege to be involved! Jo Lewis 8 Sanc uary On Saturdays

11 Sunday 25 September am Followed by Church Family Ploughman s Lunch together Non-perishable gifts for Foodbank Flowers & greenery for decoration please see Linda Timmins Come and celebrate the 10th Birthday of the Orpington Street Pastors Team Sunday 23 October pm Speakers: Eustace & Sharon Constance, Ascension Trust - All welcome - Refreshments following the service - there will be cake! Caring, Listening, Helping 9

12 CHURCH FAMILY MEETING Wednesday 14 September for 8.00PM OPEN TO ALL (not just Church Members!) DISCUSSION - INFORMATION - DECISIONS*- SHARING *To vote you will need to be a Church Member Belonging to OBC Not yet a Church Member? Everyone who comes to OBC is an important part of our Church Family. But if you d like to take your commitment to God s work at OBC a step further and be involved in decision-making by becoming a Church Member (which will give you a vote at our Church Family Meetings) please pick up a leaflet from the Welcome Desk or talk to Martyn for more details about hooking-up with OBC. Celebrating Creativity in the Community Pop Up Art Exhibition At The Sanctuary Cafe Saturday October pm Cafe open from 10am - 2pm Do come along and relax with us and enjoy the work of a small selection of local artists from some of us and others in our community WE WILL REMEMBER THEM 10

13 As we start another exciting session, the Company finds itself in a healthy state. At July Church Parade, we promoted sixteen boys from Anchor Boys into the Junior Section and a further nine boys from Junior Section into Company Section. This means that we have vacancies for new members in the Anchor Boys but both Junior Section and Company Section really need additional staff to cope with the increased numbers. If you feel this might be something that you could help with then please speak to Garrick Beal or me. Our band goes from strength to strength and I am keen for all of the new members of the Company Section to join. Whilst we have two dedicated instructors in Rob Iddiols and James Haward we really do need a Bandmaster. Again, is this something that you might be prepared to take on? Please speak to me if it is. Over the summer, members of the Company attended Battalion Camp on the Isle of Wight once again, under the excellent leadership of Chris Hollands with Danny Brown providing the daily worship sessions. Although we had very mixed weather, this did not prevent the boys from enjoying their week at camp. It was one of the most relaxed yet memorable camps that I can remember. Our thanks to those of you who prayed for us. Finally, on a personal note, can I thank you for agreeing to me becoming Company Captain. It is a privilege to be able to serve the Lord in this way. Rob Wolfe Captain Read a Good Book Lately? Sometimes it can seem as if the art of reading is dying out. With easy access to the Internet and modern technology we cannot feel encouraged to take time to read. Actually, many Christian books are available on Kindle and the Bible can be read even via your mobile phone. For me, there's still something special about sitting down with a book in my hands to inspire me. 11

14 At OBC we want to encourage people to read Christian books. We have a well stocked Library in the Link Room at Church and a revolving Bookstall in the Welcome Area. You are more than welcome to borrow any of these books or for a small donation buy one that takes your fancy. There's everything from books on family life to biography, to books that help you understand the Bible more or books that inspire us about Christian life. When you're next at Church take a moment out to browse and see, feel free just to take one away. One of the Christian books I've read and reread this last year is by Pete Greig called 'God on Mute'. I recommended it in one of my sermons. Our member John Iddiols took me seriously, bought it for himself, found it inspiring and used it for leading Devotions for the adults at Boys Brigade Camp this year. Pete Greig has been Director of Prayer at Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of the Alpha course and is one of the founding leaders of the 24-7 Prayer Movement across the World. Writing out of the pain of his wife's fight for her life but also the wonder of watching the Prayer Movement they started impact so many lives, Pete wrestles with the dark side of prayer. He writes like this:"if you are hurting & secretly wondering 'Where is God?' and 'Why's this happened to me?' and 'How come my prayers aren't working? ' then I dedicate this book to you.." An extraordinary honest book about engaging with the silence of unanswered prayer,this book might well change your life! I really recommend it to you. The media, on screen or in print, can offer to fill your mind and heart with trash. This autumn could you find one Christian book, alongside your Bible, that would help you develop a Christian mind? In October, Pete Greig has another book being published called 'Dirty Glory' we've got it on pre-order with Amazon! Read a good book lately...? Martyn 12

15 As we start back at the beginning of a new session we have lots of new girls starting and large numbers in the Seniors (20) and Brigaders (13) which is a real blessing. We welcome back Kay from her break as she helps with Claire in the Brigaders Section. We have our GB 70th Birthday Celebrations which will take place during the Church Parade on Sunday 9th October. Please come along to celebrate with us and there will be cakes afterwards to celebrate. If you are an ex-member of our Company please feel free to meet upstairs before we march and join us for marching with our Company. If you used to be in the GB Band we will be reforming this and an extra special short rehearsal will take place on the Tuesday 4th at 8pm. Please encourage ex members to attend. The band of ex-members will be playing after the church service. We have our annual District Swimming Gala coming up in October. Our Juniors have their camp booked already for 2017 too. Senior and Brigader camp is booked from 1st to 5th August 2017 at Downton Baptist Church. We will be camping behind the graveyard! A bit spooky when you need the toilet in the middle of the night! The Band will also be taking part in the Lord Mayors Parade in Saturday 12th November this is always a great event to take part in and to come along and support the Girls and Boys and it is free! Our Senior and Brigader section are having a bit of a revamp this September. Starting at 6.30 pm until 8pm. Then the Band members can go into Band. We are also starting a bible study in our devotional time with the older girls entitled 'ladies of Christ' which will show them how they can further their Christian faith through the way they live their lives. We thank God for the girls that continue to come along each week to GB and also as he gives us the opportunity of showing his love to them as we seek serve and follow Christ. Please pray for our staff and girls. Karen Hicks Leader in Senior Section 13

16 All ladies are invited to come to September Mon 12 th Israel Reflections Jon Newman Mon 19 th Bible Study David Jermyn Mon 26th Tearfund Alison Dennis October Mon 3rd Members Sharing Time Mon 10th Street Pastors Margaret Travers Mon 17th Bible Study - David Jermyn Half-Term holiday Mon 31 st Round the campfire Carol Benjamin & Helen Stockman We welcome all ladies who are free on Monday afternoon. Our meeting is from 2pm to 3pm in the Lower Hall followed by tea. Please join us - we are a very friendly group and our meetings are informative as well as a time for fellowship and fun. Please see Pauline Hollands, Helen Stockman, Doreen Jermyn or Brenda Cross for more details. One of the best ways to get to know people in a growing church like OBC is to join one of our LifeGroups. They meet all over the town on different evenings or during the daytime. On Sunday mornings Martyn s new series is tied in with the Lifegroup series. Most groups have a mixed programme of study, prayer and socials. Your LifeGroup can be there for you when you ask for help as an important part of the pastoral care at OBC. If you d like to know more or just try it out please speak to Martyn or the Church Office. 14

17 Happy Birthday to those who celebrate in September Peter Hollingsworth Betty Carter Jane North Sylvester Biyibi Anita Uden Bernard Rouget Brenda Rouget Pauline Hollands Ade Sodipe Simon Lees Alan Moss Roger Tanner Beverley Donald Luke Reveley Sarah Delaney October John Cheeseman Dave Waterhouse Martyn Travers Peter Johnson Cynthia Thurgood Joyce Mudd Genevieve Donald Susan Skinner BMS World Mission has been helping Syrian Refugees in Lebanon since 2011, first with immediate relief, food, blankets, medical help, and then, alongside continuing relief needs, and longer term support for refugee families. If YOU would like to be part of this heartrending situation you can help refugees in Lebanon and around the world by adding your name to the BMS Birthday scheme at O.B.C. Please see Fran Morris who will explain how you can do this...every little helps. Your gift will make a difference. 15

18 One body formed from many people We at OBC are linked with Sahaara in Mumbai. Sahaara work in the red light districts helping women and their children to survive and escape the slavery of sex work. The team at Sahaara help the sex workers of Mumbai and their children in a number of ways: Spiritual growth: Having suffered terrible abuse, women trafficked into prostitution often have no self-esteem or self-worth. Offering women participation in cell meetings, one-to-one prayer meetings and foundational Christian courses begins to give them back their identity. Medical care: This project provides sex workers and their children with education on hygiene, basic health and HIV awareness as well as providing a doctor and facilitating testing for HIV/AIDS. Skills Training: Being knowledgeable of a trade not only gives these women an avenue to help themselves out of desperate poverty and abuse but also boosts their self-esteem and confidence. Education: Teaching sex workers how to read and write in Hindi enables them to become more independent. This project also provides education for the children of sex workers so that they can go to mainstream schools. The apostle Paul teaches us that we are all members of the same body, although we all have different functions. We should Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Rom 12:14 16

19 Rejoice! That the Lord has given us the material comfort to be able to contribute to the work of Sahaara. May he help us to use our gift of contribution in generosity Rom 12:8 and to add steadfast prayer to our financial support. 82 women have attended Hepatitis B awareness training and 65 have been vaccinated. 60 women have got involved in the community building activity sessions and are enjoying the opportunity to be in a safe and welcoming atmosphere. The local government have noticed the work of Sahaara and have taken action to clean the area to improve hygiene. 6 children have found jobs with the help of Sahaara s youth mentor. (It s very difficult for the children of the Red Light District to find employment) Weep One of the women involve with Sahaara has died leaving a 2 year old son. Pray that Sahaara would be able to find a suitable carer for him. Young girls feel trapped and helpless with no means of escape, nowhere to go if they did escape and no skills to help them find another job. Pray that they would have the courage to let Sahaara help them. Trafficking into the sex trade still continues to destroy thousands of lives a week. Pray that the authorities would strengthen their determination to prevent it. Alison Dennis Orpington CELEBRATING 70 YEARS 17

20 Thank You Firstly, I want to offer sincere thanks to my many friends at OBC who sent cards, flowers and cake who phoned or visited and prayed for me during my recent attack of shingles. It is very touching to be the recipient of so much love. Bless you all. Maggy Bater Secondly Martyn asked me to write a report of my recent visit to Pilgrim Hall. Dulcie and I spent five days at Pilgrim Hall in East Sussex during July. In case you don't know Pilgrim Hall is a Christian Conference Centre run by CWR who produce Christian literature including bible study notes. They run four or five holiday periods during the year and this was for seniors. There were worship and teaching periods of an hour each morning and evening and the rest of the day was free time with plenty to do. There is a heated swimming pool in the grounds,(around which ice cream us served in the afternoon) mini golf, croquet, table tennis, tennis court, a conservatory with tables for games and jigsaws, two lounges, one with television and beautiful grounds to walk in. The food is good with care taken for special dietary needs. Tea and coffee are available 24/7 at the ends of the corridors and breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the dining room with tea and coffee mid morning, mid afternoon and chocolate in the evening. En-suite rooms are available but as there are wash basins in all the bedrooms and toilet and bath/shower facilities conveniently situated we opted for non en suite and saved a bit of cash. The staff are very friendly and they have half a dozen European young people as volunteers. This is the fourth time Dulcie and I have been so I hope that is recommendation. I shall be going back at the end of August for the late summer holiday for mixed ages. There is a family holiday each August when children are catered for. And where is Pilgrim Hall? Near Uckfied in East Sussex with Lewes and Eastbourne not far away and also some National Trust properties if visitors fancy an afternoon out Holiday idea for next year!

21 Brad & Ruth Biddulph are our BMS World Mission link missionaries. They re currently living in Telimele, Guinea with their sons Ethan and Samuel. Please remember to pray for them. Sign-up for their blog at: 19

22 HOLIDAY AT HOME 2016 Thanks to a lot of hard work by Jo, Heather and Monica our planned "holiday" was a great success. We travelled in comfort to Polesden Lacey on a bright day and after wandering only a small part of the extensive grounds we enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea, (Some folk took home a doggy back as the food was too good to leave - the size of the scones were enormous!) On Sunday we enjoyed lunch after church and then split into small groups to try some different activities - or we could test our brain power on a quiz. Our "holiday" finished with tea and homemade biscuits! Thanks to all who cooked, volunteered or waited on us. Anne Ochiltree The Rev Martin Gillard, who was a much loved Assistant Minister at OBC between 1985 and 1989 after graduating from the South Wales Baptist Collage, was called to Zion Baptist Church in Ebbw Vale in 1989 and ministered there until He is now Minister at the Baptist Church in Porthcawl. Scattering seed on the ground Zion Baptist Church, Ebbw Vale This church family in South Wales [supported by Home Mission] has faithfully been spreading the word and is encouraged that God is at work through them In the four years since Pastor Udo Mueller has been minister, Zion Baptist Church has had 21 baptisms We are a very friendly and welcoming church, we strive to make the name of Jesus known to our community, to engage with people at their level and love people for what/who they are - people created in the image of God. We proclaim a message that transforms peoples lives, because that is the 20

23 power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many things that happen in our normal week, Bible Studies, Line Dancing, Drop-in Evening (Thru the Roof), Prayer Meetings, Celebrate Recovery, Craft Group, and our Sunday Services, and in everything we hope to be inclusive to anyone and to proclaim an exclusive message of salvation by faith. During these almost four years that God had placed us in Zion, through the grace of God and for his glory, many have come to believe. We have had 21 baptisms, and many also joining the church as members and contributing to the life of the church (nine of them were baptised in our last baptismal service on 3 July - see photo). The passage in Mark 4: comes to my mind: 'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how'. God asks of us to be faithful in spreading the Word; he gives the growth! The Lord is saving today. His blood is still powerful to cleanse, heal, forgive and restore, and he is faithful to his word, which never return to him empty, and we will continue to proclaim it with his strength. We appreciate your prayers for us and we give thanks and praise the our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Pastor Udo Mueller Nov/Dec 2016 deadline: Wednesday 26 October I d be grateful if all items are ed to me on or before that date please* (Paper copies available Sunday 6 November) marg15456@aol.com *To ensure your article is read by all with eager anticipation please try to keep it to a maximum of 700 words. Thanks! Marg Travers

24 But God s word is not chained (Paul s words from prison in Rome to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.9) What is the picture of persecution of Christians in 2016? It is one of increasing persecution, ranging from drives to smash Christian communities completely to the constant squeeze of low-level, localised persecution. Never have so many Christians been on the move away from persecution. We should not be surprised. Christ warned it would be so (Mt , John ) He also said the gates of hell would not prevail against us. The worldwide church is growing and bearing much fruit, including the persecuted parts of the body of Christ. It is estimated that on present trends numbers of Christians will reach 3 billion by A backlash to successful witness is often inevitable. Persecuted Christians ask for support and prayer, prayer especially for their faith to be sustained. We should question our own attitudes because we are one family (Hebrews 13 3) Are we treading water in our faith or carrying the cross for Christ? The persecuted church is not defeated. Where there is great fear there is also often great faith. We only have to reflect on God s mighty acts in mainland China. There is a great revival taking place in China, a country resistant to the gospel in the past, where tiny shoots were nourished by the China Inland Mission in the 19 c but the faith driven underground for 30 years from Christians buried their bibles in tins in their gardens; now the Bible societies have the aim of placing a bible in one medium or another in the hands of half the Chinese population by 2021! The drivers of persecution are: o Totalitarian insecurity in countries such as North Korea, China, Vietnam and Laos (the communist remnant) also Eritrea in Africa where governments fear those who give authority to God and do not fully submit to the regime and regions (parts of Columbia and 22

25 Mexico) where the rule of drug lords feels threatened by Christ s implicit moral stand. o Religious nationalism fostered by Hindu extremists in India and Buddhist extremists in Sri Lanka. They fear loss of influence and control. Hindu affiliation has fallen below 80% of the Indian population. o The main driver is Islamic extremism with its two hubs in the middle-east and sub-saharan Africa state oppression of Christianity (Iran) state harassment in response to fear of Islamic extremism (former Soviet central Asian republics) communal violence against and displacement of Christians (Nigeria and Pakistan) attacks of extremist groups such as IS, Boko Haram (Nigeria) and al-shabaab (Somalia, Kenya) There has been huge displacement of Christians in Nigeria, Iraq (fewer than 200,000 remaining out of over 1 million) and Syria (1/2 million remaining out of 2 million) Listen more, pray more, speak up more and do more for the persecuted church were the pledges made by the leaders of the world s great Christian traditions when they met in November 2015 to, for the first time, listen to, learn from and stand with persecuted churches. It is a command for us too. They are powerful stories of anxiety and need, also of trust and transformation. What have we done at OBC? o In May we held an open air evening service in solidarity with those forced out of their churches in places like China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. We were addressed by Colin King from Release International. The example he gave was of a mega church forced out in Beijing just before the 2008 Olympics, which has now dispersed into small house churches. This was part of the official clean-up before international visitors arrived. o We have close links with Release International based in Orpington. OBC has hosted two conferences over the past year: 23

26 in autumn 2015 the keynote speaker described how an early warning system in Pakistan mobilises the security services to head off communal violence against Christian communities (but sadly cannot counter atrocious terrorist attacks such as the one in Lahore at Easter) in April the keynote speaker was a young Sri Lanka lawyer who described her work in bringing legal actions to stop Buddhist harassment of Christian churches. The next conference is Saturday October 1. o We pray and we give money from the mission budget to RI. Individual members of the fellowship pray, give and write to Christian prisoners. o We take part in advocacy by supporting petitions to foreign governments. Please see new display on the mission notice board. Copies of the bimonthly RI magazine are placed on the welcome desk the next edition is September/October. The notice board display is taken from the magazine s recent editions. The persecuted church agencies all have websites: Release International (link from OBC website) Christian Solidarity Worldwide Open Doors UK, founded by Brother Andrew in Barnabus Jubilee Action Peter Johnson 24

27 Orpington Baptist Church Station Road, Orpington, Kent BR6 0RZ Orpington Baptist Church Office: (Mrs Jo Lewis & Mrs Pam Reynolds) Website: Minister Rev Martyn Travers Youth Pastor Rev Danny Brown Children & Families Worker David Jones Worship Co-ordinator Jon Newman Church Treasurer: Mr Ivor Reveley Tel: TEXT-A-PRAYER and someone will pray for you

28 is the bi-monthly newsletter for people who come to OBC. Its aim is to keep everyone informed about our Church life and the needs of the world around us, near and far. is also available as esignpost SAVES PAPER SAVES ADMIN TIME SAVES MONEY AND e-signpost is sent out before the paper copies are printed, so you get it early! If you d like to receive e-signpost via your computer (so you can just print out relevant pages if required) please send your address to Jo and Pam at the office: office@orpingtonbaptist.org.uk Nov/Dec 2016 deadline: Wednesday 26 October I d be grateful if all items are ed to me on or before that date please* (Paper copies available Sunday 6 November) marg15456@aol.com *To ensure your article is read by all with eager anticipation please try to keep it to a maximum of 700 words. Thanks! Marg Travers If you don t have a computer Ekua Stephen has kindly offered to type your article for you. Please give it to Ekua (not the Church Office)at least two days before deadline. OBC meets together for worship on Sundays at 10.30am and 6.30pm. During the morning service there are groups for babies through to young people. We usually celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday evening and 3rd Sunday morning of each month. For more information about our weekly programme please look at our Sunday bulletin or the OBC website: