ORPINGTON BAPTIST CHURCH July / August 2018 Follow the Son Whoever follows God s Son has life whoever does not follow God s Son does not have life ; 1 John 5.12 O B C
CONTENTS PAGE CONTENTS PAGE From Martyn 1 From Danny 2 From David 3 From Simon 5 Summer Sondays 6 Ministry of Flowers 7 Lunch Club 9 Holiday At Home 9 Womens Friendship Group 10 Summer Concert 13 Modern slavery 14 BB 15 Cafe + Prayer 16 Your Kingdom Legacy 17 Church Family Meeting 18 Book Review 19 CTO Prayer 19 Mens Group 20 Discipleship Explored 10 BMS Birthdays 11 Saturday Cafe 11 Remembering Billy 12 Graham BMS visitors 13
Dear Friends, I ve been particularly mindful recently of our Church Text for 2018: Your Kingdom come - your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6.10). In all our activity and service I believe that it s only as we look and pray for God s will to be done that any of our work will be spiritually fruitful. Over these Summer weeks, when some churches slow down and take a break from their activities, we have lots planned. The pages of this Signpost are full of what s going on. Do read about it, get involved if you can but most importantly pray that God s will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Something we ve been working on is our Leadership Team at OBC. This,of course, consists of the Ministry Team in Danny, David, Jon and myself and our Trustees in Remi Adesina, Sylvester Biyibi, Paul Cooke, Lorraine Dixon, Pauline Hollands, John Iddiols, Colin Salzer and Ade Sodipe. I wonder if you can identify them all and commit to pray for them in their increasing responsibilities as a Team? To help with that we ll be displaying their photo on the screen in the Welcome Area. As we seek to appoint a new Treasurer in Paul Cooke at the July Church Meeting this will also mean looking to extend the Team with at least one other. As a group we really cherish the prayers of the Church Family as we ourselves are also taking prayer for the Church seriously by meeting regularly to pray together. Over these Summer weeks whether you re going away or perhaps enjoying our Holiday At Home please take time to pray and refresh your soul as well as your body. May God bless you and encourage you. Love in Christ, As well as praying with friends in triplets, small groups or Lifegroups there are opportunities to pray together at OBC: Saturday Prayer Gathering in the Prayer Room 9.00-10.00am Sunday Prayer Gathering in the Upper Room 9.30-10.00am We also have members of our Prayer Ministry Team available at our Sunday Services. 1
A Youth Lead service I m under no illusion that what we did last month was revolutionary, there have been youth lead services in the past and there will be many more in the future, but for the collection of young people that come to OBC it was a big step for them calling OBC their church. Unlike many of you (adults) reading this, young people don't often have a say in whether they come to church - or which church they go to. We believe that OBC is a great place to worship and have worked very hard to make the youth and children's work as exciting and engaging as possible but that s not always enough. The weight of the relationship these young people have with OBC isn't in their favour, and that can have some serious consequences. We want young people to own the church, love it and feel like they are part of the big family that makes up OBC. There are many ways in shaping this culture but a big step in the right direction is giving young people a voice, and one of the best ways to be heard by other people is by serving them. That s why we ran a youth lead service on the 24th June. Here s a snippet of conversation that lead us to putting this plan into action: A Youth lead service on a Sunday morning would be a fantastic opportunity for the young people to feel empowered and for everyone at OBC who doesn t yet know our young people to see their characters and ability. As a church, it is our responsibility to encourage the young people and empower them to be determined disciples. They all have the ability to showcase themselves in one way or another and I feel a great place for them to start is in front of the congregation at OBC. DB From welcoming to worshipping, reading to praying, speaking to the adults 2
to talking to the children, doing the collection to being part of the prayer ministry team, the young people can do it all. I have no doubt that mistakes will be made but that s when people learn. Leading the service is open to all of the young people, for them to share who they believe their God is, to give others an insight into their experiences of God and to give them an opportunity to serve. Empowered The children of Kidzone are getting into the stories in Acts especially when it comes to the creative activities. We have made people on the day of Pentecost, which are now displayed in the stair well of the church, and have used lego people together with junk modelling to create Peter and James going to the temple to pray. Allowing our children to be creative is very important in their spiritual development and I would like to see this grow in Kidzone as we look Pentecost at drawing on other creative activities like drama. We are also keen to stretch our older children further in this area by the use of a laptop and maybe art materials, so I am looking forward to the coming months in seeing our children s progress. Peter & James go to the temple Spinnaker As I come to the end of another school year I often reflect on what has taken place. This year in particular has seen a physical change to the structure of the schools. Two of them have had major building works, one challenged me to find my way into the school as the old entrance area was sealed off, and the other challenged me with children coming into hall through different 3
doorways that previously weren t there. Despite these physical challenges the schools have never stopped me from coming in to lead their assemblies, the children and staff have engaged and enjoyed all that I have done. What matters is what I say and if I didn t go into these schools on a fortnightly basis and share from the Bible, many of them would never hear anything about God and His love for them. This Summer: Our mid-week OK Bible group is taking a break over the summer, to make room for our holiday bible club which is called Move It. We will be running from Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th August. If anyone is available to be involved do please let me know. There is a great need throughout the summer to provide a safe and inviting place for children to come and learn about God. Through a number of different activities we have a real opportunity to relate something of God in our lives to these young children. This outreach is a great opportunity for us as a church to unite our children from Brigades and Kidzone as well as children from the local community. There will be plenty of organised activities to satisfy children from Reception to Year Six inclusive so please start praying now that all children will have ears to hear the gospel message and respond. Have a look at our Acts artwork in the stairwell 4
Fortunately, my time as temporary Treasurer coincides with a fairly quiet period for the church accounts, with the next big event being the 2019 budget which, luckily, will be overseen by our new treasurer! However, I thought I would just include a short article to reassure you all that all is well with our finances. The church s cash position remains healthy thanks to everyone s generous giving. This is important as we have a big expenditure coming up for a new roof over the Tower Road halls and there will be further major expenditure over the coming years on the rest of the roof areas. We don t want property maintenance to curtail our mission and outreach but we do need to look after our premises. A number of people have become new regular donors to the church funds, which is very welcome, and if anyone else wants more information on giving to the church please talk to me or Alan Moss or indeed Martyn. All levels of giving are much appreciated and we try to offer a range of different methods for donating. Repayments for the building work s loan continue as planned and I am developing ideas for how we may be able to push to close off the loan by the end of next year. Lastly, I would like to thank Frank Levett for all his sterling work in running the bookkeeping function which runs extremely smoothly and also recognise how much help we receive from John Cheeseman, our Independent Examiner, who goes well beyond his brief. Simon Lees Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 OBC TEXT 2018 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4.10 5
Summer Sondays JULY 1 10.30 Worship together: Empowered Followed by Church Family Picnic 8 10.30 All-age & Parade service 6.30 Healing Service with Communion 15 10.30 Worship with Communion: Empowered 22 10.30 Worship together: Empowered (with a visit from Lucy & Mac, our BMS Link missionaries) 29 10.30 Worship together: Empowered AUGUST 5 10.30 Worship together: Empowered 6.30 Worship with Communion 12 10.30 Worship together: Danny Brown 6.00 Summer Concert 19 10.30 Worship Together with Communion: Norman Dix 26 10.30 Worship together 6 Psalm 96.8,9
JULY 1 Graham, Martin & Pat Paine Their father and husband on his birthday Linda Timmins 8 Maggy Bater Her birthday and late Karen Hicks hisband s birthday 15 Ken Wooster His wife Brenda Karen Sumner Gillian Mills Her mother 22 Available for donations Linda Timmins 29 Dave & Jenny Golding & Mollie Laver Viv Cox AUGUST Their parents Her father Fran Morris 5 Marilyn Crisp Happy family memories Marilyn Crisp 12 Available for donations Linda Timmins 19 Emily Wilson Her birthday Linda Timmins Vera Brewer Birthday of her father George 25 Wedding of Chris Benjamin & Bethan Short Team 26 Keith & Pauline Hollands Their parents Alf & Ruth Bristow Karen Sumner 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 07944 213662) 7
The weekly fresh flowers in our church are provided by the generous donations received from the people listed in the Signpost and Bulletin who wish to remember a loved one, or celebrate an anniversary on the same date each year. The fund does not receive money as part of the Church Budget. The flowers are arranged by a team of volunteers consisting of Linda Timmins, Fran Morris, Marilyn Crisp, Karen Sumner and Karen Hicks. We also decorate the church at Christmas, Harvest and Easter and ensure flowers are provided for Mothers Day, Weddings and Funerals. If you would like to remember a loved one, or celebrate an occasion or anniversary either as a one off or annually, please contact Linda Timmins. Alternatively, all ad hoc donations to the fund are gratefully received to help us continue this service, as the cost of flowers is continually rising. Please give your donations to any of the team listed above, or through Pam/Jo in the Church Office. After the Service the flowers are taken to bless people in our Church Family who are in pastoral need so they can be enjoyed for longer than a Sunday. Thank you to all those who currently support this fund which is for us all to enjoy. Linda Timmins 8
For those of you who are unaware, we meet every 3rd Tuesday of each month, with the exception of December when it is the 2nd Tuesday for our Christmas celebration. Many of our members make their own way to OBC, but some need transport, and we currently need at least one more driver, and this will become critical in September when Pauline and Keith Hollands take up their 'grandparenting' duties and will no longer be able to help in this way. We would also welcome another member for the catering team, either for every month, or as a reserve to cover holidays, illness etc. If you feel you might be able to help in any way, please make contact with me for more information. Thank you. Jenny Golding (Tel: 01689 857277) He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 Pudding Makers and Biscuit Bakers If you would like to help with our "Holiday at Home" by making some puddings or biscuits this year, please sign the list on the Welcome Desk with what you'd like to make. This is a lovely opportunity for those that can't help in other ways to show love to the guests that come by making something "special" for them. 9
All ladies are invited to come to JULY 2 Faith and Work Lorraine Dixon 9 Bible Study David Jermyn 16 Reflections on Summertime Members sharing We break for the summer holiday. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday 10th September. We meet at 2pm followed by tea. Fellowship is warm and friendly and we are looking for new friends to join us. During 2018 we have been challenged, delighted and encouraged by our variety of speakers. Some are OBC folk who have come and shared about their work and faith, others have been from international missions that we support. We heard from a young enthusiastic representative from the Leprosy Mission who gave up to the minute news of remarkable work still being done in countries like Niger. We have also heard about the work of the Connection at St Martins in the Field where homeless people are helped to make their first steps back into the local community. We make time for Bible study and reflection, along with musical interludes and interests such as holiday memories and flower craft. Our meetings are lively as well as interesting and thoughtful. We hope you will come along and join in our fellowship together. Our studies in Philippians continue at OBC on these dates: 26 Jul One in Christ (1:27-2:11) 30 Aug Obedient in Christ (2:12-30) 20 Sep Righteous in Christ (3:1-9) 25 Oct Transformed in Christ (3:10-21) 15 Nov Rejoicing in Christ (4:1-9) 6 Dec Content in Christ (4:10-23) 10
Happy Birthday to those who celebrate in JULY Audrey Smith Janice Cotton Helen Stockman Linda Timmins Maggy Bater Daniel Cooke Hazel Williams Madeleine Twydell Mark Twydell Ruth Dyal Don Benjamin Henry Knock Joan Smith Karen Cheeseman John Hales Marilyn Crisp May Knock AUGUST Chris Little Bill Brown Monica King Chris Benjamin Emily Wilson Mavis Tanner www.bmsworldmission.org/birthday Please see Fran Morris if you d like to know more. If Gift Aid is claimed please make cheques payable to OBC. 11
Remembering Billy Graham David Coffey OBE Global Ambassador for BMS World Mission It was a privilege to be among the 2,300 invited guests attending the funeral of Billy Graham, not least because he had been an influential presence in every decade of my life. My late father, Arthur Coffey, was among the group of young pastors who invited Billy for his first visit to Britain in 1946, and I was five years old when Billy visited my home church at Winton Baptist Church Bournemouth. I have no memory of his sermon, but I do recall the excitement generated by his visit to our church. In 1954, I attended the landmark Harringay Crusade in London and came forward to make my first public commitment to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I visited Billy and Ruth Graham in their Montreat mountainside home in March 1996 and I was able to observe the strong loving bonds of the Graham family. During the funeral service on 2 March, all five of the Graham children paid tributes to the shaping influence of their parents. As one of the sons said: The man who preached in stadiums around the world, and the person who was my father was the same man. I want you to know there was only one Billy Graham. Billy often said, the first thing he was going to do when he arrived in heaven was to ask the question: Why me Lord? Why did you choose a farm boy from North Carolina to preach to so many people around the world? The same question has been posed by obituary notices since his death. What was the secret of this ordinary man who preached to 215 million people across six continents? How could this farm boy from a humble background emerge to become the world-famous evangelist, confidante of royalty, presidents, prime ministers and religious leaders of all faith traditions? 12
I think the answer is in the first line from two hymns made famous by his global missions. Billy came to faith in Christ and said to God, use me Just as I am. And when he died people around the globe said with one voice, To God be the glory. FROM: Engage Issue 41 2018 (Used with permission) Engage is the free magazine from BMS World Mission - full of interesting and challenging articles. Look on the BMS website or use the link below for this current edition: https://www.bmsworldmission.org/product /engage-issue-41-2018/ Lucy & Mac, our friends from BMS World Mission are coming to OBC on Sunday 22 July - please come and catch-up with their news. Their April prayer letter is available at: https://www.bmsworldmission.org/letters/april-2018-5/ Bringing faith in Christ and the life only he can provide 13
Modern slavery is hidden in plain sight on our high streets. The National Crime Agency thinks there are tens of thousands of people being exploited in the UK, forced to work long hours, for little or no pay, and under threat of violence. Some of those people are being exploited in hand car washes, which in recent years have sprung up across the country in their thousands. Many of those hand car washes are legitimate businesses, but some of them are not. Police raids in hand car washes in towns and cities up and down the country have unearthed victims living in horrendous conditions. THE PROBLEM Although law enforcement and the government are clear that this problem exists, there is no reliable data on just how widespread it is. This lack of information means that victims could be falling through the net, becoming more enmeshed in the cycle of exploitation. The Clewer Initiative has spoken to the police, the National Crime Agency and the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority about how the church can help them solve this and bring these hidden victims into the light. THE SAFE CAR WASH APP The Safe Car Wash app has been developed to allow the general public to engage with the problem, it is a new tool that will enable the largest community intelligence gathering exercise ever attempted in the United Kingdom. Download the free app onto your smartphone and then when you are using a hand car wash, simply open the app and complete a short survey about the working conditions of the car wash. THROUGH THE SAFE CAR WASH APP WE HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP TACKLE THIS SCOURGE WHICH IS DAMAGING SO MANY PEOPLE S LIVES." The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby Ruth Carter 14 Image <a href='https://www.123rf.com
ANCHOR BOYS We held a very successful joint Display in May with our GB Company at Kemnal Manor School, the items were all well practiced and executed, thank you to all the parents, grandparents and friends who came along to support us that evening. We look forward to our summer programme as we venture further afield with the boys with trips to Poverest Park, hopefully in the sunshine. We have lots of other activities planned at the church including a Treasure Hunt, DVD and popcorn night, Pizza making evening, non-stop cricket and other games and crafts, the boys particularly enjoy any food related evenings! Our last meeting we return to World of Golf, Sidcup which is another really fun evening playing crazy golf amongst the dinosaurs. We have been fortunate to have Josh Ryan helping us this session and he has been a real asset on Thursday evenings helping out with the boys, it s great to see our former Anchor Boys having an opportunity to put something back into the section. Please pray for all the staff, helpers and boys who attended Junior Section camp in June and for the forthcoming Company Section camp on the Isle of Wight that they willall have a fantastic time building friendships with each other and may this also provide an opportunity to build a lasting relationship with Jesus. It has been a real privilege and pleasure to serve over the last 35 years in the 3rd Bromley Company - this will be my final report as I hang up my 15
uniform, may I please ask that you pray for the new challenges and blessings ahead when the staff return in September. Chris Little Officer-in-Charge Just recently it's been great to take the opportunity to pray with friends visiting our Church Café. Whether they re from our own Church family or from the wider community we want people to know that the Sanctuary Cafe is just that - a place of sanctuary where they can find God's peace. On each of the Menu holders there s an encouragement for guests to ask for prayer if they would like that and it's our privilege to be able to draw alongside people in this way.there's also a reminder of the Text a Prayer line on 07891259195 and sometimes people have used that as well. Thinking more about this just recently has encouraged us as a Café team to make the Prayer Room at OBC more known and available for guests to use as a place of quiet prayer whenever we re open. Sometimes people outside of the Church are more willing to ask for prayer than Christians have felt confident to offer it. At the Sanctuary Café we want to serve people not only with the best refreshments in town but with the love and presence of God that in this place people might know peace. Martyn 16
7- = \- o I read recently that more than 30 million British adults are not covered by a will, something that can cause problems for the loved ones who, sooner or later, we will leave behind. The reasons that people gave for this included not getting round to it, too busy, a feeling that they did not have much for anybody else to inherit anyway, or, perhaps the issue of finally discussing and working out how to resolve an awkward family issue. We look forward to resting in peace and rising in glory, sometimes many years into the future, and whilst we have a responsibility to leave matters as neat and tidy as possible for those we leave behind, writing a will does also give us an opportunity to leave some of our worldly wealth to reflect what has meant a lot to us in this life. And if you have indeed already made a will, it is always a good thing to review it every so often, even if you are not somebody who has just got married, a happy event that automatically invalidates an earlier will. n O 6 o) C) L I a F o ^: $ F - +1 t- = (E o o o \J) CL r- rh - I I o9 ooo F\V tr.9 C\l E= Ji (!X E? o ct) o L o o o L tlr -F F The Baptist Union has recently publicised an initiative called Your Kingdom Legacy, an invitation to consider leaving a legacy in our wills that could enable pioneering mission, support new ways of being church, and transform the lives of young people. Leaving a gift in our will could help a great many people whom we will never meet, but who will always be grateful for the opportunity we have given them to serve God, or experience the love of Christ, through others in our churches. There is some literature available that gives more information, but one important thing to bear in mind is that Baptists Together is a member of the National Free Wills Network which can pay for a limited number of simple wills. There is no obligation to leave a legacy, and the scheme is for those aged 60 years or over. There is more information available at www.baptist.org.uk/legacy email legacy@baptist.org.uk or telephone 01235 517700. 17 E r_ trtu h tfr *\l ffir #'"T. tru FF ae..: -=W #,,,:,+' i.!:. Your Kingdom Legacy
I sometimes look around the church sanctuary and reflect on the wonderful characters who were once part of our fellowship over so many years, and how they have contributed to where we are today. Sometimes people include a legacy for their local church as a tangible means to help us remember them; the best example for us at OBC is Peter Haynes, whose legacy helped us to kick start the new building extension. So leaving a legacy can affect how we will be remembered. It is becoming an ever more important aspect of how churches and other charities maintain their finances nowadays, and it can be a very valuable thing to us to know that we have made this provision for things we care about in this world after we have started life in the next one. Alan Moss Are you a Church Member? Everyone who comes to OBC is an important member 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. Talk to Martyn or Danny for more details. 18
Phoebe by Paula Gooder Dr Paula Gooder is a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies and Director for Mission in the Birmingham Diocese of the Church of England. Some may remember her inspiring Bible Studies at Spring Harvest two years ago. Paula has a passion to ignite people s enthusiasm for reading the Bible today. In this, her first novel, Paul tells Phoebe's story; who she was, the life she lived and her first century faith. Whilst it s a work of fiction, it s based on careful New Testament research and opens up the Bible in a very readable and accessible way. Paula refers to Phoebe as a deacon and as a helper of many (Romans 6.1). But who was this remarkable woman? What can we learn from her today? I ve just loved reading this myself - and Paula tells me that other such novels with a Biblical background are to come. Hardback 11.99/Paperback 8.99/ Kindle 5.99 (Amazon) May 2018 Martyn Sat 7 July 9.00am at OBC - all welcome 19
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Orpington Baptist Church Station Road, Orpington, Kent BR6 0RZ Orpington Baptist Church Church Office: 01689 877265 (Mrs Jo Lewis & Mrs Pam Reynolds) Email: office@orpingtonbaptist.org.uk Website: www.orpingtonbaptist.org.uk Youth Pastor Rev Danny Brown 07888 399 714 dannywbrown@me.com Senior Minister Rev Martyn Travers 07891 259 195 mptravers@aol.com Worship Co-ordinator Jon Newman 07838 177 649 gsgmusic@hotmail.com Children & Families Worker David Jones 07946 345 717 daviddjones@aol.com Ministers The whole OBC Family! TEXT-A-PRAYER 07891 259 195 and someone will pray for you
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 online SAVES PAPER SAVES ADMIN TIME SAVES MONEY www.orpingtonbaptist.org.uk Sept/Oct 2018 deadline: Wed 22 August I d be grateful if all items are emailed to me on or before that date please* 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 01689 873092 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. We meet together on Sundays at 10.30am and (most weeks) at 6.30pm During the morning service there are groups for babies through to young people. For more information about our weekly programme please look at our Sunday bulletin or the OBC website www.orpingtonbaptist.org.uk