Missional Adventure
We are really excited to announce the following Missional and Pioneering projects that the NBA are investing in for 2023:
Reverends Mairi and Graham McBain: Hartlepool Community Ministers
Mairi and Graham are called to be Community Ministers for the whole Hartlepool, based out of Headland Baptist Church. Their focus will be missional listening in the community and bringing the Good News of Jesus to the people they meet. They come with a range of experience in different contexts and the hope is that their work will aid the growth of the existing Baptist Churches in Hartlepool.
This project is made possible through a partnership with NBA Home Mission Grants and the Lady Hewley Trust.
Graham and Mairi say: We love the North East and have visited many times over the last few years, so it's an incredible answer to prayer to be able to move up here. We are really looking forward to moving to Hartlepool in January and serving together as Community Ministers. Over the last year or so we have spent a great deal of time praying, seeking and engaging in conversations about where and to what God may be leading us. We've felt a real resonance with the values and ethos of the NBA and so are excited about joining this association and being a small part in God's purpose for this area. We truly feel honoured to come to a community where God is at work and to join in his mission in this special town. We're looking forward to partnering with local churches and ministries and to sharing our ministry with you in the months and years to come.
Redcar Baptist Church Re:Planting into the local United Reformed Church
Reverend Mark Hubbard has lead Redcar Baptist Church through a transition to be reach out into their community. They currently run a community cafe, community fridge as well as many other activities in the community. As a result of their outreach they have seen 13 baptisms already this year. As a result of their growth and community engagement the local United Reformed Church approached Mark to use their building to re-plant a church to meet the needs of that community. This is a really exciting project as God is bringing the two congregations together to bless the community. God has laid on the hearts of Redcar Baptist Church to Change the Story, Bring Hope and Transform Lives - this partnership is another step in making this a reality for the people of Redcar.
This project is made possible through a partnership with NBA Home Mission Grants, the Eden Project and Redcar United Reform Church.
Headland Baptist Church: Mission through Ministry
Fiona has led Headland since January 2020. Prior to that the church was without a minister since 2013 and only opened its building just a couple of times a week. Fast forward two years and it’s now a hive of activity, both with its own groups and other organisations. Fiona while studying has put prayer at the heart of the church and it has seen real growth through community engagement.
You can find out more on the Baptist Together Website.
Over the past two years Home Mission Grants has been supporting Fiona and will continue to do so as she comes to the end of her studies in July 2023. This growth is being supported by Baptist Insurance and NBA Home Mission Grants.
Home Mission is also supporting:
Marsden Tab, as it seeks to grow its missional activities - watch this space for more information
Berwick Baptist Church as their minister John continues to build relationships with the local traveler community.
In Partnership with other funders we have also been able to support the Youth Work at Potrack Baptist Church and the Warm Hubs in Alnwick Baptist Church - more news to follow.
Missional Resources
Missional Adventure: Is a web portal from Baptist Together; where you can discover a world of missional opportunities for you and your church...
With ideas to inspire you, training to equip you, and networks to connect you, all just a click away!
If we are following wherever Jesus is leading us we will often find ourselves involved in something which is risky, exciting and a little bit scary. Across our Baptist family individuals and churches are finding themselves on all sorts of different missional adventures, and we hope these pages will enable you to discover the particular adventure that he is calling you to embark upon.
The mission of God invites us to be open to His leading in all aspects of our ordinary everyday lives, but it sometimes means leaving behind all that we find familiar and comfortable and stepping into the unknown.
Click Here to go to the Baptist Together Missional Adventure Web Portal for encouraging stories and inspirational ideas
As an Association we also work with others to enable different forms of mission:
London Institute of Contemporary Christianity
This is also a two-year cycle of leaders gatherings every 3 months or so, exploring how we intentionally develop whole-life discipleship in church life. Several NBA churches have used LICC resources over the past few years, so there could be interest here.