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Bovingdon Baptist Church
consists of a wide
range of different people, from all ages and different church and social
backgrounds. So whoever you are, and whatever your background, you are
assured a very warm welcome. We know it's
not easy visiting a church service for the first time. You may be asking yourself
questions such as: Where do I park? Will anyone speak to me? Will they ask me
for money? Is there anything on for my children?
We understand how this might
feel feel, so we thought we would provide some information that might
make your visit a bit easier...
Arriving:
If
it's your first visit then it's probably best to turn up around
10.15am. For directions, please see the 'directions'
page. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. We are an informal
church and accept people as they are.
What to expect:
First of all - we aren't
super-spiritual beings. We all had a 'first day' at church, so understand how daunting it can be. You'll find
we are a friendly bunch, and so if you don't understand something, please ask...
We start our meeting at 10.30am with a few minutes of
notices keeping us informed of diary dates etc, then we spend about 20
minutes worshipping. Our worship time consists of modern songs (with
guitar, keyboard and drums), open times of prayer and testimony. Although the
collection bag is passed round, many of us give by standing order. We don't
expect visitors to put money in. Worship is all-age, and at 11am, the children and youth go to their own group. There is also a creche. We then continue our worship by studying the
bible. Our meeting ends around midday with tea and coffee, and a chance to chat.
Our aim is that whether
you are just looking into Christianity for the first time, or have been
a Christian for many years, you should be encouraged and inspired
by the morning. We hope that everyone will draw closer to God.
What we believe:
We
are a Christian church and believe that all can have relationship with
God. We believe this relationship with God is possible because of Jesus' death on a cross, and His resurection three days later.
We belong to an association
of churches that meet throughout the United Kingdon, called the Baptist
Union. Although there are differences between individual church in
style, we agree to a set of principles that define us. The main
principles are that: Each congregation has autonomy to decide how we run
ourselves: We all belive in Belivers Baptism - that we baptise adults
who profess faith, rather then infants.
Although we are distinct, we work towards unity. We have friendly
relationships with other local churches, such as holding joint Easter services with the local Parish Church, and joining with local Baptist Churches for other special services.
Is it just Sundays?
God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives pleasing to
him. We're not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we desire to make a
positive difference in everything we do.
To further encourage us we
have midweek small groups (a small group is simply a meeting of up to
10 people in someone's house). Small groups are a great way to get to
know others in the church and to be real with each other about everyday
living.
If you are just looking into Christianity you are welcome to
come along to a small group but you may prefer to join an Alpha group.
Alpha is a great way to find out more about God and the claims of
Christianity. No question is too stupid and you'll find other people
also exploring God for the first time. If you are interested in Alpha, then contact the church office.
For disabled people:
We
aim to be an all-inclusive church. However our resources are limited so
we try to provide for our current attendees. If you wish to discuss
specific needs please contact the church office. Our premises are
wheelchair accessible. There is a fully wheelchair accessible toilet and level
access into into the church. We do not currently
have a loop for hearing aid users (please tell us if this would be
helpful).