Beckenham Baptist Church

Dear Friends,  Today we are celebrating two things, firstly it is the Bible Society’s Bible Sunday, a day when we can give thanks to God for the scriptures and echo the apostle Paul’s words, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’ (2 Timohty 3:16-17). And secondly, as a church we are celebrating the 140 th Church Anniversary of Beckenham Baptist Church, founded in 1883 as Elm Road Chapel, the opening services took place on Wednesday 31st October – 9.30am Prayer Meeting, 2.45pm Public Service, 4.45pm a Meeting in the Chapel, and at 6.30pm another Public Service – with various Baptist luminaries of the day in attendance. The public reading of the Scriptures has always been at the heart of all we do as a Christian community, for it is there that we can hear the stories of the Bible and reflect upon our own place in God’s never-ending story ...

Dear Friends,  Earlier this year the Thursday morning Bible Study group completed a study on the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. My daily Bible Study notes have just started a period of looking at the life of Elijah, which can be found in 1 and 2 Kings. Elijah is described as the most famous and dramatic of Israel’s prophets and is perhaps best remembered for how he ‘died’, being carried off by a chariot of fire and horses of fire taking him up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11) as witnessed by Elisha. Now even though we don‘t know very much about Elijah and his background – he was a Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead the Bible tells us – what shines through the story is his single-minded commitment to God. He was sent to confront, not to comfort, and he spoke God’s words to a king – King Ahab – who often rejected his message just because he brought it. Elijah chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by experiencing isolation from others who were als...

Dear Friends,  I’m sure like me, you will have been shocked and distressed by the developing situation taking place in Israel and Palestine. Many statements and prayers have been offered and we continue to pray for peace and an end to the conflict and violence. Earlier this year the Revd Alan Donaldson, General Secretary of the European Baptist Federation, visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Of his visit he wrote, ‘Christianity, Judaism and Islam coexist in the region and result in an often charged atmosphere of tension…Churches in the region look similar to those you find across the world. Characteristic of Baptist worship was the exuberant praise and the joy of fellowship…Despite the challenges Christians face in the Holy Land, as a minority group they still have a clear impact on their local communities. Some churches offered food banks, homework clubs for children and gave homes to orphans. The Baptist School in Nazareth, attended by 1,100 local children from Chri...

Dear Friends,  I’ve been reading the story of Dorcas from northern Nigeria from the Open Doors prayer guide. Believers in Nigeria are experiencing increasing levels of violence, and more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined – 14 every day, on average. Dorcas is one of 130 young people in Nigeria to have received their own Bible to support and encourage them in their discipleship journey. She says, ‘I am so happy to have a new Bible that I can call my own! To me, this Bible is a weapon to overcome and win the battle in life. I believe the Bible will be of great impact in my spiritual journey because it is the foundation on which we should build our lives. Knowing God for yourself and being rooted in God’s Word will be the best way of living in this world’. Such encouragement for Dorcas and other young people like her is vital as these young believers’ experience both discrimination and violence daily because of their faith in Jes...

Dear Friends,  The beginning of October also marks the beginning of Black History Month, an annual celebration that recognises and celebrates the contribution that people from African and Caribbean backgrounds have made to UK history. This year the theme is Saluting our Sisters , and it highlights the crucial role that black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change and building communities. One such example is Mary Seacole, a Jamaican born nurse who cared for wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War in the 19 th Century. She was born Mary Jane Grant in 1805 to a Scottish soldier and Jamaican mother from whom she learned her nursing skills. She married Edwin Seacole in 1836 who died eight years later, and she travelled widely visiting the Caribbean, Central America and the UK. On these trips she studied traditional and European medical ideas, and in 1854 she travelled to England and approached the War Office, asking to be sent as an Army nurse to the Crimea. ...