Sunday Morning family orientated Service from 11.00 to approximately 12.15 (with Sunday Clubs for children)
Sunday Evening time of Praise and Worship from 18.30 to approximately 19.45
Monday Evening Girls Brigade 18.30 to 20.00 (4-9, 10-14+ Groups)
Thursday Afternoon Pastoral Counselling from 2.00 onto 5.00; Choir Rehearsal 18.00 to 19.30
Thursday Evening Bible Study 19.30 to 20.30
Friday Evening Boys Brigade 8-11 18.30 to 19.45; 11-15, 16+ 19.30 to 21.30
Here you will get the latest news about our fellowship, things we do during the week and all the coverage of our events.
It will be a pleasure to meet you,
Revd. André Mira, Cecilia & daughter Camilla
_________________________________________________________________________
We are a Baptist Church and believe:
We are a Baptist Church and believe:
- That Jesus is the Son of God
- That He is the only way to God and that we can come to know Him through repenting of our sins and putting our faith in His sacrificial death on the cross.
- That Salvation is by God's grace and not by good works.
- That the Bible is the Word of God and we accept it as our final authority.
- In the Grace of God - that there was nothing about us that deserved his love, but God loved us, was merciful to us and saved us.
- That the gospel is relevant to every area of our lives.
- That the Bible defines the church as a body of people who are devoted to God and also to one another.
- That the purpose of our lives is to worship God, to love one another, and to make God's love known to our community.
- That God wants us to enjoy Him for ever.
- That Church members should seek to be as actively involved in the life of the church as possible.
Play activities, singing and storytelling for children under 5 [five]. Opportunities for moms to get acquainted and share.
WEDNESDAYS, 1:30-3:00 during regular school term times.
The Sunday Clubs meet during the Morning Service every Sunday. There are three separate groups catering the the particular needs of different age ranges.
Sunbeams (from babies to 6 year olds)
We like to make Sunday mornings a fun time. The children are encouraged to learn Christian values through playing - by sharing, being kind, and helping each other. Each week we have a Bible lesson which we may act, play a game about, or simply have as a story. We also sing, play musical instruments, make models, and do pictures. For our free play time, the children can use a wide variety of toys - including a Wendy House, a castle, a climbing frame with slide, and a wide selection of cars, prams and other fun toys. Bring your under-sevens for a fun-time on Sundays. Sunbeams "opens for business" at 10.45 and normally the children must be collected at 12.15.
Sunrays (7 to 11 year olds)
These children join us for the first part of the Morning Service at 11.00 and then leave for their special time together after 20 minutes or so. They follow a programme of activities, craft, drama, and so on and we aim to teach them basic of the Christian faith.
Sunseekers (11+)
A group designed specifically for young people - where issues which they can relate to are explored with a Christian emphasis. Issues like:
| Does God exist? | What is the Bible? |
| Who am I? | Why am I important? |
| What is God like? | Who is Jesus? |
| How can I know Him? | How can we pray? |
| What is the Church? | Do miracles still happen? |
The young people normally join in the Morning Service for the first half an hour or so and then go to their meeting.
For our Family Christmas Service this year, we put on a production of The King of Love. Regrettably, I can't get it onto 1 video, so it's broken down into 4 parts. Here's the first part. Hope you enjoy them all. The remaining video's will be available on the link to the right of the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We recently had a presentation in church where various members received their certification in Bible Studies. They had undertaken eight modules of intense study, research, work and dedication. You will see from the photographs that all the recipients are in their later years. The challenge is now for some of our younger generation to complete this study too.
____________________________________________________
---------------------------------------------
We recently celebrated the wedding of Asta & Wale. Click on the link below to see what a blessed day we had.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We recently had a presentation in church where various members received their certification in Bible Studies. They had undertaken eight modules of intense study, research, work and dedication. You will see from the photographs that all the recipients are in their later years. The challenge is now for some of our younger generation to complete this study too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~See the photo's from our latest event - Click on the play button.
____________________________________________________
MOBO WINNER ROCKS BAPTIST CHURCH STAGE
Gospel singer Guvna B
brought an audience to its feet at a unique concert held in Barking Baptist
Church on Sunday evening 27 November.
Guvna B, who won a prestigious MOBO
(Music of Black Origin) award in the Gospel category during 2010, electrified
the large and mainly black audience with his mixture of rap, hip hop and gospel
styles. Some of the braver members of
the audience were soon dancing with him on stage.
Guvna B's performance, however, was
only one highlight of an evening that brought together music, poetry,
dance and drama in one programme. The evening was the brainchild of Yemi Aderibigbe
(19), a member of the church currently studying law at the University of
Bedfordshire. Yemi explained that the evening
had been inspired by the recent riots in London and elsewhere and her
wish to show the more positive side of youth culture.
Performers were drawn from members of the Baptist church and from other
churches in and around Barking. The
church's own singing group began the programme with a rousing performance of
the African gospel song “We Are Marching in the Light of God” and there was
more African music later in the evening from a group called Eternal Voices.
There were several rap performances, by
artists such as Micky from Ilford's City Gates Church, but a quieter and more reflective approach to
music was also provided by acoustic singer Naomi Hinds, who is currently
negotiating a record deal.
The IHR Band, from High Road Baptist
Church, Ilford, combined worship music
with contemporary rock .
Technical difficulties with backing
tracks marred the first appearance on stage of
singer/songwriter Mizz Camara but she later returned triumphantly to
perform two of her self-penned compositions.
Drama by members of the church
highlighted the dangers of drink and drugs and this message was reinforced by
some closing words by the Mayor of Barking, Cllr. Milton Mackenzie, who told
his young listeners, “If you believe
in God, you can't get much higher than that”. Gavin McKenna described his earlier life in
local gangs before his life had been transformed by his encounter with the
Christian faith.
The evening ended with the presentation of trophies to many of the performers who had
taken part and a closing worship song by the Baptist church singing group and
most of the participants.
The audience responded with enthusiasm to all of the acts and a
late start and long programme did nothing to spoil the success of the
evening.
Graham
Hedges
---------------------------------------------
THEN AND NOW
2011 has been celebrated
as the “Year of the Bible”. The four hundredth anniversary of the King
James Bible has been marked by
books, television and radio programmes, and
exhibitions. The Biblefresh
programme, has encouraged greater Bible reading and highlighted the
contemporary relevance of the Scriptures.
The end is now in sight, and the KJB celebrations are to be brought to an end with a service at
Westminster Abbey on 16 November 2011.
I have been carrying out some work for
the Evangelical Alliance, cataloguing and indexing some of the news
sheets that the organisation has produced over the years. When working my way
through the 1960s I discovered that 1961 was also designated as
a “Bible Year”. The three
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the King
James Bible
was widely celebrated. At the same time many people welcomed the publication of the New Testament section
of the New English Bible.
This was a new translation in contemporary English which
sold five million copies on its day of publication alone.
Resources produced by the Evangelical
Alliance in 1961 included an
illustrated magazine introducing the
value of systematic Bible study, a touring Bible exhibition, car stickers and
envelope seals. A Bible Rally was held
at the Royal Albert Hall and a house
party was arranged in North Wales. No doubt other churches and organisations
made their own contributions to the
celebrations.
Writing in Spring 1961, the
Rev. John Caiger [1]
noted that the translators of the New English Bible intended that
their version should be used for private
reading, rather than as a replacement for
the King James version in church. The
danger with colloquial versions of the Scriptures was that they would
quickly become out of date. The biblical message needed to be expressed in “timeless” language that would be accessible
for several generations. A succession
of translations might be fascinating for
the general reader, but would do little to encourage serious meditation and
devotion.
Subsequent history has taken little
notice of John Caiger's reservations.
The New English Bible was duly replaced by the Revised
English Bible and the last fifty years have seen a steady stream of
fresh translations.
It seems unlikely that there will ever
again be a single translation of the Scriptures accepted and used by all Protestant Christians. However, there are positive as well as
negative aspects to this. Any
translation will be one step removed
from the languages of the biblical
writers, and it is useful to have access to
the insights of a number of different
translators. We should give thanks for the resources that are
available to us, and resolve to use them
more effectively.
[1] Caiger, John. The
Challenge of Bible Year. In Evangelical
Broadshhet, Spring 1961, pp. 1-3.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
__________________________________________________________________
WORK, WORK, WORK
“It's not really work if
you wouldn't rather be doing something else”.
I can't remember who
made this comment, but it sums up the way many people look upon their
daily employment. On the other hand,
others live only for work, sacrificing
family, friends, and spiritual life to
the demands of their careers.
The Creation stories of Genesis make clear that the human race has
been appointed as the stewards of God's creation. Our ancestors earned their living in agriculture,
but in the twenty-first century stewardship can mean involvement in the
business world, the arts, science and technology, public services or other
areas of economic life.
However, as Christians and human
beings we have additional priorities and
responsibilities, and work and earning
money should not be seen as the sole purpose of our existence.
It is strange that working life receives so little attention in
churches. Many Christians have never
heard a sermon on work. Many churches
work on the assumption that Christian mission is a spare time activity carried out
when their members' daily work is
finished.
In recent years there has been a growing awareness that
working life is a mission field for Christians. There have always been Christian workplace
groups and for many years their ministry has been supported by Christians at
Work – see www.caw.uk.net More recently, Transform Work UK (TWUK)
- see www.transformworkuk.org - has
emerged as a new initiative which supports Christian witness in working life
and provides resources for
Christian workplace and professional groups.
Mark Greene, Director of the London
Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), - see www.licc.org.uk -
is
a champion of Christian engagement in the workplace. His Thank God it's Monday has appeared in several editions and has served as
a primer for those who want to
relate faith to work. LICC is launching a Work Forum which
is intended as a strategic initiative to support Christians in the workplace.
Christian professional groups provide
a forum in which work issues can be considered
from a Christian viewpoint. Such
groups also have a role to play in communicating the gospel to colleagues. The Association of Christian Teachers,
the Librarians' Christian Fellowship and the Social Workers'
Christian Fellowship are a few of the groups available but many others exist.
Work may not be the be-all-and-end-all
of life but it is an important arena for Christian life and witness.
-----------------------------------------------------------
We will be privileged to have our friends from Alabama, USA join us again for the first week in August to assist in running our Holiday Club.
The theme for this year is PANDAMANIA - where God is Wild about You!
If your child is between 5-11 years of age, why not send them along to find out what it's all about. I know one thing - it will be a fun-filled time.
______________________________________________
PEACE
PROTESTOR
by
Graham Hedges
It’s not everyday that a former member of our
congregation here at Barking Baptist Church appears on the front page of
the Morning Star, not to mention other
daily newspapers. However, such was the
case on Monday 20 June 2011 when the venerable Communist news sheet reported
the death of the peace protestor Brian Haw two days previously.
Many
readers of this article will know that Brian Haw spent ten years of his life
protesting against the war in Iraq from a makeshift camp opposite the Houses of
Parliament in Westminster. His
presence was a constant irritation to many members of Parliament, and to the
local authority, but successive attempts to dislodge him (including new
legislation and attempts through the
courts) proved unsuccessful and Brian maintained his vigil until ill health
forced him to leave the site and seek medical treatment in Germany.
Long
standing members of our church will remember Brian from the 1980s when he was a
fairly regular attender at our services and other meetings. He was too much of a free spirit to limit
himself to a single church, but his wife was one of our members, and his
children attended our Sunday School.
Some
readers will share Brian’s views on the war in Iraq, and other recent
conflicts, while others may not.
Historically, while some Christians have
held to the pacifist position that war is always wrong, others have
subscribed to the “just war” position that war can
sometimes be justified as the lesser of two evils. However, there is no doubt that Brian Haw’s
stance was inspired by his Christian beliefs, and it has been commonplace for
press reports about him to mention his
faith as an evangelical Christian.
Brian’s
method of protesting will strike some as eccentric, even naïve, but his actions
bear comparison to those of Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel
who often used unconventional methods to get their message across.
There
is a lot of talk about the need for greater Christian involvement in politics,
but Brian Haw is an example of a Christian who was willing to embrace hardship
and danger to his own person in order to put his principles into
practice. We should give thanks for his
life and pray for others who have a similar vocation to speak out as Christians
on the burning issues of the day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last Saturday Barking Choir went to Link Church. What a blessed service we had together!
___________________________________
STILL
KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR ?
GRAHAM
HEDGES
24th May 2011 will be the seventieth birthday of one of
our most celebrated songwriters and
performers, Bob Dylan. Remarkably, for
an artist who first emerged as part of the youth culture of the 1960s, Dylan is
still on the road and performing concerts.
And after a comparatively fallow
period, his recent albums have been praised
by critics and fans alike.
During
his career, Bob Dylan has appeared in a number of different guises. Heralded
as a folk singer, and writer of protest songs, he went on to explore
other musical styles, including rock, country and even reggae. His songs presented him in the contrasting
roles of social prophet, contented
husband and family man, and vengeful
lover.
In
the late seventies and early eighties Dylan appeared in his most unexpected
role as a born again Christian and
writer of gospel songs. His albums Slow
Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love presented an
uncompromising Christian message and their confrontational tone alienated many
of his fans.
Dylan’s
overtly “Christian period” proved to be short lived and within a few years there were rumours
that he had abandoned Christianity and/or returned to the Judaism of his early
years.
Michael
J, Gilmour's The Gospel According to Bob Dylan
(Westminster/John Knox Press, £10.99, ISBN 978-0664232078), however, looks at
Dylan’s work and demonstrates that an interest in the Bible
and spirituality have been
constants throughout his
career.
What
happened to Dylan’s faith? We can only
speculate on the reasons for his apparent
withdrawal from the more overt
Christian commitment of earlier years.
However, we have to admit that it can be difficult for Christians in the
public eye to maintain a Christian
witness and remain part of the Christian community. Even Cliff Richard, the entertainer who has
most strongly identified himself as an
evangelical Christian, has
admitted that he finds involvement
in church life difficult.
It
is important that Christians in the
arts, entertainment and media should receive support and encouragement, not
least from believers in their own professions.
2011 marks another significant birthday: the fortieth anniversary of the
Arts Centre Group - see http://www.artscentregroup.org.uk Established by Cliff Richard and
others, the ACG continues to offer spiritual help and support to Christians who earn their
living as musicians, writers, actors, broadcasters and artists. These efforts are vital in our present media
age and they deserve our prayers and
financial support.
Happy Anniversary King James
A
recent article in the Daily Telegraph suggests that the four
hundredth anniversary of the King James or Authorised
Version of the Bible will dwarf all other literary anniversaries this
year. A bewildering number of books,
articles, radio and television programmes, lectures and exhibitions have been
arranged. The web site of the King James Bible Trust at http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org includes details of many of these
events and a reproduction of the King James
Bible as it first appeared in 1611.
The opportunity to celebrate the KJB
has been welcomed, even by people who would not identify themselves as
religious believers. The writer of the Daily
Telegraph article suggests that the translation's contribution to the
English language is paralleled only by Shakespeare. Even Professor Richard Dawkins, the well
known atheist, has acknowledged that the KJB has enriched our language and
literature and that people with no knowledge of this Bible are, in some sense,
barbarian.
The King James Bible was
not the first translation of the Bible to appear in English. In 1611 the Bishops' Bible was
widely used in churches and many readers appreciated the Geneva Bible. King James I is said to have disliked this
latter version because of its marginal notes, which he regarded as
seditious. His authorised version was
intended to unite the nation and to reduce tensions between the rival religious
factions of the day. Separate teams of
translators worked on the text in London, Oxford and Cambridge, incorporating
the best of earlier translations, including the pioneering work of William Tyndale.
Christian readers will not need to be
convinced of the spiritual importance of the Bible, as well as its
linguistic and literary qualities. Even
in the twenty-first century, the Scriptures still have the ability to change
people's lives and put them in touch with God.
In
2011 there are many Bible
translations and the King James
Bible no longer holds the dominant position that it held for centuries.
However, this year's anniversary enables us to celebrate a masterpiece
of English prose and to acknowledge the role that the KJB has played in making
the word of God available to the world.
Happy anniversary King James.
Graham
Hedges works as a librarian in Wandsworth. He is a member of Barking Baptist Church
and the Secretary of the Librarians' Christian Fellowship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had a fantastic service for our 161st Church Anniversary which was also a dedication service for Bright. Rev. Dr. Pat Took brought us the word and we were able to share fellowship afterwards with a bring 'n share meal.
List to Rev. Took's message again by following the link just to the right on this site.
Some photo's of the event are attached here - thanks to Tamara for taking them.
The content of the letter is reprinted below:-
______________________________________________________________________________"I much appreciated Readings from the King James Bible (Radio 4, 9 January).
I wonder whether anyone noticed the parallel between 1 Kings 3: 16-28 and Eastenders' controversial cot death storyline. In the biblical story two women come before King Solomon, each claiming the other has snatched her living baby and replaced it with her own dead child.
Solomon's solution is to suggest that the baby is chopped in half. The true mother is the one who is willing to hand the baby over to her rival rather than allow it to be killed.
I wonder how many complaints the BBC would receive if someone in Albert Square proposed a similar solution ."
Graham Hedges
A Christmas Message for the Church
Thanks to God I've managed to
change my flight and I am going to celebrate Christmas with my family and after
that will work in another Teaching-Mission. This is the reason I am not in the
Church today, but I would like to wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Very happy
New Year.
But how can we make sure that we
are celebrating Christmas with all the meaning?
The answer is: Once you have done
with all the shopping, the meal preparation, the guests, try to detach yourself
from all these things and go back to Bethlehem!
Open your Bible in the Gospel of
Matthews and read, before eating, from chapter 1:18 up to 2:21. Then, reflect on
this amazing event and ask yourself:
“What did God feel as He
saw His Son in a manger, His baby without Glory, a child which was borne with a
mission?
Among different feelings I think He felt love for you and me, as Jesus represents the Hope, the rescue for
mankind, the Salvation. But there is more to reflect on…
So, ask your children, talk to
your friends, family and transform the meal into a memorial meal, where Jesus
the King, shall be honoured!
Secondly, the new year
resolution...
I want to motivate you to read
the whole Bible in 2011, beginning on the 01/01/2011! Choose one or more
Partners, or perhaps in your Small Group you can encourage each other to achieve
this blessed task! Let's be part of the Bible Partners and if you are writing a
portion of the Bible in The Scribes Project, finish the job :) Let's grow in
knowledge, in faith and in deeds.
Let's put our thoughts and
gratitude on Him, let's live for Him in 2011 and for Him only!
God bless you All,
____________________________________________________________________
Congratulations to Michelle & Jonathan who have been blessed by the birth of their first child, a daughter to be named Joanne Sarah. Praise God for all his blessings in the form of children!
_______________________________________________________________________________
What a fantastic service we had on Sunday 12 December when we saw Tara, Faustina & Wale give their personal testimony, proclaiming their love of Christ and go through the waters of baptism.
It was a wonderful occasion, enjoyed by everybody - especially when we all joined in a bring 'n share meal.
Have a look at the photo's.
_________________________________________________________________________
Well done to all those hardy ladies who braved the cold wind & snow to attend our Ladies Thanksgiving evening. Not as many ladies as we had hoped for, but the weather was definitely against us.
We were treated to turkey, sweet potato pie & dressing, butternut squash (roasted & mash), green beans and corn. This was followed by pie & custard.
Vikki then gave us a brief talk on the origins of the American Thanksgiving which led us into discussions in small groups as to what we were thankful for.
Thanks to everyone who came and contributed.
A few pictures below.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a lovely time we had last night (24 November) at the baby shower held for Michelle & Jonathan. Only 11 days to go until the baby's due.
Have a look at the pictures!
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
We thank God for our recent Harvest Festival (17 October 2010) where we were delighted to receive gifts of fresh and tinned produce along with baby food and medical supplies. We also received nearly 3 dozen hand knitted or crocheted blankets. The fresh and tinned produce went to a local Shelter for the Homeless and to an Age Concern outlet. The baby goods, medical supplies and blankets went to The Falconer Trust which is an orphanage in Zambia. We pray that God will richly bless these donations.
______________________________________________________________________________
Barking Dedication Service from Andre Mira on Vimeo.
_____________________________________________
Check the slide-show & the video!: SAVIOR-Making Off !
Teatro Savior na Igreja Batista de Barking. from Link Church on Vimeo.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Leadership Team at Barking Baptist Church comprises a Minister, Deacons, Care Group Leaders, and the people who organise the various youth activities. We believe in the model of leadership that Jesus demonstrated to His followers - namely that first and foremost a Christian Leader is a servant to those who they are leading. We are a mixed bunch of people who share a common desire to serve God in this place. Please make yourself known to us - we would like to get to know everyone who comes to the Church as well as possible.
_________________________________________________
Revd. André Mira, is a Brazilian Baptist Minister, working in UK since 2000. Together with his wife Cecila they have been planting the Link Church, which is a Brazilian Baptist Fellowship in London. They have been married for 12 years and have the first daughter Camilla. Andre has been in Barking since February 2009 when was officially inducted as the Church Minister.
The church is located between Linton Road and Cambridge Road and is a short distance from the centre of Barking and the Barking Underground Station
The main entrance to the Church is from Linton Road. There is a Public Car Park adjacent to the Church with access from Linton Road. This is pay and Display but is free on Sundays and evenings.
The Church Car Park is accessible from Cambridge Road and is open when Services or meetings are being held at the Church. There is access to the Church from a small door at the rear of the Church
Bus routes 5, 62, 87, 169, 179, 238, 287, 366, 368, 369 pass near the Church.
OUR AGENDA!
