“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.”
Hebrews 13 v 8 (NIV)
Think: People do not like change but change happens. Remember that God is our anchor and our hope in the midst of uncertainty and change!
The verse of the week is inspired by the teaching the previous Sunday. You can listen to a recording by clicking on the link below:
We welcomed back Maeve to our little gathering this week and interestingly, Maeve’s message was all about being welcoming!
Maeve told us about a series of incidents and happenings whilst on a little vacation in the Cotswolds. She met a lovely old gentleman by the name of Wayne in a place called Upper Slaughter, who, after chatting for about half an hour, invited her back to the local hotel for a free coffee morning along with some people from the village. Wayne never mentioned the name of Jesus once or church, yet he was so warm, friendly and welcoming that it made a lasting impression. When she arrived at the hotel she was told that the free coffee morning was for local people only! Not so welcoming! But when Wayne arrived he told the group that Maeve was his friend and that he had invited her! Maeve remarked that Wayne’s church is the church she would like to go to!
What a contrast to the razzamatazz of Vice President J.D Vance and his large entourage visiting friends in the area. The local people were not at all interested or welcoming!
It led Maeve to think about Jesus and the ‘triumphal’ yet humble and lowly entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Luke 19 v 28-40). No fanfare, no razzamatazz!
What was it about Jesus that made Him attractive to people? Most of the crowd stopped, looked and connected in some way. And that makes us think about how we are perceived in church. Is it all about trying to be relevant to attract people like having a drum kit and offering great coffee and biscuits?! Surely, it is Jesus that makes the difference and connects us all and makes us attractive to those who are seeking!
Let’s be gentle, kind, friendly and welcoming to all we meet.
Our friends from St Patrick’s have sent us an invitation to a Harvest Lunch Celebration to be held at their Church on Friday 26th September, 12.30 for a 1pm start. See the poster for further details and how to obtain tickets.
Thursday Fellowship will reconvene for its autumn session on 4th September, 2025 and we welcome back Beverley McArdle from Brighton & Hove City Mission to be our first speaker. The programme up to Christmas is listed below.
Please do consider joining us at 2pm in the Parish Room of the Holy Cross Church unless stated – we can assure you of a very warm welcome!
4th September – Beverley McArdle (BHCM Care Homes)
11th September – Maeve Whitchurch
18th September – Sue Cunningham
25th September – Jane Leaver
2nd October – Phil Cook
9th October – Graham Dawson
16th October – Connie Croly
23rd October – Ann Dracott
30th October – Gillian Clark (Books Alive)
6th November – Bryan Pickard
13th November – Sue Cunningham
20th November – TBA
27th November – Roger, Rosemary, Tom & Mike from Seaford Baptist Church
4th December – Our memories of Christmases past!
11th December – Carols, Candles and Cake
For further information head to the following link:- Thursday Fellowship
To know God and to make Him known
A WORSHIPPING CHURCH OF PEOPLE WHO PRAY AND FOLLOW THE TEACHING OF THE BIBLE.
Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14 v 6
A WITNESSING CHURCH OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE OUR FAITH IN WORDS AND ACTIONS.
Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” Luke 10 v 27
After a long summer break apart from four Coffee Mornings, Thursday Fellowship returned on the 4th September.
It was a lovely day and 13 members gathered for the first session where we welcomed back Beverley McArdle from the Brighton & Hove City Mission.
Beverley gave us an update on the work of the Mission which has been working in the city for over 175 years. Their vision is to see a Christian influence in every environment and to help facilitate this, there has been some structural reorganisation to accommodate a different focus and wider sphere to touch more people. Beverley is now the Older Person Lead which encompasses so much more than being solely responsible for the Care Home Ministry. There is a vision for partnering with Churches to assist them in reaching out to the Care Homes in their communities as well as enabling befriending opportunities for those who are lonely or isolated.
Beverley’s message to us was taken from the Great Commission in Matthew 28 v 16-20 with the emphasis on “Go!”
What are we being called to do? We were reminded that we all have a ministry! What a challenge for us! What might that look like for us as individuals?
Beverley told a very poignant story about an elderly gentleman who needed help with his Bible reading devotions. Although one of the Activity Co-ordinators in the care home was a Christian, he decided to ask the non-Christian to assist him with his readings! Food for thought indeed!
We were encouraged to pray for the Mission: That good partnerships will be formed with local churches; for new staff members for all of the teams; for continued funding to meet the needs, and for new opportunities to share Jesus.
If you would like to join our little group, please do come along on a Thursday afternoon at 2pm. We can assure you of a very warm welcome.
For further details, head to: https://downsbaptistchurch.org/community/thursday-fellowship/
Yet another overcast and breezy day for the 58th Woodingdean Carnival held this year at Rudyard Kipling Primary School. Fortunately, it didn’t deter hundreds of people from joining the colourful parade from Central Park to the Carnival field and visiting the stalls run by local organisations.
Once again DBC had a stall sited with the other Woodingdean Churches, and one of the event organisers remarked how welcome it is for the local churches to be a part of the proceedings – they really do value the support! And we love being part of what goes on in our community too! 
DBC did something very different this year by providing a free children’s craft stall with tattoo stickers and badge making. This proved to be very popular with the children and there were many good conversations with the grown-ups.
A big thank you to Judith for organising plus her willing band of helpers and supporters.
At our last session before the summer break, we welcomed Roger Case and Mike Kerry from Seaford Baptist Church.
They delighted us with a couple of seafaring songs, a poem based on the Song of Songs and a short message from Luke 9 v 18-20.
The passage about Peter declaring that Jesus is the Messiah, was read by Roger and then Mike asked us to think about our response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” Why not meditate on that over the next few weeks and allow God to speak to you! How will your response shape your life going forward?
To close our time together, Mike led us in a song that he had written. 
We then enjoyed fellowship with a cream tea prepared by our hard-working Committee. Thank you so much for all that you do for us – we so appreciate you all!
There will be some coffee mornings over the summer so keep an eye on the news page for further details:
Thursday Fellowship coffee mornings
We return to the Parish Room of the Holy Cross on Thursday, 4th September, 2025 for the start of our Autumn session.
It is always a joy to welcome back Ann Dracott to our Thursday meeting. Ann is becoming a real favourite with her visual aids and practical insights!
Ann delivered a very interesting talk about roads, and you can see from the picture, that Ann brought along a map and a Sat Nav to help us to cement some of her thoughts in our memories!
Most roads connect to somewhere and there are endless possibilities as to where we can go. It is possible these days to walk around the world! It can be an adventure, but even familiar roads can be daunting at times with the many hazards along the way. Ann likened this to our lives.
It is important to :
Ann gave many examples of Jesus meeting people on the road when He was walking. He had such a compassion for people and met them where they were. As you think about some of the things that Ann shared, think about your own journey and the way you live, and the people that you might meet and how you might respond with the love of Jesus.
A few of the guys enjoyed a Curry Night at Malonchos last Saturday.
On Thursday 12 June we were delighted to welcome Claire Withams for a return visit. Claire has spoken in the past about her experiences of working for the Ambulance Chaplaincy. Today Claire spoke about the gift of peace which God wants all His children to enjoy. In the course of her work she often encounters people who are in severe distress, and said she finds it a real privilege to try to bring some peace and comfort into those situations.
She reminded us of Jesus’ promise in John 14 : 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid”.
She demonstrated graphically how easily this peace can be lost – buried beneath such burdens as anxiety, depression, overwork, money worries and many other cares. We are sometimes carrying heavy loads which weigh us down; our peace seems to be lost altogether, but Jesus also promises the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Counsellor, and with His help we can find our peace once again. This can be through prayer, sometimes solitude, but is often through fellowship with one another.
To close our meeting Claire chose a very fitting hymn – “When peace like a river . . . It is well, it is well with my soul”.