“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom; Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.“

Psalm 90 v 12,14 (NIV)

Think: None of us knows how long we have left on this earth so make every day count!

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:

https://downsbaptistchurch.org/resources/sermons/

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.

Thursday Fellowship takes a break from its weekly meetings over the summer but there is an opportunity to meet at a Coffee Morning on the following Thursdays in July –

10th July – 32 Farm Hill                                

24th July – 37 The Ridgway 

From 10.30am to 12.30pm

Note for your diaries – The autumn session starts on Thursday, 4th September in the Parish Room of the Holy Cross Church at 2pm.

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

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 :

• Know where you are going and the way to it. We were reminded that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14 v 6).  The Bible is our guide to help us and the Holy Spirit too.
• We need to be alert and equipped for the hazards we will face. There is an enemy out there who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to trip us up and devour us (1 Peter 5 v 8). We need to resist him and stand firm.
• We need to react wisely. No road rage! Remember, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5 v 10-11). Learn to be patient with people. The Lord deals with us gently and with great patience so let’s be considerate with the people we meet on our journey.
• There are many diversions and distractions on the road which can throw us off track. Fix your eyes on Jesus – stay focused ( Hebrews 12 v 2)!
• There can be unexpected jolts on the road and in life; sometimes our fault and sometimes not. However bleak things get, Jesus has promised to be with us (Matthew 28 v 20b), journeying with us through the storm and will work for our good if we trust Him (Romans 8 v 28).
• Traffic jams and hold ups can be so frustrating.  Do you feel a bit bogged down with things? Are you possibly doing too much? Are you doing what God wants or just filling a gap and pleasing others? Maybe you need to slow down, to be still and know that He is God and to learn what is on His heart for you!
• See the signs and learn to recognise them! Red for no, Amber for wait and green for go!
• Observe the speed limits else there could be a penalty to pay! The limits are there to help us arrive safely and to protect others.  There is always a consequence for our actions so don’t run ahead of God’s plan for your life.
• Use the map (the Bible) and the Sat Nav (Holy Spirit) to assist you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him and He WILL direct your paths (Proverbs 3 v 5).

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”.

We had a visit from Bryan Pickard today.  Bryan’s talk about faith, centred around the story of Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14.

The crux of what Bryan wanted to share was that yesterday’s news is yesterday’s faith! The disciples were still caught up with the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 and weren’t really looking for another miracle. So often we do that – we live in the past, but faith has to be lived in the here and now and needs to be freshly experienced.

Peter experienced the power and mercy of God. He was courageous, he believed, he enquired of Jesus and he finally responded positively to Jesus’s invitation to come!

What can we learn from this story and especially Peter’s response?  Well, faith is strengthened through difficulties and adversities.  At times the wind can turn against us even in a spiritual sense, yet we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8 v 28). Sometimes like Peter, Jesus permits us to step out into an unsafe place – but remember, He is with us! Peter would have learned some valuable lessons that day – do we?

We are all WIPs (Works in progress) and God loves to use imperfect vessels.  The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus in every situation that we face.

As Sue and Faith were unable to be with us, Wendy took charge of our meeting, and what a lovely time it was too!

Wendy shared some thoughts from the writings of Corrie Ten Boom. Often we read in the Bible that men went up to the mountains to pray and meet with God, but God came to women where they were!

Every woman has a story to tell and we were reminded about Sarah, Hagar, Hannah, Ruth and Esther – that God can use anyone, that nothing is too hard for Him, that your past doesn’t define you or disqualify you and importantly, when all else fails, we can and should rely on God.

Many shared poems and readings and Margaret retold in her own words one of her favourite stories – Ruth.

A truly uplifting afternoon! We were able to lift up those of our members who sadly are unwell and incapacitated at this time.

It was agreed by all to cancel our meeting next week – 29th May and we look forward to Bryan Pickard coming to speak to us on Thursday, 5th June.

We welcomed back Phil Cook to our meeting this week.  Interestingly, Phil spoke from the same passage (Luke 24 v 13-34) as Keith last week – what is God saying to us!

The road to Emmaus:

Cleopas and a companion were walking home to Emmaus after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Probably, it was his wife, Mary, the same Mary who stood at the foot of the cross (John 19 v 25). Notice that their eyes were ‘holden’ –  that they did not recognise Jesus.

On the road, Jesus appealed:

1. To their minds.  He opened the scriptures to them and expounded them.
2. To their wills. Jesus acted as if He was going further, but He planned to enter their home.  Jesus walked the path of life with them but He can go no further than we are willing to go! The two disciples constrained Him to stay.  Mary as his wife probably invited Jesus in and wives tend to invite people into their home. (“stay with us.”). When they ate with Jesus, they may have caught sight of the nail prints in His hands.  Suddenly their eyes were opened.  The death of Jesus has liberating power and a fire was rekindled in their eyes and their hearts so that their faith was reborn. They left to travel back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples.
3. To their hearts. We were encouraged to tell others what great things the Lord has done for us.