“Who is wise? Let them realise these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.“ 

Hosea 14 v 9 (NIV)

Thought: The best parents discipline their children in love. It is the same with God. He brings us to our senses and then encourages us to live the right way.

The verse of the week is inspired by the teaching the previous Sunday.  If you would like to listen to a recording of the message then head to

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

DBC will once again run a stall at the Autumn Craft Fair on Saturday 26th October. If you have any new/nearly new/unwanted gifts etc then Margaret will be pleased to hear from you.  Please give her a ring on 07564 379397

Why not pop along! Admission is free.

There will be many stalls and refreshments will be on sale.

Thursday Fellowship meets in the Parish Room of the Holy Cross Church, Woodingdean at 2.15pm.

We would love you to join us for fellowship and friendship.  All welcome.

For further information head to the following link:- Thursday Fellowship

Our motto for the year is –

“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”

1 Chronicles 16 v 11 (NIV).

We will be once again be supporting Off the Fence’s Gateway project this Christmas by collecting items which will be made by the Gateway team into lovely Christmas presents for each client. Things like nice chocolates, special toiletries and gifts etc. If you would like to help in providing items for these gifts then please speak to Faith or Lis.

To find out more about Gateway, head to:

https://www.offthefence.org.uk/gateway

Gateway seeks to support women experiencing crisis in many forms and their Drop in Centre in Portslade provides a welcoming, safe space for women to go and seek help.

Speakers for the Autumn session:

5th September – Pastor Malcolm Haines

12th September – Sue Cunningham

19th September – Win  Funnell

26th September – Dave & Maggie Perkins

3rd October – Sue Cunningham – Please note that the start time will be 2.30pm for this week only

10th October – 1pm – Autumn Lunch with Lorna & David Sivyour

17th October – Connie Croly

24th October – Canon David Gutsell

31st October – Rev Simon James-Morse

7th November – Books Alive

14th November – tba

21st November – tba

28th November – Beverley McArdle (BHCM)

5th December – Roger Case & Eclectrix (tbc)

14th December – Candles, Carols & Cake

Picture the scene. It’s October 31st, the night is drawing in and your doorbell rings. You know it’ll probably be Trick or Treaters and you have two choices. You can pretend to not be in or you can greet your callers with a big smile and a Bag of Hope from UCB in partnership with OneHope and World Vision.

Each bag contains a full colour Bible-based booklet (suitable for children aged about 5-10) and an activity sheet.  If you were planning on offering sweets or a piece of fruit you can drop those in the bag too. It’s a great way to bring the light of God’s love into an evening which traditionally draws attention to darkness.

If you would like a few bags then do let us know.

What a lovely time we had at our all-age harvest service. Once again our harvest gifts will be given to Brighton & Hove City Mission’s Food Bank which helps to support some of the poorest people in Brighton and Hove.

Malcolm read the whole of Genesis 1 in his inimitable theatrical style and made the creation story come alive. There were pictures to accompany the story to engage even the youngest in our congregation. The children were then sent out to see what they could find/see of what God had made while we watched a very powerful video from the BMS (Baptist Missionary Society) of their work with the South Sudanese Conflict Survivors in Uganda. These poor people are seeking refuge from unimaginable violence and terror and BMS are restoring hope and transforming lives. It is so good that our special monetary gifts this harvest time will go towards this life-changing work. Stop press – gifts raised totalled £132.50.

Malcolm then finished off his mini series  – verses of salvation by retelling the story of Paul and Silas in prison and the miraculous conversion of the Philippian jailer and his family – Acts 16 v 16-35. “What must I do to be saved?” The answer? Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! To hear Malcolm’s short message, head to https://downsbaptistchurch.org/sermons/

After tea and coffee many stayed to share in a fellowship lunch. Being all together in this way, supporting one another and thinking of those less fortunate than ourselves was a special time. Thanks be to God for all His goodness to us.

Wow! What a super day for our Family Fun Day. It could not have been any better – beautiful warm sunshine and no wind!

A lot of people dropped in – loads of new faces and some old friends.

Malcolm led three mini services 10.30, 12.00 noon and 2pm – to hear his short messages on our theme for the day – “Grace”, head to https://downsbaptistchurch.org/sermons/

We all enjoyed a BBQ ably cooked by Pete, Dann and Gareth and there was an abundance of homemade cakes and freshly made popcorn.

A bouncy castle, craft activities,  tie-dying and table tennis kept the children and not so young people amused.

It was a very happy time of just being together and getting to know people. Sometimes church can seem a bit remote or even scary for some and having opportunities like this to do things a bit differently and have a bit of fun can build friendships, relationships and trust.

We love reaching out into our community.  We want to be a witnessing church of people and greengrocers shop who share our faith in words and actions.

This group is continuing to meet at Wendy’s home at 2pm on the last Monday of each month and has decided to keep the name ‘Encountering God’ as it seemed appropriate to our expectations from studying His Word.

As from Monday 30^th September we will be delving into a new book entitled ‘Here I Am’ by Andy Hawthorne.  The book encourages us to join God’s adventurous call to love the world and we will be drawing on lessons from Isaiah.   We are all eagerly awaiting this study.

Please feel free to join us either regularly or when you’re able to drop in for a taster session. 

For further details, why not give Malcolm a call on 07505 118634

The group has started up again after the summer holidays so why not pop along to:

564 Falmer Road, Woodingdean. BN2 6NA

Tuesday mornings from 08-45am-11.30am

Chat, pray and find friendship and support.

Family Fun – Sunday 11th August

Well we certainly had fun!

Malcolm took us through the story where Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4 v 35-41).

To hear Malcolm read the passage with some thoughts to help us apply the story to our lives – head to our sermons page. https://downsbaptistchurch.org/sermons/

To help us we used a large parachute which we made into a boat. The children enjoyed sitting in the “boat” and singing songs and we all had fun in creating the storm with the parachute and on hearing those immortal words, “quiet! Be still!” the parachute came to a rest.

We thought about how scared the disciples must have been but then how amazed and excited they were to learn that Jesus had the power to rebuke the wind and calm the waves.

Check out the very short clip below:

We then moved the parachute over the chairs to cover all of the congregation to create a prayer tent and finished our session with the song – “with Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm!”

Why not pop along to our Fun Day on Sunday, 15th September. We can assure you of a very warm welcome.

Family Fun Day

Update on the ministry of Daniel and Fennih Gitau following the visit of Paddy Taylor (Sheffield Fellowship) to Kenya in March 2019.  

Please continue to pray for the work in Kenya.  We have been supporting the project for many years and it is wonderful to see what God is doing and how the work is growing.

1. The Great Commission Medical Centre Dundori

• As previously stated there has been a big improvement in facilities. The outhouse building is now used for physiotherapy and for housing the C.O. (doctor) who lives on site.
• There is still need for equipment in all areas, including maternity equipment, dental and laboratory equipment.
• Kenya has introduced national health insurance, an affordable insurance with which people can pay for health services.
• A blood analyser has been bought for the clinic, and the clinic is in the process of raising funds for an incinerator.

2. The work in Molo

The street feeding programme has successfully come to an end, with all the street children being found homes, and many coming to faith.  This left the children needing sponsorship to obtain secondary education – so the street feeding programme has become sponsorship through education.  The cost of sponsorship for one child through secondary school is £25 per month for 4 years.

The long-term vision is to build a secondary school on land Leonard Mbae has acquired in Molo.

3. The Dolphin Academy School

There have been big changes in the teaching staff over the past few years.  The current teaching staff are very young and enthusiastic, but their salaries are not enough to live on.  Sponsorship is a new development and there is a growing need for a sponsorship scheme for bright pupils whose parents cannot afford the school fees.

In 2018 Dolphin Academy students were very successful in the national school exam (the KCPE exam).

New facilities have been developed in the last 6 years including new toilets for staff and pupils, a new classroom, and concrete flooring to several of the classrooms.  There is still a need for desks to accommodate the increase in numbers in the school.

The school has also acquired a new school bus which does 2 school runs each morning and evening.  However, not all pupils can afford bus fees.

4. An update on the churches in the area under the presbytership of Rev Daniel Gitau

They are vibrant, growing churches where the Lord is obviously at work, including:-

• Dundori: a healthy church of about 250 people in a poor area, led by Joseph and Florence and Gideon and Beatrice. The new church building which they have been working on for years is now taking shape nicely (called their “cathedral”).
• Nakuru Worship Centre (NWC): The only church which is self-supporting financially as many members have good employment in Nakuru. About 150 members.
• Molo: a church of around 150 people pastored by Leonard Mbae and Mary.

5. Daniel’s work with other churches and in the political sphere

• The God Bless Kenya (Prayer Movement): the church in Nakuru has been the prime mover behind this movement, especially the Nakuru Elders Council. This led to peaceful elections in 2013.  Daniel was instrumental in its formation and it works for peace in Kenya.
• Prayer Breakfasts: Because of the high standing of the church in Kenya Government officials feel obliged to attend such breakfasts and subject themselves to prayer and messages of a Christian nature.
• Prayer rallies: Daniel and the Nakuru Elders Council were also involved in organising prayer rallies. For example, following the problems around the elections in 2017, when it looked as though the country could descend into civil war, a prayer rally was organised of 250 thousand people who prayed for peace and reconciliation within the country.

6. The country of Kenya – challenges and developments

• There is a distinct improvement in the roads, but they have been largely constructed by the Chinese who do not aid the local economy. Chinese industries in Kenya are very strong and this leads to Kenyan businesses losing out.
• Corruption: the number one evil in Kenyan society. It is extensive and seems to infuse all levels of government.
• Even in the church: William Ruto, the deputy president of Kenya who is a well-known Christian and preacher in his church, is currently being investigated for corruption. Lure of corruption is hard to resist in a country with great levels of poverty.

7. The Great Mission for Kenya (GMK)

This is a new charity being set up to take over the work of coordinating funds to channel to the ministry in Kenya.