It has been an amazing privilege to be the President of Baptists Together for this season.  The theme of Building a Bigger Table has provided us all with the opportunity to think about putting hospitality at the centre of our mission and life together as a movement.

When I began to serve as President I said at the Assembly: ‘I accept that you may not want to hear from me because of my age, gender, or perceived theology; but I would like you to know sisters, brothers: even if you don’t want to hear from me, I would love to listen to you.’
And I invited us to connect over the year and to join in conversation.

Over the course of the year, I have connected with 49 different expressions of churches and missional communities.  I have had the honour of spending time with some of our NHS Chaplains; I have spent time with pioneers in different associations as they seek to put Jesus at the centre of the communities they live in and serve. I have attended prayer meetings of churches online and onsite; I have attended Forest church followed by a communion service in the back room of a pub.

I have been invited to share on the theme with seven of our thirteen associations; I have engaged with three of our Baptist colleges and have spent time online with the Small Churches Network. I have sought to raise money for Home Mission by gathering some people together to walk the Yorkshire Three Peaks and, although I was unable to complete the challenge, I am so proud of the team that came together from across our movement to walk for Home Mission.

I have sought to pray for our movement regularly; it has been an honour to hold some of your direct requests and you as family in prayer.

As I have listened across the movement I have heard:

I have seen how many are serving their local communities through new and traditional forms of church which is creating a depth of relationship and bringing people to know Jesus.

In all the joys of the year there have been times when I have felt defeated and disrespected by a few. It can be painful to be on the receiving end of the comments some people make it the name of ‘correct theology’.  However, I have attempted to continue to serve the movement in the places where I have not always been welcomed and I remain determined that it will not distract me or others from building a bigger table and to keep making space for those who we do not regularly hear from.

Although this year has brought challenges, the joys of meeting the different people and visiting the amazing places means it has been an awesome privilege to serve the Baptist Movement and to have had the honour of walking with you in this role as we grow healthy churches in relationship for God’s mission.

Looking back on 2022 I would say that it can best be described as a year of lament and hope.

During 2022 we experienced the continued impact of the pandemic across Baptists Together.  Whilst it was encouraging to see churches adapt and respond to the opportunities of the new landscape we found ourselves in, others remain exhausted and facing issues such as the loss of children, young people and young adults, a dearth of volunteers which is affecting trustee roles and CYF / community roles and financial challenges that are affecting staff roles.  In the light of this, it is appropriate that we lament the huge losses that we have experienced over recent years as individuals, churches and a movement.   

We also lament the impact of the pandemic on our relationships across Baptists Together.  Despite a swift pivot to embrace online ways of meeting and connecting, two years of missed opportunities for face-to-face meeting and collaborating have been keenly felt.  As a complex, relational movement being able to meet
together for prayer, worship and to deepen relationships is essential in these challenging transitional times.  Furthermore, it strengthens our capacity to love one another whilst respecting our differences.

One of the key challenges for Baptists Together in this year has been considering a question that was raised from some of our members relating to marriage and accredited ministry.  In different ways through the year we have been taking time to listen carefully to each other as we have been sharing our convictions and reflecting on Scripture together.  I am very aware that this has not been easy, yet we continue to reflect together biblically, pastorally and missionally around these and other issues.
We have experienced lament, but we also see tremendously hopeful signs of God at work in and through us.

From this perspective of hope we are beginning to tell a new story; not a story of decline, but a story of where we see God at work now and our trust that he is doing new things among us.  You can read more stories of hope in this Annual Report and in our magazine and articles online.  Again and again we see our churches engaging with their communities in beautiful ways, holding out the love of Jesus in these uncertain times.  Alpha courses, open-air witness, foodbanks and community fridges, Renew Wellbeing cafés, schools’ work, youth clubs and mentoring projects.  I have visited new church buildings with excellent accessibility, with a heart to be a place of welcome for all.  It has been so encouraging to see the many Baptists who have offered hospitality as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and local churches have hosted all sorts of welcome initiatives for those from Ukraine, Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

So, yes, in this period of ongoing uncertainty and challenge we have continued to experience lament.  Yet we also have hope, because the risen Lord Jesus Christ is in us and the purposes of God continue working themselves out in the midst of everything.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.