We were delighted to welcome Jonathan Edwards, Tim Saiet (from the Philo Trust, pictured below) and Richard Littledale as our keynote speakers.

We began and ended our day in worship, led brilliantly by the band from Westbury Avenue Baptist Church, to our amazing God, who takes our smallness and weakness (like the loaves and fish) and transforms them to fulfil His purposes.

An important element was story telling and we heard how the Small Church Connexion in London was born and what we do.

We heard from Ian Mitchell from IHOPE who are reaching out into their 80 per cent Asian local community with great results; and from Paul Collett from South London the reality of ministry with its ups and downs.

We heard a story of transplanting from Simon Goddard from Lode, Cambridgeshire and about the church on the move from Freddie Brookes from Eastbourne.
 

Throughout the day, the message was clear, to keep our eyes firmly on Jesus, to encourage one another to keep going, to do what we can with what we have, to stick to what we are gifted in and delegate.

Richard Littledale brought the verse from John 21: 25, saying that WE are still writing the story of God where we are, so go forward in His strength.

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written".

The next Small Church Connexion event will be on 20 October at St Peters Church, Vere Street, London.
To book, contact Hilary Taylor, 01784 558414 or hilary.taylor@tiscali.co.uk
Hilary Taylor is the London Baptist Association small churches co-ordinator