Not owning our building means we’ve had to be inventive 

Castle Donington Community Church has baptised people in a variety of unusual places. It has led to miracles of salvation, says Roy Monks

Castle Donington Community Church was established in 2018. The journey began after a group of Baptist ministers in the Soar Valley started to explore the possibility of planting a new church. After much prayer, talking and consulting, Castle Donington was identified as the place: the town is near East Midlands Airport and is expanding rapidly with hundreds of new houses being built and new industries being attracted.

A small Baptist community has been worshipping in the town for decades, but it was felt a new church would better serve God’s purposes. I was called to be its first minister.

Since then I have baptised more than 30 people. Not owning our own building has meant we have had to be inventive in where we hold these services. The Lord has used them to reach out to the unlikeliest of people in some of the most unusual situations.

The various places include:

• The Sailors and Soldiers Club

• The Light Station building - our drop-in centre

• The Donington Manor Hotel

• The village hall

• The village hall playing fields

We have had good crowds at all of these, including bar staff and customers, relatives and friends, and even dog walkers when we baptised on the playing fields. One man walking his dog when we were filling the pool asked what was happening. When we told him, he decided to come to the service and made a decision for Christ after hearing the gospel.

One man we baptised at Donington Manor Hotel was an atheist for more than 50 years. We invited him to a men’s breakfast at the hotel and a few months later baptised him there on the hotel patio.

While it is joyful to be able to baptise in a purpose-built facility, John the Baptist baptised in the open air and Jesus himself was baptised outdoors. The UK of course can be a challenge with our climate. Breaking the ice on a pool before a baptism would certainly not be attractive to anyone! However, in the warmer spring and summer months, possibilities can present themselves and be very useful, as they have been to us.