East Kent Network
Herne Bay Baptist Church
What a night we had at HBBC.We were absolutely "Wired for Sound" (sorry if he didn’t play this one, I’m just guessing he did) as our Cliff Richard tribute artist, Will, took to the stage and delivered a performance that was truly a "Summer Holiday" of joy for all of us.
It was incredible to hear how 86 tickets sold & the hall was buzzing with energy.
The blessing continued into Sunday, as Will stayed on to share a powerful message with the congregation. The feedback has been wonderful, and it was a privilege to have him speak. We are so grateful for his ministry and his music.Our prayer is that our next outreach event carries this same momentum and is just as successful. It was a night to remember, and we truly offer our "Congratulations" to everyone who made it possible. Thank you all.
Please be praying for the Men going to The Gathering this weekend – most of whom will be leaving Herne Bay with
sad hearts & tears in their eyes - as they are prised away from their ever-loving wives, to sacrifice their precious time for the benefit of others. Seriously, do pray that this will prove to be a blessed time away for the men. (And the women!)
What a blessed evening we had on Saturday as we welcomed Paul and Fiona Hendley into our community! Their awe-inspiring testimonies left us breathless and filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul and Fiona shared a powerful message about the Joy of the Lord, emphasising the profound difference between happiness and joy. Happiness may be fleeting, but the joy that comes from the Lord fills our hearts and sustains us during life’s challenges.
Gatwick Network
Horley Baptist Church
After a relatively quiet August, the busyness of church life has started again with the new term. Sunday attendance remains high, highlighting our need for a larger worship space. The architectural drawings are complete and planning permission has been granted, but raising the money we need is proving a challenge. People have been very generous, but the amount required is so large that we are still nowhere near our target. It is a bit of a headache! However, if this is God’s plan for us, He will get us there.
In the meantime, we continue to make the gospel as accessible as we can to everyone. We always assume that someone unchurched is in the service (there usually is), and we presume intelligence, but not knowledge. This has shaped our preaching and leading for many years, and we are seeing the fruit of that approach. We had a successful Alpha course earlier this year and have another planned for the autumn. We decided to run the last one on Zoom, which worked really well. It made Alpha more accessible for people with young children, for whom going out in the evening can be difficult.
In early summer, we invited Gemma Hunt (CBeebies, Alpha) to run a pirate party for children and then a ladies’
evening, where she shared her testimony. She was amazing, and both events were incredibly well attended. Please pray that we can build on the connections made there.
Since Covid, we have run weekly Bible studies for asylum seekers and have seen many baptisms through this ministry. Unfortunately, changes in government policy mean that fewer
asylum seekers are now coming to us, and the weekly group has come to an end. We give thanks for all the people we have met and become friends with, and for the ways those relationships have shaped us as a church.
Christmas is approaching. The dates for numerous events are in the diary, and publicity is being planned. Please pray for our preparations: for inspiration, volunteers, and good connections and conversations. We always get a great turnout (the real live donkeys help!), but our hope is that those who come will find a place in our church and become followers of Jesus.
Please pray:
* That more newcomers will come to follow Jesus.
* For good attendance at our autumn Alpha course.
* For our building project as we share the vision, raise money and make wise decisions.
North Downs Network
Crossways Church Dorking
Please pray that there would be even greater ownership of our mission as a church community. Pray particularly that we would be effective in sharing Jesus with other, that they would come to faith and join a church community.
We’re grateful to be in association & partnership with other church communities across SEBA. We’d love prayers for some of the following things:
1. This year we’ve become the lead church in our borough for CAP (Christian’s Against Poverty). Please pray that the Lord would equip & sustain us in this ministry to which he has called us. Please pray for Simon, our debt centre manager & the team that he is building.
2. Dorking has a Christmas festival at the beginning of Advent. Last year over 300 people visited our building. Please pray that this year we’ll again be able to offer hope, love, grace and truth to those who visit us.
3. As a church community we’ve been giving attention this year to keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. As we’ve done this we been asking the Holy Spirit to work in us to make us more whole as his people. Please pray that this good work will continue in us through the rest of the year.
4. Our community café has been running for around 18 months. While it’s a blessing to open our building to the community only 6-10 people come along each week and we’d love to see more people come in.
It is our privilege to pray for our persecuted sisters & brothers around the world. We are very committed to the work of Open Doors in serving the persecuted church. Rob (our minister) is travelling to central Asia with Open Doors this Autumn to pray with and encourage persecuted pastors. Please pray that this would be an effective trip, that we would bring help & that the Lord would keep the whole team safe.
North Downs Network
Mytchett Baptist Church
Mytchett Baptist Church (Surrey Heath) was the last of Rev Chris Russell’s and the members of Camberley Baptist to plant in his 59 years of ministry. In 2012 he ‘retired’, and the next week officially started the work with about 7 members, though we’d been looking after the tin hut church for 30 years.
We also moved into our brand new building, paid for by the members and friends,and a legacy from a student who came to work there about 30 years ago.Under God the work was built up, the community certainly knew we were there, and we received more members.
Then came lockdown, during which Chris became ill, and his wife had a stroke and couldn’t play the piano any more. He got considerably better and looked after his wife for 2 years, during this time the first of our younger families arrived, we were brought to SEBA again, (they were very helpful!) and we hobbled back to reality when Chris died.
The first year was a difficult one, and some members moved on to other churches or moved away. Since then, however, we have seen a real sense of new life and renewed energy in the church. We now have 4 young families, 7 children in Sunday School, and some other people as well. And we’ve had baptism services too!
Regular lay preachers come to us, for which we are so grateful. Congregations vary, but let’s say we have 20 plus 5–7 children. It is a modest-sized congregation, but every member is valued, and many serve in the life of the church each Sunday in different ways, including Sunday School, welcoming people, Bible reading, leading worship, managing the sound and screens, and serving teas and coffees after the service. We have also recently modernised our worship, using a digital worship platform which enables us to sing along together when our regular pianist is unavailable.
We have lots of things to give thanks for, and many things to pray for as you’ll see from our pictures.
The thing is, we’d really like to give the Macedonian call, ‘Come over and help us!’ to anyone moving to the area!
East Kent Network
St Peter's Baptist Church
Much to praise God for & to seek guidance and wisdom for here at St Peter's Baptist Church:
Our organic congregation, Westover Beacon, are about to move onto the Westover estate. A 7+ year quest of chasing, obtaining, & renovating an abandoned church building is just about complete. The vision is for it to be a Kingdom outpost open daily for the whole of the community. There'll be a cafe, a community provision shop, a prayer space, as well as services, all from the beginning of October. We are grateful to God for the partnership with SEBA and the wider church in St Peter's & beyond.
Our established congregation is exploring what mission looks like for them now. Possible restructuring of a building that needs work, so that it can be more of a resource to the community. How can we partner with others so that we can enable the mission here in St Peters & Westover to be sustainable?
Please pray that our Trust in God & His ways would increase as we have courage to let Isaiah 43:18-19 lead us: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
-
Please pray that our mission to 'help people find their way back to God' will not be constrained or diluted by the pressures and responsibilities that come with having a building (or two).
-
Pray that we would have a clear vision on how to best use/re-imagine the resource that is our main building.
-
Pray for the church in Thanet that we would increasingly be on mission together.
South Kent Network
New Wells
New Wells Church Family have been on an exciting journey over the last few years.
God has been incredibly faithful to our church family, and we are so grateful we get to partner with what God is doing in Ashford and beyond.
We began as Willesborough Baptist Church and have since changed our name to New Wells or New Wells Church Family. We changed our name because we believe that the calling God has placed on our church family is to open wells of the Spirit whether that is unblocking existing wells or digging new wells.
We began our journey of stepping into this calling with Brabourne Baptist Church where we began a partnership to bless one another and to partner in the mission God wanted to do in Brabourne (which is a local village not far from Ashford). We are now on the journey of amalgamation and Brabourne Baptist Church has become part of our New Wells family. It is so exciting to see what God is doing in Brabourne, we have had some amazing community events, a new youth group started, a new tots group, a great coffee morning and recently a successful holiday at home.
Then in April of this year, we planted New Wells Finberry. This has been a dream of our church for many many years to plant a church in a local housing estate called Finberry and in this last year God began to open
up the doors to make this happen. We had been praying, fasting and prayer walking Finberry for a long time and then God did what only
He could do and the door opened. It all started with a holiday club we were able to run in a local building that became a conversation about Sunday services, and we officially began a weekly Sunday gathering in April.
New Wells Finberry has been blessed with a wonderful team who faithfully serve week in and week out and is full of families, children and life.
What began as one church with one dream is now three congregations with a shared heart and vision.
We would love any prayer you can offer us but particularly for our churches, for our teams, for our church family and that we can continue pressing into all God has for us ahead.
Mid Sussex Network
Shoreham Baptist Church
At Shoreham Baptist Church, right in the heart of
Shoreham-by-Sea, God is moving in wonderful ways as we support one another in discipleship to connect, grow, and share life together.
Our Music Makers baby and toddler group which started in Sept 2025 meets term-time on Wednesdays a joyful hub for local families. We enjoy interactive play, singing with instruments, hearing God through stories—all in a warm, welcoming space where little ones and parents can belong.
Our new 4Cs Coffee Stop starts in Sept we are opening our doors to the community as a safe, friendly place to
Chill, Chat, Create, and share coffee. With games, crafts, and a real focus on well-being and relationship-building, another opportunity where we can share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are super excited about this new ministry. And through our Sisters and Brothers groups, we’re finding creative ways to encourage and support one another. Men’s breakfasts offer time to share food and listen to someone’s life story, while ladies’ events have included cram teas, breakfasts, and craft days—each a chance to deepen friendships and faith. For us it is an opportunity to bring friends and family into church and to invite them on a journey of faith.
We continue to hold Alpha at SBC, and this year we saw many attend. We followed with the Bible Course and the Prayer Course, and we are already planning again for 2026. We see this as an important tool to share the love of God and to grow the Kingdom. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
An evening with Derek McIntyre is booked for Oct An open outreach event for anyone curious about the historical evidence for Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We pray for many to attend who are journeying and searching.
This year at SBC, we’re rejoicing over the many baptisms that mark new beginnings and fresh steps of faith in our church family. Each baptism is a powerful testimony of God’s transforming love and a sign that our church is growing—not just in numbers, but in spirit and purpose. We have had many become members and we are thankful to God for his love and Faithfulness. We are a welcoming church, committed to reaching out into our community with open arms and open hearts. Our mission is clear: to share God’s love with all, to walk alongside those who are searching, and to be a beacon of hope for the lost.
We are passionate about reaching our local community through events that build relationships and demonstrate God’s love in action. To that end, we continue to host our two regular community gatherings: the Easter Egg Hunt and the Christmas Treasure Hunt. This year, we will also hold a Christingle service on Christmas Eve, inviting families to join us in celebrating the light of Christ at the heart of the Christmas story.
Please pray for SBC as we keep reaching out to our community through the ministries we already have and the new ways God is leading us, always sharing His love and the truth of Jesus. Pray too that, like many churches today, we would see growth in our children’s and youth work and that new families would join us on this journey of faith.
We are incredibly excited about how God is inspiring and encouraging us as a church to step outside the box and explore new initiatives for reaching our community. As we seek God’s guidance and leadership, we are committed to continuing this journey with faith and expectancy. God is at work among us all, and we are ready and eager to see what He has in store for us here at SBC.
West Kent Network
Tunbridge Wells Baptist Church
Tunbridge Wells Baptist Church has much to be thankful for. We exist for the glory of God and the benefit of Tunbridge Wells and beyond. Being a town centre church, this means we do not have a ‘parish’ as such, so we are seeking the Lord as to what benefitting Tunbridge Wells specifically looks like for us.
We having been praying for our direct neighbours, who are a chartered accountants, a nursery school, and a doctors surgery, to name a few. We have made our premises available to the doctors surgery for townwide GP training and next month we are hosting the local pop-up flu jab clinic for the first time.
It is exciting to see how connections are being made with our neighbours and we look forward to seeing how God is at work in these developments.
Other news which we are grateful to God for, is that we have a new Church Secretary and this week, we have had a new youth and children’s worker starting with us. His name is Chris and he will be with us for two years as a student on placement, whilst training at Bristol Bible College on the Youth, Children and Family Worker course.
Please do keep Chris in your prayers as he gets to know us, our children and particularly our young people, as well as juggling college life and study.
We want to give glory to God for his continual love, faithfulness and blessing to us. We would value prayer for all of the above,
as we continue to engage with our neighbours and
with those who come through our doors weekly through
the Community Larder, toddler groups, exercise classes
and senior social groups. We would also value prayer for a new Treasurer.
This is a significant and strategic role, and our desire is that we can
have a new Treasurer (or team of treasurers!) in place as soon as possible.
‘Let your light shine’… taken from Matt 5:16.
East Sussex Network
Uckfield Baptist Church
As a church there are a number of thing that give us cause for encouragement at the moment.
Towards the end of last year we decided to ensure we had enough regular School Club teachers and helpers for a potential increase in the number of young families involved with the church.
We had been praying for a while for this, but felt we should act as if we really believed it could happen. Asking for people to help with children’s activities on Sunday mornings isn’t easy, as it means that they will miss, for the most part, the morning worship. It is a real sacrifice. However we did find enough people willing. Since then we have had two new families join us with a total of six new children.
They don’t come every week, but we already have the resources to teach them when they come.
With the extra families and other new people arriving in the town, we have seen a quiet increase in the average Sunday morning congregation. This can sometimes pass the 50 mark now. There is a real buzz in the school hall where we meet and we have become a church growing across the different generations.
Recently we’ve started Café Church worship, this takes place when there is a fifth Sunday morning in the month. The idea is to create an environment where people will feel willing to bring friends, those who might want to explore faith in Christ in a ‘non-religious’ setting.
We are also in the middle of revisiting our vision. This has been as challenge as there are many ideas about what is important for us. We would really appreciate prayer for this, that we are able discern what the Lord wants for us over the next 5 years.
Finally, we have through the vision process launched a new logo one that we hope will help us develop our online presence as well as be eye-catching around the town, What do you think?
North Kent Network
Maidstone Baptist Church
Maidstone Baptist Church is in good heart. We continue to be amazed at what our amazing all-powerful God is doing amongst us.
Our numbers continue to grow and any challenges we do face are mostly as a direct result of this growth: these are good problems to have! We have spent much time recently contemplating our missional outlook as a church, and seeking new ways in empowering and envisioning our fellowship into seeking the ways in which we are to seek God locally.
Particular highlights over recent months, in addition to our regular worship and other activities, include:
-
a renewed focus on being a Partner in Mission with others locally
-
a new regular Friday night youth evangelism programme
-
visits from John Western of the Bread of Life Cafe in Strood
-
and from Dave + Michele Mahon and family, visiting from their Mission Field in Peru:they all demonstrated how God can be encountered and served in new and surprising ways, both on our doorsteps and further afield
-
our WAYS Group (What Are You Saying, God?) where we explore what it means to hear God's voice.
Of course as God calls us all into new futures, we need to continue praying for strength and courage - and open-minded flexibility - to follow where God is leading:
Isaiah 41:10 seems apt: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God."