It hardly seems nine months since Jonathan Hardwick moved across to Redhill to pastor Redhill Baptist Church.  It has been a challenge to keep things going, but the Lord has blessed us week by week.  Congregation numbers have remained steady, with new people joining us.  We have added 10 new church members, some already regulars, others new to the church.  And we have had two baptisms, one a new Christian, the other a pensioner who had been putting it off!  The latter was unable to get in and out of the baptistry, so a chair in a paddling pool and a bucket of water over the head sufficed!  I enjoyed that one….  We have also been blessed by an ex-worship leader picking up his guitar again, and leading music monthly.  Of course there have also been sorrows – a funeral of a long established church member and a number of other illnesses.

One thriving meeting is our weekly Coffee Club for the over-55’s.  Tea, coffee, cream cakes and (very cut-throat) board games on a Friday morning, with a good mix of church members and local friends.  Numbers have reached 20 some weeks – we may need more tables and games.  Please pray for opportunities for us to introduce the non-churchgoers to Jesus.  Also thriving is our house group, that has doubled in size.  We are currently doing an ‘internal’ Alpha, that has generated good discussions.

We are slowly exploring options for a new minister.  Our search committee has produced our profile that has gone to BUGB.  We are looking to call a part-time minister, and have already employed a part-time church worker and evangelist.  The search committee felt that the Lord was pointing us towards this approach, to have two persons with different gifts in the church.

Please do pray for Earlswood as we go through the hunt for the right minister, and indeed for our regular services and meetings.

Mid Sussex Network

Gateway Baptist Church

So far, the ‘quiet revival’ has been something of a whisper for us. But we have had the joy of baptising one young man who came to Christ in an extraordinary way and has been exploring his new-found faith with us.

We have other encouraging signs including:

• Getting round to overdue jobs: making the building a little more inviting and overhauling our website! And then more directly with people…
• Messy Church: We founded, host and have oversight of a much-loved and well-respected pre-school, Fish&Bricks, but over recent years the wider church connection with families reduced.  As a means of connecting and offering more direct Jesus-centred content to these families and others who didn’t come to church, we have started a Messy Church. We have a great team and the new venture has proved popular with Fish&Bricks families and others. We are seeing fruit in terms of conversations, connections and parents opening up to Christ.

We have the normal Christians moving in and out of the area, but one notable blessing has been that the church is becoming more culturally diverse.

We have been running a variety of autumn courses and activities, from Freedom in Christ to Bible studies to board games and table tennis, which started two years ago and is now a thriving weekly club. Some of the activities are a means of welcoming people from the local community. One new Autumn Course was a book club relating to Bear Grylls’ book, The Greatest Story Ever Told. This has proved popular in the church. Pray for fruit as Christmas presents of the book are given and conversations continue.

We have several outreach events leading up to Christmas including a Family Film Show, Carols in the Car Park, carol singing in the shopping centre and the usual Christmas services. Please do join us in praying for people to come and God to move in their hearts and lives.

May God so work in us that our direct mission and mission partnerships prove fruitful. 

---

North Kent Network

Maidstone Baptist Church

God is doing great things amongst us! Our numbers are growing week by week, and there is a real excitement about how this dynamic, multi-cultural congregation is evolving as a vibrant witness to God's goodness. Our regular ministries include a monthly drop-in lunch, Boys' and Girls' Brigades and Youth Club each week, regular Connect Groups, and  in December we shall be carol-singing in a local Care Home. On Sunday mornings, the church half-empties when the children head out for their own activities, and our teenage group is the largest it has been for years.

And - after a far-reaching decision in our July Members' Meeting - we have started a journey of refurbishing our worship area: the process will last several months, but we have this month started removing our pews and replacing them with upholstered chairs, which will provide greater comfort and flexibility, along with a higher seating capacity. We look forward to the possibilities that this will bring, although we are trying to respect the views of those who are less enthusiastic about this journey of change. We pray for God's guidance throughout, and recognise that there may well be further conversations and decisions to be made over coming months.

But more importantly than all of that, we give thanks for the many new folk who worship with us, alongside those who have attended faithfully over many years. We sing lots of 21stC worship songs, but we also sing traditional hymns with a pipe organ accompaniment; and over coming weeks we expect to hold both Dedication and Baptismal services.  Please pray with us as we continue to explore what to means to follow and serve the God who embodies all truth and wisdom, and who calls us to accept Him and live life in all fullness.

---

West Kent Network

St Peters Baptist Church

We celebrated another 4 baptisms just a few weeks ago within our 'organic' congregation, 

and are hopeful, over the next month or so, that we will celebrate coming to the end of a seven year quest to re-open a disused church building on the local Westover estate.  During these seven years, our 'organic' congregation, Westover Beacon, has grown from one family to a community of over 50 people, many of whom have come to faith and been baptised during this time.  It has been great to link in with SEBA as Partners in Mission, along with a few local churches who have been generous in the gifts to us as we make plans to get the building up and running as a Gospel outpost.

Amidst this excitement, our 'established' congregation face the struggles of having an old building that increasingly needs work done on it.  Combine this with a real lack of administrative resources makes for quite a headache.

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).
• that we would have a clear vision on how to best use the resource that is our main building.
• for the church in Thanet that we would increasingly be on mission together.

---

West Kent Network

Vine Baptist Church

Thank you for praying with Vine Baptist Church! 

We’re giving thanks for:

• - 2 baptisms on 30th November
• - God’s amazing provision financing our Children & Family Worker at our 2025 Gift Day
• - a thriving Children’s and Youth Ministry, with amazing volunteers and staff running the groups

We’re seeking God for:

• secure finances for 2026 and beyond that will enable us to do more in mission and ministry
• how to best engage with our local community, being salt and light
• our first Church Weekend away and Youth Weekend away, both in the pipeline for 2026
   

---

South Kent Network

Walmer Baptist Church

November has marked a meaningful new chapter for us at 

Walmer Baptist Church. At the beginning of November, we celebrated Danielle’s induction as Minister-in-Training. It was a service that brought together not only our own congregation, but members and leaders from surrounding churches, a variety of denominations, and some who have never stepped foot in church. The unity in the room felt significant. It was more than a formal moment; it was a visible reminder that the Church in our area is broader than a single building, tradition or fellowship. Reconnecting with one another and rebuilding relationships across the wider Church is something we’re eager to pursue intentionally in the coming season.

Since the induction, there’s been a tangible sense of renewed energy and warmth among the fellowship. We’ve welcomed new faces, seen returning visitors become more settled, and had meaningful enquiries from those exploring membership. Prayer feels deeper, conversations feel hopeful and there’s an increasing sense that God is quietly stirring something new among us.

Alongside the encouragement, we also face a practical challenge as stewards of our building. Some areas now require assessment and potentially significant repair. We are prayerfully discerning what work is needed, what is wise and how to move forward faithfully and responsibly. We would appreciate prayer for financial provision, clarity in planning, unity in decision-making and peace rather than pressure or worry.

Through all of this, we remain deeply grateful. God is present, guiding, and faithful.
 

---

East Sussex Network

Hastings and St Leonard's Baptist Church

Please pray for the fellowship in Hastings (formerly St Leonard's and Wellington Square Baptist Churches).

---

West Sussex Network

Littlehampton Baptist Church

Please pray for the fellowship at Littlehampton.

---