News from the Association

Events 

Please note - with all events advertised below, whilst we are publicising them, the views and comments expressed are not necessarily approved by the Association - unless they have been organised specifically by the Association. 

Jobs and Vacancies 

**new** Children & Family Worker - The Hub, Beeding

The Hub, Beeding is seeking a Children & Family Worker to continue and expand the community ministry at The Hub.

It's a fixed term (12 month), part-time (60% FTE) contract with the possibility of expanding to a permanent, full-time job in due course.

For more information, check out their website thehubbeeding.org/children-family-worker/ 

Website & National Emails Coordinator role - Baptists Together

BUGB are looking for someone with specialist skills to manage our website and national emails, both key ways for us to communicate with over 1,800 churches, associations and colleges. The site requires ongoing design, development, and maintenance alongside training of team members.    This needs a strong creative eye both visually and strategically as well as in terms of digital content and design.  The Christian and cultural landscapes continue to evolve rapidly, so the post requires confident technical skills and abilities.

The right person will be able to demonstrate their experience of working with content managed website solutions and expertise with creating and managing bulk emails. Used to working with precision, great accuracy and with a strong eye for detail,.

For more information, please follow this link to the full job description https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/711749/BUGB_Website_and.aspx. The closing date for applications is 9.00am on Monday 7 April, and interviews will take place at our Didcot offices on Tuesday 15 April.

Vacancies to represent SEBA across the area

SEBA have some vacancies on groups that you may be interested in (see list below).

• Three SACRE vacancies - on the panels, who provide input into how Religious Education is taught and collective worship is undertaken in our schools - the vacancies are in LEA areas of Surrey, Medway and West Sussex- click here for the role description - and here for the terms of reference. If you would like more information about the role of a SACRE representative, our current East Sussex SACRE rep, Peter White, is more than happy to have a chat - if you would like his details, please contact Steph Tidy (admin@seba-baptist.org.uk) 
• up to two Trustee vacancies for the Kent Workplace Mission - the KWM work in Kent, Medway, Bromley & Bexley supporting people of faith, at work; developing chaplaincy ministries in workplaces and helping local Christian communities to actively engage with their local economic community.  For more information, go to their website kentworkplacemission.org

If you are interested in being involved in this way, please email Steph steph@seba-baptist.org.uk 

If you would like to add a church-based or Christian charity vacancy to the monthly email please let me know steph@seba-baptist.org.uk

Please note, we cannot post vacancies for Church Minister positions, as these should go through your Regional Minister and the Settlement system.

Resources and Information 

Everyone, Everywhere: A Day of Prayer & Strategic Conversation

Friday 23 May 2025, 9.30am-3.30pm
King's Cross Baptist Church, Vernon Square, London, WC1X 9EP

A gathering for pioneers, planters, and evangelists seeking to multiply their impact.

Tickets £15, and more information available at www.EveryoneEverywhere.church

Spring's Dance Company

Journey of the Magi – a much-loved, family-friendly, festive frolic with a profound message for your church to host.   

“I would recommend this to any church [...] It was a sparkling breath of fresh air from the usual Christmas events; thought-provoking, relevant and just so different.” All Saints’ Church Plumpton, East Sussex 
“The show was wonderful and it was such a thrill to have the hall buzzing – everyone was captivated. Inspired visual storytelling” Central Hall Methodist Church, Walsall 

Share the joy and wonder of Christmas with your local community through this fast-paced,  brilliantly-witty yet poignant performance. 

Journey of the Magi is a professional production of dance, theatre, song and poetry. It is a family show: accessible for all, fun and thought-provoking, full of warmth, hilarity and delight. It offers a wonderful opportunity to laugh, reflect and refocus during advent.

Springs is inviting churches to host a performance of Journey of the Magi, which will be available nationally from 21st November – 22nd December 2025.  
Further information can be found on the Springs Dance Company website page: https://springsdancecompany.org.uk/productions/journey-of-the-magi/ by emailing touring@springsdancecompany.org.uk or by calling 07775 628442.

Spurgeon's College

Open Day for Undergraduate & Postgraduate Studies in Theology

Saturday 21 June 2025, 9.30am-12.30pm
Spurgeon’s College, South Norwood Hill, London, SE25 6DJ
Are you interested in studying Theology at undergraduate or postgraduate level and would like to find out more? We are delighted to open our Campus and invite you to come and meet some of our academic staff and hear about the various courses we offer. You will be able to hear presentations, tour the campus including the library as well as discuss funding options. For more information, please register here or contact the admissions department for further information: admissions@spurgeons.ac.uk 

The College of Preachers 

Interpreting Texts for Preaching

Saturday 10 May, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom
This session will explore questions of biblical hermeneutics. Thought will be given to ancient / modern / post-modern hermeneutics and how they might help us interpret the Bible both critically and constructively to build up the Christian faith of our congregations. This workshop will be led by The Revd Martin Little, Vicar of St John the Evangelist, Highbridge.

Sermon crafting

Monday 7 July, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom
How a sermon is put together is as important as how it is delivered. In this workshop, we'll look at ways of crafting sermons that tell a story, helping our congregations to think afresh about the scriptures and see how they relate to their own life and faith. This workshop is designed primarily for those new to ministry and preaching. The workshop will be led by the Revd Dr Jennifer Brown, Director of Training for the College of Preachers. 

Preaching the Jesus of John’s Gospel

Saturday 12 July, 14.00-16.30 | Online via Zoom
This workshop will explore the importance of the relationship between Jesus and the Father and, by extension, the divine family, to John's theology, including the invitation extended to us to become part of that divine family through following Jesus. We will consider how we can draw on John's theology of the divine family to find new insights for our preaching. This workshop will be led by Dr Rebecca Dean, Lecturer in New Testament at Ripon College Cuddesdon. 

Preaching the Psalms

Saturday 20 September, 10.00-13.00 | Online via Zoom
The Psalter was the prayerbook of Jesus, quoted more by him than any other book. In this workshop, we shall explore ways in which we can bring the Psalms to life and encourage our congregations to make them central to their prayer and spirituality.
This workshop will be led by the Revd Dr Philip Jenson, former teacher of Old Testament at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. 

Conference booking now open!

In addition to our workshops, our next preaching conference, with the theme of ‘The Wonder of Words’, will be taking place from 9th to 11th September at the Hayes Conference Centre.
 
Further details, including pricing, and booking links for workshops and the conference can be found on the College of Preachers’ website, www.collegeofpreachers.co.uk/events.