Our Vision: to journey with God; to form, celebrate and deepen community, faith and discipleship
To be a Christ-led community for others.
We share some of the highlights from the 2023 annual report to encourage and give thanks again to all those who contribute to the life of the church. We hope it will also encourage new people in how they can get involved. Please talk to the minister, one of the stewards or welcomers, if you would like to be part of the volunteer community of this church.
Minister’s Foreword
On Saturday 1 September 2018, my first official day as a Probationer Presbyter, and my first day as a Minister here in West Sussex, I felt God lay the word community on my heart. I shared this at my welcome service that evening, and at the time I remember feeling God saying that community was going to be a key thread for my ministry.
Looking back over five years of ministry, I can see how, among the many parts of the patchwork quilt of the last five years, community has indeed been a thread that has woven itself through. We asked What community is God calling us to be? as we discerned our vision and developed our mission statement: ‘Journeying with God: Forming Community, Celebrating Faith, Deepening Discipleship’.
When the pandemic hit, we were forced to ask ourselves How can we be community together when we are scattered? You selflessly opened the building to Bognor Foodbank as they served some of the most vulnerable in our local community.
As we’ve emerged from the pandemic we’ve asked What community is God calling us to nurture for a time such as this? We’ve enjoyed reconnecting as a community and worshipping onsite together. We’ve laid down past ministry we can no longer sustain, and we’ve responded to the cost-of-living crisis by refreshing and expanding the vision for Well-Come Point.
Threaded among some of those larger events, have been countless other patches in the patchwork that makes up BRMC; a beautiful patchwork quilt of people, activity, worship, conversation, hospitality, history, love and community.
The rest of the reports for the General Church Meeting speak of more of those patches that make us this amazing patchwork that is the work of God at BRMC. No matter how large or small, the contributions each of you make have a great impact on the community that BRMC is and can be.
As we come into my final weeks of ministry with you, I am preparing to move to a new community and you are preparing to welcome Tongayi and enter a new chapter as a community together. I pray that you will all continue to grow as community together, and in the impact you have on the community God calls you to serve. I am so grateful for the love and care, encouragement and support I have received in my time here, despite the many unexpected turns we’ve had along the way. I hope and pray (and know!) you will be able to offer just as much and more to Tongayi, as well as to one another. For how we live and interact as community now, impacts the community we become.
I conclude with the words of the apostle Paul, because his words say just as well as mine could what growing as community together needs to look like: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
In Christ, Rev Dan Balsdon
Donations to other charities
Extract from the financial report.
In the last financial year we have made donations to the Methodist World and Home Mission, Christian Aid, Action for Children, Water Aid, Ghana Project and Open Doors totalling £2,029. We have also embarked this year on two local projects, Warm Spaces and the reintroduction (with partner churches in Bognor Regis) of a Christians Against Poverty service; attracting a £1,000 grant for Warm Spaces and raising £540.86 so far for CAP.
Extract from the Methodist Church World Mission Fund 2022-2023
When I returned from Ghana last April I invited you to give gifts to help a village dig a well so that they had a reliable supply of water. I am very pleased to say that, with others, we reached that goal before Christmas and had extra money to put towards village toilets.
In addition, during the last year, April to April, we have been able to give £691.75 to the World Mission Fund. This has mostly come from a few individuals. If everyone put aside 20p a week, say, that would soon mount up to more. Please think about it! This goes to support our overseas partners in a variety of ways, particularly helping those working in poor communities.
Anita
Home groups
Through most of the last year we have had three fellowship meetings. One on Wednesday mornings, one on Thursday afternoons – both meeting fortnightly, and one on Wednesday evenings. These are times of learning, worship and fellowship as we study the Bible, talk about our faith and become friends. We usually have a study booklet to guide us and teach us.
- The Wednesday morning group is currently studying St John’s gospel.
- The Thursday afternoon group is learning about Moses.
- The Wednesday evening group has paused for a few weeks but will recommence if there is a need for it.
Members have commented that they value the groups because they always learn something, others value the friendship. We are all pleased that the meetings have stayed strong through all the changes of the last year. We would love to have new people joining us and do our best to make them welcome. We are going to revert back to calling them House Groups as we meet in people’s homes once again.
Finally, we feel that God has sustained our groups post-Covid which could have been a difficult time for people to return to ‘normal’.
Anita, Debbie and Tony B.
Well-Come Point and Warm Spaces
Well-come Point (W-CP) opened its doors in October 2017 and we still welcome a few folk each week who have come regularly since we opened. W-CP offers a warm welcome into a safe place, where you can have a (free) hot drink and biscuit and find someone to talk to…..or choose a quiet table if you wish. We have regulars, we have those who come once/or once every few weeks, other Methodists on holiday who pop in for a cuppa (and who almost always want to go into the church), and more recently a few visitors from Westergate.
Each week we welcome BRMC members and members of the wider community. We’ve recently welcomed a few new people who are now coming regularly. At the end of March we had a visitor – the manager of Bognor CAP – and she said it was clear to her that God was present and it was a warm and happy place to be. We offer table tennis, a jigsaw puzzle, some crafts, playing cards and lots of conversation.
The most important thing about W-CP is how we have watched God heal people. We have seen those with little or no confidence change and grow; friendships have been made and are blossoming; many want to contribute in some way, make drinks, clear tables – those who feel W-CP is their place. It is certainly a place of love, where God is present every week, tending to those who need Him.
On 2 December 2022, we extended W-CP’s two hours to four hrs, as we became a ‘Warm Space’ (a national initiative to help people in the economic crisis). The addition of Warm Spaces offers people a light lunch of soup and a roll and a longer time to stay warm in a safe place and have someone to talk to. Since starting Warm Spaces, we have seen a greater cohesion between BRMC folk and the community (with longer time spent together), with some very deep (and varied!) conversations taking place and always laughter! God is touching hearts over a simple meal.
Friendships are deepening and people are opening up and sharing more of their backgrounds with each other. Two new visitors last week said “you have no idea what today has meant to me, it has been my best day in weeks.” And “today has meant everything to me. Thank you, I have felt so safe here.”
Huge thanks from me to all the volunteers who give up their time every week to W-CP and WS, taking their turn on the rota to come and serve us. I hope you are blessed in your work every Friday.
Debbie D, Lay Worker
Pastoral visitors
Extract from the pastoral report:
We only have four pastoral visitors, in addition to Dan, and we do our best to keep in touch with everyone, especially those who cannot get to church, and we pray for them regularly. We can also take them Communion if they cannot get to church. It would be lovely to have one or two more in this pastoral role. We thank everyone for all the work they are doing to make this a loving and caring church.
Anita H
Community social group: Whist
Extract from the report.
We have met some wonderful new friends this year. It is wonderful to see people with special needs feel welcome in our group. If you want an afternoon of friendship, fun and refreshments you will be most welcome. We meet on Monday afternoons at 2pm.
Tony P
Senior Steward report
I will start with thank yous.
To Rev Dan Balsdon, who has led us through five years of ups and downs, keeping us all connected throughout Covid and building us up into a strong community. We thank you for your commitment, love and service at BRMC. Be assured of our prayers Dan, as you prepare for a new adventure. We have been blessed to travel with you.
To our various teams of volunteers who keep BRMC working – all of whom we could not function properly without:
- the team who make Sunday coffees & help at other social events
- our Communion Stewards
- our 8 Welcomers
- our 15 Bible readers
- three Worship Leaders
- organists who enhance our worship every week with their talented playing
- Our team of stewards
My thanks to you all for your hard work and support. The stewards have met 3 times in the past year to discuss church matters and how best we can serve BRMC.
Huge thanks to you all for your continued hard work and support. I pray you are blessed in all you do for God at BRMC.
And finally, thank you for the encouragement, love and support you all show me.
God’s blessings,
Debbie D, Senior Steward