Southborough Lane Baptist Church
Get committed
Small Groups...
Small Groups are a great way to meet people, make friends and grow in your relationship with Jesus. Small Groups are at the heart of our church, and our desire is that people will find authentic community through these groups that goes beyond meeting on a Sunday.
We encourage everyone to attach themselves to a mid-week small group which meet in a more informal setting for discussion, prayer, sharing, support, and socials.
Please email admin@slbc.org.uk if you would like to join one.
Prayer...
"They all joined together constantly in prayer" Acts 1:14
Prayer is vital to everything we do as a church. We ask and encourage those who call SLBC their spiritual home to be committed to growing in prayer. The foundation of our corporate prayer activity is our regular prayer and worship meetings where we pray for SLBC, our community, our own country and other nations. Our Engine Room (prayer) meetings are held fortnightly on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 8pm.
If you would like to talk and pray with someone one-to-one, please email admin@slbc.org.uk
Baptism...
We believe that baptism is a really important step in the Christian faith. It is a practice that Jesus taught us to do as a sign of our commitment to him, and an outward demonstration of an inward reality of what God is doing in our lives. Essentially in baptism we are becoming more like Jesus; following His example. By being baptised in water we, as individuals, are saying goodbye to our old ‘me’, and entering into the new ‘me’ by dying and rising again, as Jesus himself did. It is also about being declared clean by God – the water we use isn’t special in any way, but water is something that cleans us, and baptism is about becoming spiritually clean and pure before God, not because of our own goodness, but because of the goodness of Jesus.
Baptism is a really significant moment in the Christian’s walk with God. We find that, during baptism, people experience the presence of God in a strong way, and we believe that God honours this step of commitment and draws close to us by His Holy Spirit.
If you feel ready to “take the plunge” then please email admin@slbc.org.uk
about it and we’ll talk further.
Serving...
Why should I serve?
SLBC is a church where we want to see every person play their part in building God’s kingdom. God gives us interests and skills that, when put to use, enable us to make a real difference in our church, community, and world. And when we place a serving towel over our arm, we find community, an opportunity to be with others, and joy in following Christ's example. Whether you are just beginning or continuing your journey you have a role in God's great adventure. You can participate in the journey by:
Exploring ministry opportunities that align with your passion.
Discovering your spiritual gifts and specific role.
Experiencing God working through you to impact the lives of others.
Does SLBC really need me to volunteer?
ABSOLUTELY! While we understand that many people
may think their serving won't make a difference, the truth is that dozens and dozens of needs exist and we need your help. If our church is to thrive, each of us needs to step up and join what God is doing in and through people.
How do I find out what volunteer opportunities are available?
Currently the best way to find out serving opportunities is to speak to the Minister, or an Elder, both of which can point you in the right direction.
How do I begin serving?
Once you decide you want to explore a specific serving opportunity, we can arrange an initial 'try out' experience. We'd rather you try a few opportunities, and feel happy, than go to the first place you notice.
What is expected of me?
Expectations vary from role to role. SLBC does its best to ensure you are appropriately equipped and trained. The most important two things you can do is to stay close to Jesus and show up at the appointed time! Should you ever have any questions about what is expected of you, be sure to talk with your team leader. Open communication is the best method to be sure the serving opportunity is a good fit for both you and the ministry.
What is the time commitment?
The great news is that you can tailor your serving to fit your schedule and your season of life. There are serving opportunities available around the weekend services as well as throughout the week.
Giving...
Members of SLBC contribute to the life and work of the church in many different ways. Christians believe that everything we have comes from God. We want to do what he wants with all areas of our lives, including our money, time, relationships, sex, etc. Our money and how we use it is inextricably linked to who we are.
We want to grow up to be content with what we have in a culture that encourages us always to want more. We want to learn to have giving at the centre of who we are, including giving money. The Church has historically taught that it's good to give away 10% of income on the basis of the Old Testament concept of a 'tithe', but we live under grace not law - we think Christians should give generously, extravagantly, and in response to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
It's normal to give to the church that you're part of, to the needs of the poor, and maybe to other Christian organisations. We've found that for most people the easiest way of making sure they do give is to set up regular standing orders, and then to give on top of that from time to time.
At least 10% of SLBC’s annual budget is given away to particular Mission organisations and missionaries around the world and we believe all of SLBC’s budget is invested in the growth of God's Kingdom.
How can I give to the work of SLBC?
There are two ways to do this:
1. By setting up a standing order with your bank - giving forms are available from the church. If you would like details on how to set this up, please email treasurer@slbc.org.uk
2. Through your employers payroll giving scheme (this only applies if your employer runs such a scheme - your Human Resources department can provide details on this).
Other ways to give:
A regular collection is taken at all Sunday services. If you would like to send us a cheque, please make it payable Southborough
Lane Baptist Church and send it the Church office.
You may also like to consider making a donation to SLBC in your will. Please ask your solicitor when you make or change your will, or ask us for more information.
Tax Efficient Giving:
If you pay UK tax (Income or Capital Gains Tax) and would like us to be able to claim back the basic rate tax, you will need to fill in, sign and return to us an ongoing Gift Aid declaration if you have not done so already. The benefit to SLBC is that it can recover the basic rate of income tax, currently 25p for each pound given. (If you pay higher rate tax, you may recover this through your own tax return.)
Membership...
SLBC is a group of people committed to live out the way of Jesus together in order to bring hope and justice to our neighbours and our world. Membership at SLBC is a covenant commitment to partner with God in what He is doing in us and through us.
Membership is not essentially about what we can get, but about what we can give.
"Covenant is a biblical concept. In the Ancient Near East, covenant was a binding agreement in which covenant members had certain obligations to keep and expected certain benefits in return. What makes a covenant different from a simple business agreement is that a covenant is based on a meaningful relationship between the two parties. Examples of covenant include the covenants God made with all creation in the time of Noah, with Abram and his descendants, and eventually with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai. To the prophets of the Bible, this covenant was a marriage between Yahweh and his people. Another example of covenant is the commitment between Jesus and people everywhere to follow him. We believe that to commit our lives to God, one another and the world in meaningful relationship is what it means to be the church." - Rob Bell
Membership in summary
- SLBC is committed to serving and giving - it requires people of commitment and partnership.
- 'Membership', however, has lost some of its usefulness in our culture. One can be a member of the YMCA, the gym and a fan club, etc. Membership is often about discounts or priority bookings, not about a declaration of commitment.
- Covenant - covenant is based on a meaningful relationship between the two parties.
- Membership requires a personal faith in Jesus.
- Membership requires you have the values and vision of SLBC in your DNA and heart.
- Membership means you are committing to regular attendance at corporate church on Sundays, in Small Groups and church members meetings.
- Membership means you are committing to giving time, talents and treasure to what God is doing in and through us, in order to bring hope and justice to our neighbours and our world.
Short-term Mission...
As a church passionate about joining God in his mission to see creation healed, we often send out short-term missionaries to see what God is doing in the world. We have contacts in various countries around the world and sending out people is a blessing both to the person who goes and to our missionaries out there. We have a special fund that can support some of the cost of short-term missionaries, so if you are interested in developing this further or exploring options for short-term mission then please email admin@slbc.org.uk