February 2025 Newsletter

Dear ::first_name::

This newsletter is coming to you a few days late as we wanted to bring you some headlines from the Ministers Conference.  Our ministers were blessed to get away for a couple of days to reconnect with God, each other and the wider Baptist family, to be refreshed by amazing bible teaching from Helen Paynter, and be inspired to return to our ministries by Phil Knox.

We worshipped together led by an amazing band, we prayed for each other, and for our association churches, chatted about life and ministry with colleagues all while enjoying the hospitality of the Hayes.

More stories and videos to come on our website and social media so watch out for them.

Neil Jones, the minister at Barrow Baptist Church in Leicestershire is running the London Marathon this year in support of BMS World Mission. 

You can find out more and sponsor him  using this link: LINK

We are excited to hear that St Hild College has achieved registration with the Office for Students because they have "been judged to provide high-quality courses with robust academic standards." 

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

The new Centre for Baptist Ministry is part of the college and we'll be sending out an email in a couple of weeks introducing the new centre to you.
 


SAFEGUARDING TRAINING

We now have new dates in the diary for Level 2 and Level 3 training.  They are happening in Grimsby, Oadby, Hucknall and Oakham.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP



Do you convene a Ministers Cluster in your area?  The regional team would like to know what Clusters are meeting so they can let new ministers know that there are colleagues they can get together with for encouragement and prayer.  Drop an email to hello@embaptists.org.uk and we will make a note of what's available.



Calling all Church Secretaries

Have you completed your Annual return yet? 

The team at Baptists Together have asked us to remind you  to do this as soon as possible.  The information collected can help to shape work nationally and regionally.

For example, Isabella Senior, the Young Leaders Development Coordinator is keen to know how many young people there are in churches across the country. 

If you are having any problems completing it online you can contact the support team at churchupdate@baptist.org.uk and they will help you.



Please forward this email to anyone in your church that might be interested to receive it. If you no longer have a role in your church and don't wish to receive the newsletter please email us at hello@embaptists.org.uk and we can remove you from the newsletter list.

What's on in the EMBA

There are lots of events and activities happening this Autumn in and around the EMBA.  There's a few listed below but CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST

Thursday 13th March 10am-2pm Melton Mowbray Baptist Church Rooted for Ministers The Whole Counsel of God: Preaching the Whole of the Bible and the Bible as a Whole with Rev Dr Steve Finamore CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP

Refresh Women's Conferences in 2025 for your diary Saturday 5th April at Bretton Baptist Church, Peterborough. Saturday 20th September at Whetstone Baptist Church, Leicester CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP

Short Courses at St Hild College in Sheffield St Hild is offering four short courses at the start of January. New Testament Greek is fully online, while Hebrew, Intro to New Testament and Rural Mission and Ministry feature a hybrid format that combines in-person and online learning. If you hold a degree and are looking for a quick refresher or continuing education opportunity, these courses could be perfect for you. Additionally, if you're considering a shorter course to explore your interest in theology, this is an excellent choice. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER

Kenny Henry (EMBA Safeguarding Lead) is now the primary contact for all EMBA safeguarding concerns and training enquiries. 

Kenny holds a drop-in "Zoom Surgery" when you can chat with him about safeguarding matters.  It's 6-7pm on the last Thursday of the month online.  Contact Kenny for details and the link.

Baptists Together regularly produces great resources around safeguarding.  They recently produced a video interview with Josh Kane, Mill Hill East BC and LBA Regional Minister, talking about safeguarding and mental health.  This might be especially useful if you have a Renew Wellbeing space or similar community group.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

To contact Kenny, please email Kenny.henry@embaptists.org.uk or call 07498 189 205.
 
Kenny's working hours are Weds 1-5pm, Thurs and Fri 9-5pm.

If you have any events happening at your church that might be of interest to the wider Association that you'd like us to include on our website, please get in touch with our Comms Lead Sarah Fegredo by email.

Job Vacancies

Details about vacancies in the EMBA and more widely can be found on the EMBA WEBSITE VACANCIES PAGE

Please have a look at your church's "spot" on the CHURCHES PAGE on our website and let us know if any contact info needs updating.  It would help people to find you if there was a photo of your building and your website and/or contact email address.  We know that the first contact many people have when looking for a church is their website so something that's easy to find helps.  We can also add your social media info.  Contact SARAH with any updates.

Please can we ask that if you are about to go on sabbatical, leave or holiday and want to pause the emails you receive from EMBA, please get in touch so that we can make the adjustments. We'd ask that you do not unsubscribe without speaking to us as this can cause problems with how the EMBA holds your information rather than just not receiving emails. 

Please find the team's contact details here if you need to get in touch with anyone.

Blessings

EMBA Team