DRBC News ……………..…................................................ April 2013

DRBC News: a news and information sheet for members and friends of Durham Road Baptist Church, Gateshead

Farewell This is my 110th DRBC Food For Thought Newsletter and sadly, it will be my last. As most of you will know, last December I was invited to become the pastor of the Westward Ho! Baptist Church in Devon, a post I am looking forward to taking up on 1st June. The DRBC leaders and members have agreed to me taking the months of April and May as part holiday and part sabbatical in preparation for my new pastorate. The two Easter Sunday services will be my last at DRBC.

Thank you So, I should begin this final newsletter with several sincere “thank you”s. � Thank you to the members of the Church and

congregation at DRBC for the privilege of having been called to be your pastor over these past eleven years.

� Thank you to all of you who have upheld us faithfully in prayer via these newsletters. They are e-mailed to over 160 supporters each month, scattered across the globe!

� Thank you to my family for the support and encouragement they have given me, through the hard times as well as in the good times. Our 14 years in the Northeast have been very significant ones for our three sons. Andrew and Richard both had the privilege of studying at Cambridge University, thanks to their schooling at Emmanuel College. Andrew also met his wife through living in the Northeast! Christopher was given the opportunity of learning the saxophone whilst at Whickham School and enjoyed the immense privilege of playing in Gateshead’s outstanding schools swing band, Paraffernalia, for several years. During his Sixth Form studies at Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School, he developed an interest in his chosen career of acoustical engineering and he met his future wife through their attendance at the Christian Union group. Elma has enjoyed working at Dame Allan’s School for 13 years, where she has held responsibility for all their reprographics. Latterly, a real highlight of her week has been helping at the weekly Globe Café for international students held at Jesmond Parish Church in Newcastle.

� Most of all, we want to thank God for all that he has done during our time at DRBC and for all the good memories we will be able to look back on.

So, I hope you will allow me to indulge in a few reminiscences in my final newsletter.

International Work One of the most exciting and unexpected features of our early days at DRBC was the international mix of the congregation. Sometimes, over half of those present for a

Sunday morning service had been born outside the UK, which was a wonderfully enriching experience. In our first year alone, we welcomed worshippers from 18 different countries; and in 2003, we enjoyed receiving people from a further 17 different countries! Our 2003 All-age Pentecost Service took as it theme “the wonders of God in our own languages” [Acts 2.11].

In 2002, we introduced monthly International Fellowship Teas, at which we were able to learn more about the countries such as Iran, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Congo, China and Taiwan from people who had been born there.

In 2003, we established a weekly International Drop-in for refugee/asylum seekers and others from overseas. We also ran monthly International Outings to places of local interest.

A special highlight of these early years was the International Bible Study group, which began in the autumn of 2002 and ran until 2004. It was composed mostly of Iranian men and Chinese women! But it also included people from countries as diverse as Ghana, Guatemala, Iraq, Taiwan and Uganda.

We were thrilled when we were able to baptise five Iranian men and one Nigerian woman in 2003, the first baptisms in the church for over a decade.

2002 ended with a Christmas Day lunch at the Church for those from overseas, with about two dozen present; the event was much appreciated and repeated in 2003.

Gateshead International Ministries was formed in 2003 to apply for grants for our work amongst overseas personnel. It became a registered charity in January 2004. Today, it is used to bring American volunteers to the UK to work in Baptist churches throughout England.

Special Events Early in 2002, we introduced monthly Fun and Food for all the Family Evenings. These were designed to make contact with people in the local community as part of our Sowing, Reaping, Keeping approach to outreach. Thanks to a generous grant from the Local Network Fund, various items of games equipment were purchased such as a new table-tennis table, snooker table, pool table and table soccer game. Our programme included quiz nights, games evenings, pancake nights, grand prix model racing car evenings, a World Cup special, an international cuisine evening, film nights, a flower arranging evening, a talk on the red kites programme, summer barbecues, and seasonal specials with a clear Gospel emphasis at Christmas and Easter.

DRBC News ………………………..................……………………….……………………………..…….……... April 2013

DRBC News: a news and information sheet for members and friends of Durham Road Baptist Church, Gateshead

In the run up to Easter 2002, we ran the Jesus Video Project to invite local residents to watch a presentation of the life of Jesus. We repeated this in 2003.

In September 2002, the church celebrated its 125th anniversary with a week of special activities led by a team from Northallerton Baptist Church. These included a Flower Festival and Coffee Morning, a Musical Evening, a Family Fun Day at a local Sports Centre, a stand at Gateshead College’s Freshers Fair, and visits to four local primary schools. Some of you may still have the mugs and coasters we produced for the celebrations!

The success of our 125th and 126th anniversary celebrations led us to run a major outreach event each autumn for several years following. ◦ Trevor Rowe, a magician originally from Gateshead,

came for a weekend in 2004. ◦ The well-known comedian, Syd Little, shared his

testimony to a packed church of 250 in 2005. ◦ About 100 people attended a very enjoyable Geordie

Night in September 2006 - an evening of songs, quizzes, food and a powerful epilogue. Well over half of those present were from outside the church.

◦ In November 2007, almost 100 people attended an Evening with Gillian Gartry in Concert, an excellent presentation of songs and testimonies.

◦ In 2008, our annual autumn outreach event took the form of an evening with Dave Glover, a local magician/evangelist. The Magic of God event was enjoyed by about 40 people, about a third of whom were from outside the Church.

In addition to these annual autumn outreach events, several other special outreach events come to mind. ◦ In the run up to Christmas 2004, a group from the

Church went carol singing around local streets. We also sang at the nearby Swallow Hotel on Christmas Eve at the invitation of the manager – and we were invited back the following two years!

◦ 2005 saw the official opening of our new accessible facilities by Clarence Adoo, a former musician now paralysed from the neck downwards due to an horrific car accident several years ago. His Christian testimony, free from any trace of bitterness or resentment, was an inspiration for all who heard it.

◦ In 2005, there was an opportunity to distribute 7,500 specially produced full-colour copies of an evangelistic tract, Harbour Lights, during the Tall Ships Race & Festival on the River Tyne during the last week of July.

◦ The undoubted highlight of 2006 was the visit of Prom Praise to The Sage Gateshead. The prestigious concert hall was packed out twice over with 3,000 people in total attending the event. Church members supported it well and used the opportunity evangelistically. We were privileged to host members of the All Souls Orchestra over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed their participation in our Sunday morning service. Prom

Praise returned to The Sage Gateshead in 2008 and 2010, and we are looking forward to it taking place once again this May.

◦ In 2007, The Emmaus Road Show was a particular highlight of the year. Over 2,000 primary-aged children and around 200 adults participated in a high-tech, interactive presentation of the Bible’s story over a six-week period in the run up to Easter. The project was very well received by the schools who visited it and many letters of appreciation were received from pupils and staff alike.

◦ One of the highlights of 2008 was the ten-week J John Just Ten mission, which took place during April – June. It was thrilling to see up to 6,000 people each week pack the large tent situated at the Gateshead Festival Site, about three miles from the Church. Transport was laid on for Church members and friends to attend the meetings.

◦ Earlier in 2008, we hosted a very worthwhile outreach event with the Gateshead Schools Swing Band, Paraffernalia. Clarence Adoo shared his powerful testimony with the 100+ people present. A CD recording of the event sold 100 copies.

Paraffernalia returned to the Church in late November

DRBC News ………………………..................……………………….……………………………..…….……... April 2013

DRBC News: a news and information sheet for members and friends of Durham Road Baptist Church, Gateshead

to present An Evening of Christmas Music and Carols, which was attended by about 80 people, many of whom were from outside the Church.

Youth Work Although this work was often demanding and difficult, Elma and I are able to look back with plenty of good memories of our involvement with local young people. ◦ In September 2002, we added a Rock Solid Club to our

existing children’s work, to cater for the growing number of 11-14 year olds who were attending the Church on a Friday night.

◦ Following a taster event in April 2002, the church entered an Under-13s five-a-side football team in the Northeast Churches Indoor League that September for the 2002-3 season. The cost of participation, including money for a DRBC kit and travel expenses, was covered by a grant from the Local Network Fund.

◦ In September 2005, our Fit for Life Club was formed to cater for the 15+ year olds with whom we had built up good contact over the previous three years.

◦ As our football squad grew older, we were able to field an Under-16s five-aside football team for the first time, in the 2006-7 season.

◦ All our Saturday early morning starts were rewarded when our teams began to bring back trophies they had won! The Under-13s team won two trophies in the 2004-5 season (the 2nd Division Runners-up Trophy and the Fair Trade Division 2 Knockout Trophy). In the 2007-8 season, our Under-13s team were runners up in their league (Division 1) and reached the final of their Fair Trade Cup competition. Not to be outdone, our Under-16s team were also runners up in their league (Premier Division 2) and reached the finals of two cup competitions. Glen McGinty, for our Under-13s team, and Dean Armstrong, for our Under-16s team, were their league’s second top goal-scorers for the season.

◦ In 2005, we were thrilled to receive a Tyne and Wear High Sherriff’s award for our work amongst young people, an honour that was repeated in 2006, 2007 and

2009.

◦ In July 2008, we welcomed Matthew Johnson as an American Interim Youth Worker for five months; and he was followed in 2009 by Travis and Hannah Sheldon who were with us for a full year.

Overseas Mission trips During my time at DRBC, I have been privileged to visit India four times for mission trips (in 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2012). On my most recent visit, it was thrilling to take part in IREF’s annual Youth Conference for the first time, an exciting gathering attended by 3,000 Indian young people!

In this connection, some real highlights of our time at DRBC have been our annual May Bank Holiday Charity Barbecues at our home in Sunniside, to raise funds for IREF. We have enjoyed blazing sunshine for them (occasionally) as well as heavy downpours (often!).

Our three sons have also undertaken overseas mission trips during our time in Gateshead: Andrew to France, Cuba, and Laos for 12 months; Richard to Thailand (twice), the Philippines, and Belarus; and Christopher to the Ukraine and Belgium. It has been good to learn about the Lord’s global work in this way.

Financial provision In 2001, the Church’s offerings averaged £130 per week. That figure rose to £200 per week in 2002, with total income more than doubling, from £16,000 in 2001 to £37,000 in 2002. We were quick to give the Lord all the praise and glory for such an astonishing increase!

We have been grateful for the provision of Home Mission grants for ministry at DRBC, over the past 11 years. But by 2007, our offerings had risen to £460 per week; and with our total income for that year exceeding £55,000, the was able to be self-supportive in 2008, without the aid of a Home Mission grant.

In addition to receiving Home Mission grants for ministry, we have been truly grateful to the Lord for numerous other grants we have received over the past 11 years, totalling almost £100,000. (£5,422 has been for our Family Outreach Nights; £5,367 for our football teams; £7,600 for our youth interims; £11,625 for our work with internationals; and £63,150 for our building refurbishment programme. These latter grants have enabled us to complete extensive re-roofing of the premises, rewiring, an access ramp and accessible toilet, as well as bringing a previously unused room into use for our Sunday School). Truly, God has been good to us!

DRBC News ………………………..................……………………….……………………………..…….……... April 2013

DRBC News: a news and information sheet for members and friends of Durham Road Baptist Church, Gateshead

Sunday Services In total, during my 11 years at DRBC, I have been privileged to preach to over 1,300 people at our Sunday services. In my first year alone, 238 different people attended a Sunday service!

Exactly half of the total (538 adults and 133 children/young people) have been visitors from other churches. We were delighted when 25 guests from Nottingham unexpectedly turned up for our 2008 Easter Sunday morning service, swelling our numbers to over 100! They were on a coach tour, staying at the Swallow Hotel next to the Church.

456 adults and 214 children/young people without any other church connection (so far as we could tell) have attended a Sunday service at DRBC over the past 11 years.

I can remember with joy the first time our Sunday morning attendance broke through the 40 mark, and then the 50 mark – and eventually the 100 mark on a few special occasions!

The past 11 years has provided an opportunity for the congregation to learn many new songs, as vehicles for our praise of God. Here are the Top Ten songs chosen for our services over the past 11 years (inevitably, some of the more recent popular songs, such as In Christ alone, haven’t yet made their way into the Top Ten).

Top Ten Songs sung 2002-13 Jesus is the name we honour

My Jesus, my Saviour Far and near, hear the call

All I once held dear All that I am I lay before you Lord, I lift your name on high

King of kings, majesty Jesus, what a beautiful name

I will worship with all of my heart As the deer pants for the water

Preaching and Teaching “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God,” Paul reminded the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20.27). I have sought to do likewise through the various sermon series we have followed in our Sunday morning and evening services. ◦ We have learned lessons from a number of prominent

Old Testament characters: Abraham, Gideon, Samuel, Ruth, Solomon, the good kings of Judah, Hezekiah, Nehemiah, Esther, and Jonah.

◦ In addition, we have run series in the OT books of Numbers, Proverbs, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Joel, Micah, Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi. I have also preached from 91 of the 150 psalms!

◦ As well as several preaching series from each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the

book of Acts, we have run studies in the New Testament books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

◦ There have been a number of topical series too, covering the subjects of revival, life in the Spirit, worship, preparing for mission, personal evangelism, advent, and so on.

Sermon outlines for all of these series can be found on our church website at www.gatesheadchurch.co.uk/ sermons.php. We are indebted to Jens Rahmann for keeping the site up to date for us.

A significant moment for our midweek programme came in 2006 when the whole church, including the children and young people in our Sunday School, Bible Class, and two youth clubs, became involved in the 40 Days of Purpose programme. Five new small groups were established and were attended by over 45 people.

Our midweek programme has also featured the Start Course (in 2005), Lost for Words (2006), Christianity Explored (2008), Breaking News (2008), the Imagine course (2010), and the Big Read (in 2010,2011 and 2012), as well as a great variety of Bible study series.

Lasting Fruit The Lord has called us not simply to be busy for him, though we should be (John 9.4; Col 1.29-2.1). He has called us to be fruitful in his service. We have been called to bear much fruit, fruit that will last for all of eternity.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. …

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit

– fruit that will last [John 15.8,16]

Only time – and eternity – will reveal what has been achieved of lasting value over these past 11 years at DRBC (1 Cor 3.10-15).

But for all our happy and positive memories, we give God our heartfelt thanks. And for anything that has been achieved of lasting value, we give him all the praise and glory – for it has been his doing, not ours (John 15.4-5).

The words of my old school song often spring to mind (yes, I went to a school that had its own song!), even though the words were in Latin! Non nobis, Domine!

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness. [Psalm 115.1]

David Hunt

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