我們為香港朋友準備的下一個歡迎課程將於5月13日星期三開始。

在歡迎課程中，我們邀請香港朋友一起喝茶吃蛋糕，暢談英國的生活和文化。如果你跟「地頭蟲」來一場輕鬆、有趣的討論是“你杯茶”的話，請不要錯過這個機會！

我們討論的主題包括:

• 觀迎來到英國
• 了解英國文化
• 交朋友
• 健康
• 解決問題
• 公民身份

有關課程的更多資訊和預留位置，請參閱www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

Our next Welcome Course for our Hong Kong friends starts on Wednesday 13^th May.

At the Welcome Course, we invite our Hong Kong friends to join us for a cup of tea and cake, and chat over aspects of British life and culture. Don't miss this chance if light-hearted discussions about your new homeland with those "in the know" is your "cup of tea"!

Topics we discuss include:

• Welcome to the UK
• Understanding British Culture
• Making Friends
• Wellbeing
• Problem Solving
• Citizenship

For more information about the course and to book your place, see www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

There will be a faith sharing market stall on Saturday 28th March, from 10am until 2pm. 

This is the day before Palm Sunday, which will be the theme. We will be giving out Palm crosses, daffodils and various books focusing on Easter.

Please do drop by the stall on the day to encourage the team and pray for both good weather and attendance.

If you would like to help on the day please speak to Cecilia Tong or Sue Chapman.

Sunday 29th March (Palm Sunday), in the Lecture Room after church at 12.15pm for around 45 minutes, led by Nick.

All welcome.

Come and give it a go!

Join us in a space to come together to pray for peace and an end to war.

Monday 23rd March, 7.30pm, in the Lecture Room.

Everyone is welcome to these services and events, to share the good news of Easter!

Tuesday 31^_st March

4321 Holiday Hub, 10.00 - 11.00am

The toddler group you know and love but extended to siblings 10 and under for Easter. Come along with a grown up for toys, craft and activities for mixed ages. £1.50 for the first child, plus 50p for each additional child.

Palm Sunday, Sunday 29^th March

Ashridge Road Easter Celebration, 10.30 - 12 noon

Come along to our annual Easter Egg hunt. There will also be outdoor games including egg and spoon races, and free drinks and hot cross buns!

We will meet by the playground on Ashridge Road.

Good Friday, 3^rd April

Messy Church, 10:30am

For families with younger children, led by Lois Theobald, in the hall. An opportunity for families with younger children to explore the events of Good Friday in fun, creative and thoughtful ways with a story, crafts and games. Parents are welcome to stay or go to the Good Friday Service.

Good Friday Service, 10.30am

A quiet reflective service including Bible readings, monologues, music and prayer.

Walk of Witness, 11.50am

CTW's silent walk of witness through the town starts at 11.50 from the Salvation Army (Sturges Road), with a gathering in the market place at 12 noon, followed by a walk to our church for hot cross buns. Everyone is welcome to join all or part of this special event to mark Good Friday.

Easter Sunday, 5^th April

Easter Celebration Service, 10:30am

An All Age gathering to celebrate the good news of Easter Day. All are very welcome.

Our Church Day Away has been set for Saturday 27th June 2026 at Alder Grove Primary School: 9:30am-9pm, and it promises to be a great day out for the whole Church family.

It will be a day filled with worship, bible teaching, tasty food, fun entertainment, music and great company! There are more details about the programme below.

Please look out for the booking form, with ticket prices, and programme for the day, sent via email. Or alternatively, contact the church office or use the QR codes on the Day Away posters at church. If you feel the cost would prevent you from coming, please speak to Nick or Savannah in confidence, as funds are available to support you.

Please book early to secure your place.

If you have any questions, or need any further information, please speak to Jackie or Laura in the Church Office.

We look forward to seeing you there.

This Sunday, 1st March our church team is taking part in the Town Council’s Lunar New Year celebration event in the Market Place this Sunday. They will be sharing blessings and giving people the opportunity to try Cantonese calligraphy. It will be a busy day for the team! Please pray for good weather, good conversations, and maybe go and visit their stall outside TG Jones (WH Smith!).

A supervised creche will be provided to enable those with younger children to attend and engage fully in each session.

The course will be held on alternate Thursdays starting 29^th January 2026, and then 12^th February, 26^th February, 12^th March and 26^th March with a possible final session to finish.

10am arrival for refreshments and to settle into the creche for a 10:15am discussion start time. Due to be finished by 11:30am.

The course will be hosted by our Children and Families Worker, Lois, who has three children under 12 and would love to connect with you!

To register your interest please fill in the short online form.

If you would like to find out more about Care for the Family, the course and other work they do follow the link: https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/courses/courses-for-parents/parentalk-courses/

We will explore the story of Jesus' birth with children and their families, enjoy an atmospheric candlelit service of familiar carols and readings for Christmas, remember and reflect, and all join together to celebrate Christmas Day.

Details of all the services are now on our Celebrate Christmas page. We look forward to welcoming you!

It would be really helpful if you could sign up using the online form (link in newsletter), or the paper form, on the table as you come into the main church entrance, or let the church office know.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday morning: 10.30 – 12.00 ‘Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unravelling’ 

Join Roy Searle, former Baptist Union President, Pioneer Ambassador, leader of Northumbria Community and leadership mentor, in conversation. Roy has recently published, with his friend and co-author the Canadian missiologist Alan Roxburgh, a book about how we can all encourage one another to dwell and discern what the Spirit is doing in our neighbourhoods and join in with what God is doing: exploring, forming and developing communities of hope. The morning will provide an opportunity to engage with the themes of Roy’s book and practice some of the habits of dwelling, discerning and exploring. All very welcome.

Sunday morning at our 10:30 Service: God the Potter

Roy will be preaching from Jeremiah 18, emphasising the reworking, redeeming and transforming work of God in our lives, the church and society.

Harvest Sunday lunch

The morning service will be followed by Harvest Lunch in the hall. Please do sign up using our online form (link in newsletter) or the paper form (on the table as you come into the main church entrance), or let the church office know.

To do this, we need people to sign up and volunteer to decorate one of the windows in their home with a message of light, love and hope for families to spot during the week. We would love to get at least 20 houses signed up so that we can offer a PDF map of Wokingham for people to use and engage with. As a church of over 200, it would be great if we could have even more sign up for this and flood the streets with light that week... and don't be put off if you live 'outside town' people can get in their cars to find you too!!

Please sign up directly through the Streets of Light website (you can find out more information on there too). However, it would also be useful if you let Lois or the office know you have registered.

An event for both HK and UK families to join together to celebrate this cultural festival - if you'd like to come along, find out more and join in the fun, you will be very welcome!

• 7.15pm: a short presentation on the traditions of Mid Autumn Festival, at the church
• 7.30pm: lantern making and crafts at the church
• 8.00pm: walk to Elms Field to share food (please bring your own) and time together under the autumn moon

All welcome!

We are thrilled to report that these four wonderful people were all unanimously 'voted' on to our church Leadership Team at last night's church meeting. A significant boost for our team, for which we're truly grateful to God. Do pray for the whole team, that we'll be fully equipped for this new season in our church's life.

• Wednesday 13th August 7.45 - Denial and how we are called to renew our minds (Romans 12: 2).
• Wednesday 20th August 7.45 - Grace, love and how we might hold our own boundaries within difficult relationships.
• Wednesday 24th August 7.45 - An insight into Christian Meditation.

You are most welcome to come along to any or all of the above sessions. Please feel free to email Natalie if you would like to find out more.

Our next round of steps will be starting in early September. 

放下香港忙碌的生活,

你想過在異地可以與  神相遇

有不一樣的精彩人生嗎？

誠邀你參加 啟發課程 Alpha Course 2025

啟發是一個10節的互動聚會，透過影片、交流，一同探索基督教信仰、思考人生，與 神對話

語言﹕廣東話                費用：全免

如有意報名，請發電郵至教會辦公室 (office@wokinghambaptist.org.uk),  留姓名、聯絡電話及聯絡電郵​​

Now more than ever people are asking the bigger questions in life: Why am I here? Why is all this happening? Is there more to life than this? and What is my purpose?

You're invited to Alpha, a place to explore the Christian faith in an easy and friendly environment. After a short introduction, we will show a video on a question of faith. Then there's plenty of time to share your thoughts – you can say anything you like or nothing at all. There's no follow up, no charge and never any pressure. Everyone's welcome. No matter your background or beliefs, you're invited. So why not see where your curiosity takes you? 

Stay Curious. Try Alpha.

Alpha runs for 10 weeks starting on Tuesday 9 September 2025 and runs until Tuesday 25 November with a week off on Tuesday 3 September, and also on Tuesday 28 October for half term. We will also have an in person get together on Saturday 22 November.

We will be running Alpha online using Zoom as we have found this makes it more accessible for people.

If you would like to attend or have any questions, please email Victor Freeney at alpha@wokinghambaptist.org.uk.

Helen Evans from Dnipro Hope is coming to speak to us at our 10:30am Service that Sunday, so this is an ideal opportunity to show your support for them, by hearing what they do during our service and then coming along to the concert in the evening.

The concert will include a mix of Ukrainian dance, singing and music. During the interval there will be Ukrainian food and drink for sale in the hall, and information about Dnipro Hope. We look forward to a fun evening of learning and sharing about this amazing country.

Please see or email Robin Scurlock or Fay Hanniker if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering on the evening. Book your tickets here.

There will be a Bring and Buy Plant Sale, children’s craft activities, face painting and sunflower seed sowing, as well as free tea, coffee and cake.

All proceeds from the Plant Sale will go to the The Link Visiting Scheme.

Group 1, Women's group, issues with food:

• Would you like to have a better relationship with food?
• Do you sometimes turn to food to ease boredom, pain or fear?
• Do you feel you have lost the ability to discern when you are physically hungry?
• Have you tried to change your relationship with food but failed, are you left feeling guilty, incapable and unlovable?  

Group 2, Men's group:

• Do you feel unfulfilled?
• How do you handle work stress?
• Are you struggling to stop a bad habit or addiction?
• Are past hurts spoiling your life today?
• Do you feel lonely too often?
• Do you drink too much, shout too much or feel guilty too often?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, please know you are not alone.

To find out more, see the introductory video or contact Natalie.

我們為香港朋友準備的下一個歡迎課程將於1月29日星期三開始。

在歡迎課程中，我們邀請香港朋友一起喝茶吃蛋糕，暢談英國的生活和文化。如果你跟「地頭蟲」來一場輕鬆、有趣的討論是“你杯茶”的話，請不要錯過這個機會！

我們討論的主題包括:

• 觀迎來到英國
• 了解英國文化
• 交朋友
• 健康
• 解決問題
• 公民身份

有關課程的更多資訊和預留位置，請參閱www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

Our next Welcome Course for our Hong Kong friends starts on Wednesday 29^th  January.

At the Welcome Course, we invite our Hong Kong friends to join us for a cup of tea and cake, and chat over aspects of British life and culture. Don't miss this chance if light-hearted discussions about your new homeland with those "in the know" is your "cup of tea"!

Topics we discuss include:

• Welcome to the UK
• Understanding British Culture
• Making Friends
• Wellbeing
• Problem Solving
• Citizenship

For more information about the course and to book your place, see www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

If you want to have a quick chat, whether that is about fire safety or anything else, the crew, along with their chaplain, Rev Savannah Bell, will be there ready to welcome anyone with teas, coffees and cakes.

Come and say hello on:

• Monday, 6 January 2025 10:30am - 12:30pm
• Monday, 13 January 2025 10:30am - 12:30pm
• Wednesday, 22 January 2025 2pm - 4pm
• Wednesday, 29 January 2025 2pm - 4pm

#OneTeamForBerkshire

With thanks to Bill Crooks for his picture (https://www.billycrookscreative.uk/).

Now more than ever people are asking the bigger questions in life: Why am I here? Why is all this happening? Is there more to life than this? What is my purpose?

You're invited to Alpha, a place to explore the Christian faith in an easy and friendly environment. After a short introduction, we will show a video on a question of faith. Then there's plenty of time to share your thoughts – you can say anything you like or nothing at all. There's no follow up, no charge and never any pressure. Everyone's welcome. No matter your background or beliefs, you're invited. So why not see where your curiosity takes you?

Stay Curious. Try Alpha.

Alpha runs for 10 weeks from Tuesday 14 January 2025 to Tuesday 25 March, with a week off for half term on Tuesday 18 February. We will also have an in person get together on Saturday 15 March.

We will be running Alpha online using Zoom as we have found this makes it more accessible for people.

If you would like to attend or have any questions, please email Victor Freeney at alpha@wokinghambaptist.org.uk.

Please pray for her as she goes forward.

You are warmly invited to celebrate Christmas at with us at Wokingham Baptist Church.

We will explore the story of Jesus' birth with children and their families, enjoy an atmospheric candlelit service of familiar carols and readings for Christmas, remember and reflect, and all join together to celebrate Christmas Day.

Details of all the services are now on our Celebrate Christmas page. We look forward to welcoming you!

• Dnipro Hope Mission is Christian charity working with local partners including Baptist churches on the ground, supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine, particularly the sick and disabled, orphans and refugees.
• Christian Aid Middle East Crisis Appeal  Thousands of people have been killed and over 1.9 million displaced after the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory on 7 October 2023.. Christian Aid is providing medical relief and humanitarian support including food, shelter and sanitation through established partners in Gaza, and also psychological assistance to Israelis affected by the escalation in violent conflict.

It is sometimes difficult to know what to do when we see and hear news from these places of terrible conflict, suffering and death; our harvest offerings are an opportunity for us to take tangible action through partners on the ground who can make a real difference. Let’s take this opportunity by giving what we can according to our means.

Our offerings will be split equally between the two causes.

Gifts can be made on Harvest Sunday in the offering box or via the card payment machine in the vestibule of the church; or they can be made at any time using the usual church payment details:

Account name: Wokingham Baptist Church | Sort code: 20-11-74 | Account number: 40963666
Please use the reference ‘Harvest’.

We look forward to seeing you there!

All are welcome. For more information, contact the office.

This faith-based 12-step program offers a safe, non-judgmental space for anyone seeking healing from life's hurts, habits, or hang-ups. Whether you're dealing with addiction, anxiety, loneliness, or feeling stuck, you're not alone. Join us to find support, community, and a fresh start. All are welcome.

For more information or to get involved, see the Celebrate Recovery page or contact Natalie.

It would be really useful for us to know who if you are coming to the BBQ either by using the link in our weekly newsletter, or by contacting the Church Office.

Savannah’s Ordination as a Baptist Minister will take place on Saturday 21^st September at 2pm, followed by tea and cake. Her Induction service to her new, full time role among us as Minister for Pioneering and Youth will be the next day, on Sunday 22^nd September, as part of our 10:30am morning service. Both services will be held here at Wokingham Baptist Church.

Savannah would love for her Church family to support and come along to these special occasions.

Meet near the family play area on Elms Field (RG40 2AA), three minutes walk from Church. See you there!

(Picnic in the Church if the weather is wet.)

Our 250^th anniversary celebrations continue on Friday 5^th July with an exciting visit from 4Front Theatre who will be performing their show ‘The Parable Keeper’.

4Front Theatre is the company that set up ‘Virtual Sunday School’ during the Covid-19 Lockdowns which many families engaged with across the country. They also run the kids work at Spring Harvest and have a successful family camp that runs in the Summer holidays. At the moment they are back touring this very popular, family friendly, funny show and we would love it if you came along and brought friends and family too!

Tickets are on sale here at £5 for adults and £3 for children. The show runs for approximately an hour and so is a good length for all ages. Doors open for refreshments at 5.30pm and the show starts at 6.00pm. We hope to see you there! 

For anyone that wasn’t able to come there are some photos below that will give you a flavour of the day and just in case it leaves you feeling like you missed out, don’t worry,  there are already whispers of doing something similar again in the future 😊

We hope that you felt blessed being a part of it all and we pray that seeds were planted amongst the community for God to grow.

Grab a coffee and join us for information and discussion about Church Membership after the morning service on Sunday 24th June in the Lecture Room, hosted by Nick.

Please let the us know if you are coming: office@wokinghambaptist.org.uk

Albania are very excited to be in the football Euros this summer, which is a great excuse to raise some money for Tek Ura! Come along to The Ship Inn in Peach Street, watch Albania play Spain, have a drink and a chat, and donate. A great non-threatening evening to invite a friend too! Or if you can’t come you can still donate to Tek Ura using the QR code on the poster!

For more information on Tek Ura’s work see the short video here.

Jesus loved to meet people over food. In this series, we shall discover that when He did, amazing things happened!

Whether you are on your own, or whether you come with a friend or bring the whole family (suggested age 16+) we would love you to support this event. You can sign up a whole team in one go or sign up individually and you will be put in a team (team size up to 8).

Some light table snacks will be provided but please feel free to supplement these with your own and bring along non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy during the evening.

Please sign up here for a place for yourself, or as a whole team, by Thursday 25^th April.

Tickets cost £5 each and will be payable on the night by card or cash.

Join after church in the Hall for a free light lunch and chat with members of the staff and leadership teams, hear about our church’s values, how things work, and some of the stuff we do.

All ages welcome.

Please message the church office to book your place and let us know about any dietary requirements.

Join after church in the Hall for a free light lunch and chat with members of the staff and leadership teams, hear about our church’s values, how things work, and some of the stuff we do.

All ages welcome.

Please message the church office to book your place and let us know about any dietary requirements.

This six week series starts on Sunday 14 April.

在歡迎課程中，我們邀請香港朋友一起喝茶吃蛋糕，暢談英國的生活和文化。如果你跟「地頭蟲」來一場輕鬆、有趣的討論是“你杯茶”的話，請不要錯過這個機會！

我們討論的主題包括:

• 觀迎來到英國
• 了解英國文化
• 交朋友
• 健康
• 解決問題
• 公民身份

有關課程的更多資訊和預留位置，請參閱www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

Our next Welcome Course for our Hong Kong friends starts on Wednesday 24^th April.

At the Welcome Course, we invite our Hong Kong friends to join us for a cup of tea and cake, and chat over aspects of British life and culture. Don't miss this chance if light-hearted discussions about your new homeland with those "in the know" is your "cup of tea"!

Topics we discuss include:

• Welcome to the UK
• Understanding British Culture
• Making Friends
• Wellbeing
• Problem Solving
• Citizenship

For more information about the course and to book your place, see www.wokinghambaptist.org.uk/welcomecourse

Come out for a drink 
Catch up with UK & HK friends new and old 

All welcome

When? Wednesday 27 March, 8pm

Where? The Ship Inn, 104 Peach Street, RG40 1XH

It will be held in Peach Place, Wokingham, from 12 noon till 12.45 on Good Friday, 29^th March. 

After the All Age Service on 3rd March, the team and children from n:ergise will be serving the refreshments in the hall. In addition to the usual drinks, they will be providing cakes for a donation to help fundraise for the group.

Previously the Women's World Day of Prayer, this is a global event where every country around the world takes part in the same service on the same day. Each year the service is written by women of a different country; the service for 2024 was prepared by ecumenical Christian Palestinian women with the theme “I beg you... bear with one another in love”.

This program calls us to bear with each other in love, despite all difficulties and oppression. It was written in response to the passage from Ephesians 4:1-7. The writers reflected collectively on this theme from the context of their suffering as Palestinian Christian women. They hope to inspire other women around the world to bear with one another in love during troubled times.

In these verses, Paul encourages the Ephesians to live a sanctified life, bearing with one another in humility and love in order to maintain the gift of unity that God had given them. Paul reminds the Ephesians that God chose both Gentiles and Jews to be saved, bringing together people of very different backgrounds through the shared promise guaranteed by Christ to all the members of his church. Paul urges the Ephesians to live a life worthy of the calling they received, as people united with one another through Christ’s saving work.

This calling is not easy. It requires patience, self-denial, and love. Paul reminds the Ephesians to be united in one spirit by the hope they share in Christ. And so, we Christians spread throughout the world, can also find our unity and hope in this text.

In Wokingham, churches take turns to host the World Day of Prayer Service. This year it will be at Woosehill Church, Chestnut Avenue, Woosehill, RG41 3RS, at 10.30am on Friday 1st March. Refreshments will be served after the service. All were welcome to this ecumenical service.

For more information, see https://worlddayofprayer.net/palestine-2024.html.

For more information, see https://www.wwdp.org.uk/2025-theme-and-country-cook-islands/

In Wokingham, churches take turns to host the World Day of Prayer Service. This year it will be at Corpus Christi, at 10.30am on Friday 7th March.  All are very welcome to this ecumenical service.

Here are some photos from the day:

每兩周星期二 19:15 -20:45

在教會的講課室

可通過教會辦公室電郵聯絡Edwin Fung取得更多資訊

香港女士團契即將舉行

Bible Study and Fellowship for men from Hong Kong

Tuesdays 19:15-20:45 fortnightly

In the Lecture Room at church

For more information contact Edwin Fung via the church office

Hong Kong women's group coming soon!

 Thursday 31st October, 5.30PM-7.00PM

Join us for fun, games, story, craft (and treats) for a light alternative to Halloween.

No scary costumes please but bright, sparkly or neon clothing welcome!

Only £1!

For further information please contact office@wokinghambaptist.org.uk 

Now more than ever people are asking the bigger questions in life: Why am I here? Why is all this happening? Is there more to life than this? and What is my purpose?

You're invited to Alpha, a place to explore the Christian faith in an easy and friendly environment. After a short introduction, we will show a video on a question of faith. Then there's plenty of time to share your thoughts – you can say anything you like or nothing at all. There's no follow up, no charge and never any pressure. Everyone's welcome. No matter your background or beliefs, you're invited. So why not see where your curiosity takes you? 

Stay Curious. Try Alpha.

Alpha runs for 10 weeks from Tuesday 17 September 2024 and runs for 10 weeks to Tuesday 26 November, with a week off for half term on Tuesday 29 October. We will also have an in person get together on Saturday 16 November.

We will be running Alpha online using Zoom as we have found this makes it more accessible for people.

If you would like to attend or have any questions, please email Victor Freeney at alpha@wokinghambaptist.org.uk.