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Page last updated:18/07/2008 10.17hrs

"Messy Church" - On Saturday 19th April 3.30-5.30pm we had Messy Church, including tea, around the theme of Feeding of the 5000, Otherwise known as the Big Picnic!
Worship as a family, with crafts, songs, and food! Families with children welcome.
Next one Saturday 20th September 2008, same time, but using our newly refurbished front hall

Sunday 20th July 10.30am - Hope on a Hill (Isaiah 40) with communion
6.30pm - Youth Service - unsuitable for those of a nervous disposition :-)
Youth tea at manse 5pm

We've just moved the website to a new host, and so some of the technical bits are changing, and some of the features are temporarily absent. Photo galleries will need reconstructing, so please be patient with the webmaster as he figures out how it all works! And we also have live streaming Bulgarian religious TV! Although it is in Bulgarian language, there is an interesting mixture of good quality video and music. Requires registration.

Football and God - here's one for the pub - "did you see that picture of Frank Lampard after his penalty goal against Liverpool in the European cup semi?" And you could end up having a conversation about Jesus...

Please continue to pray - Iranian born Samar, from Bournemouth, who has been in the UK for the last three years, was scheduled for deportation to Iran on Wednesday 18th July 2007. As a convert from Islam she faces a death sentence by stoning for "apostasy from Islam". If you wish to help, please read more about her on the HopeFM site here, and on the regional BBC page here, and an update here , you can email a message of support - keep the email short and include your genuine name and address, using this link here -
You can use the same email address to send a brief message of encouragement and a pledge of your concern and prayer support to Samar herself. (This section has now been edited with only significant entries retained). Her situation remains uncertain and this prolonged indecision is taking its toll. Please keep praying.

Our refurbishment project has now started and there is very restricted parking (for disabled drivers only) down the right hand side of the church. All our meetings are in the rear part of the church with access down the right hand side, through the door at the bottom of the fire-escape. You can see pictures of the project as it progresses here. Due to be finished really soon - honest! We plan some official opening and guest events in September - provisional date Saturday 27th Septermber, afternoon and evening.

You may have read that HOPE FM were successful in obtaining a full time community broadcasting licence for the Bournemouth area. You can find them at 90.1 on the FM band (reception may be poor in Merley and Wimborne but better up the hill towards Colehill). If you can't receive HopeFM on air, then try it via the internet here. A couple of features of particular interest - you can hear Ruth Oliver's All Woman programme (she edits the Focus on Faith page for the Daily Echo) on Wednesday morning 9am-12noon. So ladies, put your feet up and listen to some good teaching and inspiring worship! Programme schedule here. Hope FM profiled our church during the Sunday morning show on 9th December 8.30am-9.30am. CD's of this programme are now available.

During our Awayday at Holtwood Methodist Church, on April 21st 2007 we thought about how God shapes us and deals with us as we grow as Christians using the theme of The Potters Wheel. The Revd Julie Shimizu from Life Community Baptist Church Horsham, Sussex, who spoke in 2005, was our speaker - the notes are here. For a report on the 2005 Awayday, click here. For a page of thumbnail photos from 2005 click here. In 2008 we went again to Holtwood, and our leader for the day (and also our preacher on the following Sunday, was be Colin Norris, Director of Green Pastures.

Darfur & Google Earth - The American Holocaust Museum in co-operation with Google Earth, has prepared a series of Google Earth overlays which graphically illustrate the scale of devastation in Darfur, Sudan. If you use Google Earth you can get the overlays here. If you have opportunity to draw the attention of friends and neighbours to this resource then please do so.

Coastal Credit Union! Following a merger with Credit Unions in Poole and Bournemouth, Salmon Credit Union now trades as Coastal Credit Union. The Wimborne branch running in association with Leigh Park Initiative has moved from our own church building to more accessible facilities in Leigh Park on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, from 14th March 2007, at Residents' Lounge, 9 Tapper Court, Barnes Crescent , Wimborne, BH21 2AZ - for further news see our Leigh Park Initative page here and the Coastal Credit Union site here.

Do you believe in Richard Dawkins?He is a brilliant biologist but a very indifferent theologian. I don't know anyone who has actually met him, although I have come across some texts that are supposed to be written by him. I am fairly openminded and believe that it is possible that he may indeed exist although that is really a matter of faith rather than experience or rational proof. I believe in the integrity of the BBC (although a lot of bad things have been done in the name of the BBC recently) and they say he exists so I will accept their opinion (even though they lied on Blue Peter)! If you have been following this debate since Jeremy Paxman interviewed Richard Dawkins on his non-specialist subject of Religion on BBC2's Newsnight recently, you might like to chase up some resources. First of all - here is a google search of the excellent Damaris site, using the string "Dawkins" which will give you some homework to do. There have been some excellent responses to Dawkins by brilliant minds such as Russell Stannard, Keith Ward, and Alistair McGrath - click on each name for an Amazon link to their work (and in Alistair McGrath's case it was a prequel in the best Star Wars tradition - he got his reply in before Dawkins wrote "The God Delusion". After reading all those books you may need a paracetamol or two! There are some radio discussions about his latest book here.

Giving - If you are a basic rate or higher taxpayer, and wish to give directly to the church using Gift Aid please complete a WBC Gift Aid Declaration form and send it to The Treasurer, Wimborne Baptist Church, Grove Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH1 1BW if you have not already done so.

You can also give safely online right now using either your debit/credit card or a CAF Charity Card. Click on the Donate Now button to go to the WBC secure CAF online donation site.

What are we doing on Sundays?
Morning service (10.30am) In January 2008 we have just completed a series on "The Church". On the first Sunday of the month, we have a Family Service, communion on the third Sunday, and on the fourth Sunday the teaching will be specifically designed to explain something about the Christian faith to visitors. We will be reviewing the teaching from this years Spring Harvest in coming weeks on the theme One Hope
Evening Service (6.30pm) (middle hall) On the first Sunday of the month we share an informal communion service with opportunities for prayer and ministry. On the fourth Sundays, in the evenings we have been looking at topical and "awkward" issues, asking questions like - Does God go Shopping? Does God go to work? Does God do politics? - as well as issues such as sexuality, credit and debt, setting boundaries - these services have a more interactive than preaching format. If you have an awkward issue you want me to deal with, drop me an email (via links at the top of our homepage) and let me know the possible dates you will be there to join in! On 2nd and 3rd Sundays each month we will be sharing in interactive discussion some of the stories from Samuel and Kings.
5th Sundays - No fixed plan!

Mission and Vision- Although sometimes we don't know exactly what we are doing, we do believe we know where we are going! Our church has worked hard to develop both a Mission Statement which describes what we are here for, and a Vision Statement which is about how we will do it - you can see a Power Point presentation on the current Vision Statement here . We are also refurbishing the front part of the church to make it more attractive and user friendly, and enhance its availability for our local community. God has provided the necessary funds for which we give thanks! This plan received the formal go-ahead from our members in July 2007 and building work has started.

New community initiatives - Working with our neighbouring Elim and Anglican churches, we have formed a group to co-ordinate our ministry on a nearby EDHA housing estate. We work closely with other community organisations and the local councils in wholistic mission on this estate through an organisation called Leigh Park Initiative which is a registered charity - 1112936. We have been involved in promoting recycling schemes, gardening projects, & the UK launch of KidsGames, pioneered in this country by Campaigners. You can see a page of thumbnails here. We are currently active in a campaign for a community centre on the estate. For some photographs of our Alive in the Park summer tent event, click here.