## **Six Ways Erdington Baptist Church Annual Report 2022** It’s always hard to know where to begin (and end) in trying to sum up a year in the life of our church! Lots has happened, but through it all, I see God’s grace at work. Here is an attempt at a summary of life at Six Ways in 2022:- _**Worship**_ we continue to gather on Sundays at 10.30 for our main time together. We are blessed with a beautiful mix of people and it is so encouraging to see new people joining us and feeling that it is a welcoming, nourishing place to be. This has always been a trademark characteristic of Six Ways: long may it continue! _**Prayer Meetings**_ – The Monday Prayer Meeting has, for many years, been a spiritual engine room for our church, it still is! We also have a fortnightly Women’s Prayer Meeting on Zoom and Tuesday Prayers has continued its gentle ministry, providing a quiet space for prayer. _**Bible Study**_ – the weekly Wednesday evening Bible Study on Zoom is well attended: but there is always room for more. Our Wednesday afternoon Bible Study (plus lunch), is a constant place of study and fellowship, providing a nourishing service for many in our church. _**Children and Young People**_ –we are blessed with so many amazing children and young people attending and participating in our worship. Our creche and junior church are staffed by a committed and gifted team of volunteers. Sadly we have still not been able to recruit a paid worker to move this work forward and to restart and develop our midweek youth group and homework club. We are still working on it and praying about it! **Six Ways Mini Stars –** our stay and play toddler group has lots and lots of parents, carers and children. It is overflowing and amazing! Clearly, Diane and her team are doing a wonderful job! **Girls’ Brigade –** continues to flourish providing its distinctly Christian support, activity and learning. It has been great to have Girls’ Brigade taking part in our all age services on a regular basis. _**CAMEO**_ – our wonderful group for active retired people is thriving and helping its members to thrive. The group was rocked, as we all were, at the passing of Chris Fryer, but it will continue and will build on her legacy of hard work and welcoming enthusiasm. Big thanks to Gloria, Angela, Judith and Caroline for stepping up to not only keep things going but to move things forward. _**ESOL**_ – our English language lessons provide not only a safe and accessible space in which newcomers can learn English, but a place for people seeking to establish themselves in the UK to find hospitality. Some weeks we have as many as 60 people attending. It is beautiful to see and is a testimony to the welcome and hard work of Isabel, Frances, Eileen, Hylton, Rachael and the team. _**Foodbank**_ – strictly speaking a separate organisation, but operating out of our church and very much involving us. We are very happy to host this truly vital project enacting on what Jesus told us we should do. _**Place of Welcome**_ – our Wednesday drop-in time has restarted in September and in a quiet, low-key way has continued to provide informal support and social contact in difficult times. _**Job Club –**_ quiet throughout this time, but undoubtedly is going to grow as a means of social support and advice, as well as for job-seeking. _**Safe Families**_ – we have a number of people in the church who volunteer with this Christian family support project, another excellent example of being salt and light in the community. _**CTE**_ - we remain at the heart of Churches Together in Erdington and it is pleasing to see the great spirit of working together that there is in this community, with more churches getting involved than ever before! _**Racial Justice –**_ as a church, we have remained at the fore of racial justice initiatives both locally and nationally. It was great to have Paulette Hamilton MP as one of our speakers during Black History Month. We also keep moving forward as the first Church of Sanctuary in England, encouraging others, advocating and campaigning as well as forming partnerships with other groups involved in being a prophetic voice on the issues of asylum and hospitality. _**Castle Vale Baptist Church**_ –2022 saw some changes for our church plant at Castle Vale: some people left and more new people came. Pastor Mark and his team have now been able to form their own diaconate and have a junior church up and running. All progress! At the close of 2022 we were a church comprised of 108 members. The signs are that, by God’s grace, this number will increase in 2023. This is good and very encouraging, but it requires us also to be as active and committed as we can be. The apostle Paul, reminds us that we are the Body of Christ, made up of many parts, with different functions and strengths (1 Corinthians 12). All of the things that have been highlighted in this report can only happen because of us playing our part and working in partnership with each other and the Lord. God bless. _Gerard March 2023_ Z6'08 pauJDJ a?UDIDg S6"ELI Str PJDhil nojq a)UDID8 (EO'E6L'T) 09'80tr LOT ES-9SL'9 OE'896 SOT TZ"8trZ 6T JDaA aqi Jol(YJ￿aPj snidjns Ivioi OE'9918T OE'ZtrT 68 ET'S6L'L LS"Z£9'LZ 8T'90T'LT Ztr'809'9E ZT 4JJn43 ￿11 eg aieA aiJsE) IEWI qns uo!wJis!u!wpv saslwajd 4)jn￿ 40 daa¥dn uolss! lu! 60'0ZL 98 tr>'S9tTT EO'TEE'SZ SZ"9TO'trT LE"LOT'9E TT OT ua(uADd LS'ST9 SOT E8'trZL ZTT Ivioi 88"LLT 8T "trSL 6T Jg aieA al￿e) Joi iuej uo!ss!w awoH 69'LEtr L8 90'E6T T 88'L9T'8T 60'8E IvS'66S'8 O*'TL9'ZT ZL'L9L'9tr 6L"OL6 Z6 Ipioi qns sasnrJ Ja410 JOJ pas!p¥ sas!waJd 40 asn- su0lwquiu￿ ¥ siua¥ wo)ui JuawJsaAUI sw.2 uo paJaAO)aJ xei awwui awo)u! 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