2019 Assembly

THIS year the YBA Team were delighted to welcome the new BUGB President Ken Benjamin to our Assembly at New North Road Baptist Church, Huddersfield, as we asked -  ‘Where Do We Grow  From Here?'

The day was co-ordinated by Regional Minister the Revd Dr Clive Burnard and Regional Minister the Revd Mary Taylor and we had three seminars Growing Whole Life Disciples (Ken Bernjamin); Growing in Compassion (Mary Taylor); Growing Visionary Leadership (Clive Burnard).

Here are some reflections on the day submitted by three YBA friends -  the Revd Paul Greenin, minister at Bramley Baptist Church, Leeds, Charlotte Hendy, a member at The Well Baptist Church, Sheffield, and the Revd Adrian Ward, minister at Oakes Baptist Church, Huddersfield.

Adrian reflected on his day in rhyme:-

It was Pentecost Eve in Huddersfield
And the Baptists had gathered in town.
New North Road warmly welcomed us in
As the rains came tumbling down.

We worshipped, we prayed, we listened to news
We voted on matters of business.
Stories were shared of God’s people at work
And of course, we gave thanks for His goodness.

KenLenBen had travelled up North
With a question that burned in his heart.
“Where do we grow from here?”  he mused…
Kingdom growth and we all play a part.

Whole life disciples, with nothing left out
Equipped to live the Good News.
Calling the Church to break free from its walls
Sharing Christ and not just in the pews.

Lunch was shared with coffee and tea,
Friendships were made and renewed.
Laughter and chatter rang through the hall,
Leaflets and books were perused.

The afternoon session brought seminars,
Led by Clive and Mary and Ken.
Compassion and Vision and a Fruitful Frontline
Left us challenged and fired up again.

And soon the Assembly had ended
And the Baptists went out in the rain.
Encouraged, inspired and with questions to ask
Seeking growth in His wonderful name.
 

Paul writes:-

"The YBA assembly this year at New North Road Baptist Church, Huddersfield, was outstanding!

It was a very wet day and we had a number of technical problems through the day. Yet it managed to be an encouragement and a challenge.

We started with some worship led by (co-ministers at Blackley Baptist Church, Elland) and Mary Whalley (deacon at New North Road). It was so good to be with so many worshipping God together. We were reminded that the next day was to be Pentecost and we gave thanks for the work of the Holy Spirit. Our key speaker, Ken Benjamin, then took us through his theme for the year, ‘Where do we grow from here?’

This was excellent as it reminded us all that we are to be missional communities. As so many of our churches are small, especially in Yorkshire, we do need to enter a time of change or we may die out.

This was followed by the AGM which was ably led through the accounts and business of the YBA.

The afternoon was set aside to go to seminars. I chose to hear Ken further on his topic. He reminded us that each of us is on the frontline wherever we are. And as such we are to share the good news of Jesus with our own unique mission field. It certainly made me want to find out more about this useful approach to mission.

The second seminar was led by Mary Taylor. This was a superb journey with the words ‘sanctuary, tabernacle and dwelt’ - reminding us that our God is a migrant God and we are a migrant people. This should then lead us to be a compassionate people toward those who find themselves without a land of their own.

We finished the day with more worship, some acapella as we learned some new worship songs.

It was a blessing to meet friends old and new and to be encouraged by God to respond to His mission call.

A big thank you to the team that organised the day!!!"

Charlotte writes:- 

"Have you ever heard of an edaphologist? Neither had I until I attended the YBA Assembly 2019! Edaphologists are soil experts who advise farmers on how to create the best conditions for plants to grow. Our calling as followers of Jesus is pretty similar. For whilst we recognise that it is God who grows disciples, our role is to do all we can to create the best conditions for that to happen.

Baptists Together President Ken Benjamin encourages us to have this in mind as we consider his question – and theme for the year – where do we grow from here? What if we all paused and took stock of who is alongside us, where God has placed us, and what growth could look like – for us as individuals, for our churches, for our communities, and ultimately for the Kingdom of God.

During the day we heard exciting stories of people in our YBA family already doing this. My favourite story being that of Rothwell Baptist Church, where they know that mission isn’t just for abroad but it starts with me and my community. They have put a mirror up so people can look and see that the real missionary is them. They also have a mission map, and people are invited to mark on it where in the town is their ‘frontline’ – the space they spend most of their everyday: their school, workplace, family. All ages are embracing this, with arguably the children being most excited about sharing Jesus with their friends at school.

We were challenged to think for ourselves – where do we grow from here? Whether it’s using Sundays to equip us for whole-life discipleship, or engaging with the upcoming Refugee Week as we grow more in line with God’s compassionate character, we all get the opportunity to be edaphologists – creating the best conditions for God to grow disciples."

How was it for our
co-ordinators?

Regional Minister Mary says: “We had a great day with a real sense of family together and being challenged to move forward. It was a blessing to be with people we know well and we also welcomed people there for the first time too.”

And the last word goes to first-timer Regional Minister Clive, who says: “My first experience of the YBA Assembly was unforgettable! What a joy and a privilege to share such a day with my good friends Ken and Sue Benjamin and brothers and sisters from all over Yorkshire and our Regional Team.

“New North Road Baptist Church’s hospitality was warm and friendly and Ken’s theme was perfect for us at this time. We began with inspiring stories from our churches and worship led by Jo, Andy and Mary. It was a massively positive day which left me with a sense of deep gratitude to God and bright hope for our future together as we seek to grow healthy, missionally fruitful churches in Yorkshire.”