Life November 2020 fv2

Life
November
2020
• Questions in a Crisis with Dr Amy Orr-Ewing
• An Evening with Krish Kandiah
• Christmas Crafts
• Building Update

All for one and one for all!
Shouted the Three Musketeers in 17 th Century
France.
But it’s just as relevant a cry for the Christian
community as we battle this pandemic.
Unity is essential at times of pressure and stress
such as these. But that can be a hard thing to
maintain when there are different approaches to
risk and varying factors in play across the UK.
I did my first Covid Wedding at Woodbury Avenue
the other Saturday under the latest restriction
of 15 attendees. Two weeks before that, thirty
people would have been allowed.
It’s seem a life time ago that we could actually
sing in a Church building without having to wear
a mask!
Church life has been played out against this
frustrating backdrop of not being able to get
together in the numbers or ways we would want.
We continue to limit our own freedoms to protect
the health and safety of others, while at the same
time allowing people personal judgement and
liberty on how to live with the virus.
The national, political picture has similar
tensions. We are being encouraged to make
sacrifices for others, to strike the balance
between life and livelihood, mental well - being,
physical safety and the economy.
None of this is easy to navigate.
But as disciples of Jesus and part of the Church,
we are uniquely called to love and unity. So as the
winter approaches and all our plans, including
Christmas, are laid in a very open hand before the
Lord; remember, it’s all for one and one for all.
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

Introducing Krish Kandiah
My guest on November 1st, for our next
Sunday evening online programme, is
Krish Kandiah. He preached for us at
Lansdowne back in 2015.
Krish is the founding director of a
charity seeking loving homes for
children who are often lost in the
care system.
Krish comes from an interesting
and diverse ethnic background. He
has a Malaysian, Indian and Irish,
family bloodline. Married with three
biological children, his family has
grown to seven children in recent
years through adoption and fostering.
So he’s clearly someone who doesn’t
just speak about issues of social justice
and Christian mission, he walks the
talk too!
One website describes Krish as a social
entrepreneur, largely because of his
work with various agencies, faith
communities and government. The
motivating vision is to engage people
in speaking up for vulnerable and often
voiceless.
He and his wife wrote a book, Home
for Good, which draws attention to
the issues around the care of children
in our society. It also outlines why, as
a committed Christian, Krish believes
passionately in the calling placed
upon the Church to respond with
compassion in Christ’s name.
He has written twelve other books
including the award winning
Paradoxology which is a stimulating
look at some of the paradoxes of
Christian faith.
So I’ll have lots to talk to Krish about.
And you can pitch in too. For as with
previous Guest interview programmes,
there’ll be a live Q & A to follow.
All in all, it should be a good listen.
So join us at 8pm, 1 November on our
YouTube Channel.
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

Questions
in a Crisis
When the crisis hits, does it leave you with
questions? Why? What’s happening?
Can anything make sense of it all?
Is there anyone who can give me some good news?
You maybe facing questions like these or trying to
answer someone who’s asking them. We want to help.
On Sunday 15 November we will be asking two of these
‘questions in a crisis’…
“Where’s the good news in all this mess?” with Mike Smailes
10:30am in person at Woodbury Avenue or online
“Where’s God in all this suffering?”
8pm with Dr Amy Orr-Ewing
Lansdowne Church YouTube Channel
Your Questions in a Crisis
8:40pm with Dr Amy Orr-Ewing
Join us at on our YouTube Channel,
all questions welcome
ask in advance using
#yourquestionsinacrisis
Dr Amy Orr-Ewing is President of
OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian
Apologetics. Amy is a best-selling
author, speaker and lecturer who has
spoken and dialogued on faith, culture
and theology all over the world for the
last 20 years.
She has a PhD from the University
of Oxford in Theology and is the
co-founder of REBOOT, a youth
apologetics initiative aimed at helping
young people think deeply about faith,
which now runs in countries all over
the world. Amy is married to Frog and
helps lead Latimer Minster, a church
plant and community on a farm in
Buckinghamshire, and they have three
children.
Mike Smailes | Associate Minister

A
like no other
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS | 25 November | Zoom
A Christmas Like No Other!
This year Christmas is certainly
going to be like no other we have ever
experienced, but at Lansdowne Church
we are trying to include as many of the
regular features of the season when we
remember Jesus coming to earth. The
Women’s Christmas Craft Evening will
be going ahead but online.
From 7.30–9.00pm on Wednesday,
25 November 2020 you are invited to a
selection of pre-recorded craft videos
and real time live craft demonstrations
via zoom. Registering online via the
church website will then allow us to
send to you the zoom link and also a
PDF booklet which will include ideas
for home made Christmas gifts plus
a list of all the materials required
for the live demonstrations. You will
be then able to make along with the
demonstrations while giving you an
opportunity to ask questions of the
demonstrators.
As this is A Christmas Like No Other
you can invite friends to join us
online. Your friends are not limited to
Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch
but can be from anywhere in the
country or in fact anywhere in the
world!
As part of the evening there will be a
very short message from a member
of the team, sharing why this is A
Christmas Like No Other for them
personally, and how the birth of Jesus
has been so important in their lives.
Sadly, things we are not able to provide
this year are a festively decorated hall
and refreshments. So perhaps think
about wearing a Christmas jumper,
decorating your “zoom space” and
having a few Christmas nibbles to help
you through the evening.
Looking forward to “seeing” you on
the 25 November.
Jan Stevens | on behalf of the Christmas Craft Team.

BUILDING UPDATE
As you are aware rapid progress is
being achieved on the construction
of new building in Lansdowne Road.
Attention is now focussed on the fit out
which is being finalised and the first fix
for the Audio/Visual system has now
commenced.
offices for staff and volunteers and
of course a key feature area of the
building is the open terrace!
The intention is to provide a flexible
state of the art facility that will meet
the needs of the Lansdowne Church
ministries for the years to come.
Considerable work has gone into the
main auditorium design both from an
acoustic and aesthetic point of view
to ensure the worship and preaching
experience is optimised.
Fitting this building out will
cost £350,000 and we have
already commenced raising
the necessary funds. We
would encourage everyone
who is able, to consider what they can
contribute either as a lump sum or in
monthly amounts to meet this target.
To contribute please access the church
website, the link is on the homepage.
In addition, there will be a large lobby
with cafe on the right-hand side
as you enter the building. This will
be an excellent area for welcoming
people and will provide a good area for
ministries to meet during the week.
There will also be the facility to watch
the service in the cafe.
A full commercial kitchen has been
designed and will serve a meeting
room at the back which will have the
capability to seat 50 to 60 people for
various meetings and functions. On the
first floor there are a number of flexible
meeting areas and a sports hall.
On the top floor there will be various
Towards the end of this year we will be
arranging tours of the new site to allow
the congregation and ministries to gain
a full appreciation of the potential of
this resource and details will be issued
in the near future.
Doug McGinn | Director of Operations

A
like no other
3 December 8pm - Advent Prayer Central – Zoom
13 December 10.30am - Christmas Service with a special focus on children
8pm. – Christmas Around The World - Zoom
20 December 10.30am - Prayer & Reflection - Zoom
6pm – Carol Service
25 December 10.30am - Christmas Celebration
27 December 10.30am - Reflections on 2020 -‘An Extraordinary Year! -Zoom
31 December 8pm – New Year’s Eve Prayer for 2021 - Zoom
Well it’s certainly going to be an
unprecedented Christmas this year as
we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the
middle of a pandemic and as we wait
for the latest news regarding whether
we can meet with others for Christmas
lunch!
Although our main gatherings and
our usual carol services will need to be
adapted due to current restrictions,
there will be creative ways for us to
share the reality of ‘Immanuel’ - God
is with us, at a time when there is
widespread anxiety, uncertainty and
many unanswered questions. We have
something distinctive and relevant to
offer, as the church still carries on with
its mission in spite of the challenges.
Our plans are obviously provisional, but
see above some dates for your diary.
During the run up to Christmas, let’s
be thinking about how we can engage
our family, neighbours and friends to
be part of our celebrations, especially
if they have not yet found the ‘Saviour’
of the world. Let’s also remember
those who are lonely, isolated and
disadvantaged so that we will be able
to love as Jesus loves and reach out
in ways that we may never have tried
before.
So, keep praying for those unique
possibilities and keep trusting a God
who is still at work in each and every
situation. This season will give us an
opportunity like no other!
Siân Baker | Ministry Assistant

Keep In Contact
Join us each Sunday for our 10:30am online service at
lansdowne.online.church
Website: lansdownechurch.uk
Church Online: lansdowne.churchonline.org
You Tube: lansdownebaptist
Instagram: lansdownechurch
Facebook: lansdownechurchbournemouth
Twitter: lbconline
Soundcloud: user-219596282
Lansdowne Church
Woodbury Avenue
Bournemouth
BH8 0HH
01202 297977
lansdownechurch.uk
office@lansdownechurch.uk
Registered Charity No 1158579
Lansdowne Church is a name of Lansdowne Baptist Church Bournemouth. CIO. Charity No. 1158579.