Life December 2020

Life
December
2020
A
like no other
• Did Jesus social distance?
• Our Christmas Events
• Wake up and smell the Coffee!
• Fit-Out Update

Did Jesus social distance ?
When Jesus was entertained in the home of a tax
collector, when he touched the leper, when he
asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, he broke
the conventions of his day.
He bridged all divides, crossed all boundaries and
smashed all taboos.
If that’s the case, what would Jesus do today in
a world of Covid 19? Would he socially distance?
Would he wear a mask? Would he visit a Care
Home? Would he use hand sanitiser? Would he
keep two metres apart? I think the answer to all
those questions, strange though it sounds, is
probably, yes, he would.
For each of them is an expression of the primary
motivation of Christ’s life - to reveal the love of
God to a broken world. So it’s love that both wears
a mask, washes hands, visits the vulnerable and
yet remains at a safe distance.
In this extraordinary time of pandemic, as
disciples of Jesus, we are called to practice
the meaning of sacrificial, selfless love. And
Christmas is an especially relevant time for that.
For there is a bigger picture. The one drawn by the
truth of the incarnation which we celebrate over
the coming weeks. In order to save the world from
its brokenness, Jesus left the glory of heaven. By
entering His creation, the divine Son spanned the
greatest distance of them all.
More than that. Jesus, the morally perfect Son
of God went to the cross to bear the sin-virus
of humanity. By his cross and resurrection he
produced a once -for- all vaccine over death.
So as we find creative, compassionate ways to
celebrate this socially distanced Christmas like no
other, there is good news of great joy for all the
people.
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

A
like no other
3 December 8pm - Advent Prayer Central – Zoom
13 December 10:30am - Christmas Service with a feature from
Lansdowne Kids and Lansdowne Youth
20 December 10:30am - Carol Service
25 December 8:00am Christmas day devotional on YouTube
10:30am - Christmas Day Celebration - Zoom
27 December 10:30am -‘An Unexpected Year!’ - 2020 Reflections - Zoom
31 December 8pm – New Year’s Eve Prayer, including Communion - Zoom
3 January 10:30am - Motto Sunday
As we approach the Christmas Season,
uncertainty still surrounds the way
in which we will be able to spend this
special occasion. But perhaps a change
in our normal festive routines will
be helpful in driving home that this
celebration is not based on turkey,
tinsel and Christmas trees, but on the
birth of a Saviour who was to radically
change the course of history, as well as
the lives of all who follow Him.
We will be running a series of
devotions during Advent, including
Christmas Day, so be assured that
there will still be something for you
online if you are not part of our Zoom
celebration on Christmas morning.
Any of our Zoom events can be joined
by telephone and details will be given
shortly, so do pass this message
around!
At a time when our world is searching
for hope and people are struggling to
come to terms with a year that has
brought so much suffering, challenge
and upheaval, do look for ways to
share the good news of Jesus. Even
if we are unable to get together with
others in the same way, there will be
opportunities to creatively connect
with friends and neighbours, as well as
inviting them to watch one of our carol
services in the comfort of their own
home. We will be sending out a PDF of
our key events so that you can either
print off and pop in a Christmas card,
or send to someone via email.
2020 will go down as a year not to be
forgotten, let’s make it count for the
Kingdom!
Sian Baker | Ministry Assistant

Wake up and smell the Coffee!
The times of lockdown have been hard for everyone,
but much harder for some than others. Imagine being
a single mum, with your own health difficulties, with
lively young children who need 24/7 attention and help
with schoolwork that you don’t understand. That’s hard
enough for most of us to imagine right? Now imagine
all that while stuck in a poky damp 3 rd floor flat, on
wet autumn day after wet autumn day. There are many
across Townsend, our town, who are struggling in
similar ways.
As a group of Christians with a heart for the people
of our estate, we wanted to try and find something
we could do to help people struggling in this kind of
situation, even in a small way. And Lockdown Coffee
was born!
For two mornings a week we’ve been serving take away
Coffee and hot Chocolates (with cream obviously!)
during the morning school run on Townsend. Offering
outside take away service means we’re COVID safe and
hot chocolate with cream brings smiles to faces who are
struggling to find a reason to smile.
Please pray for us as we continue serving the
community in this small way, that we’ll share the love
of Christ as we serve and speak to the people we meet.
Tom Davenport | Community Worker

Christmas Offering
This year’s Christmas offerings
will be divided equally between…
Teen Challenge UK
Teen Challenge Dorset helps people
from 18-50 with life controlling
problems, especially drug and
alcohol addictions, and also to offer
preventative help to those who may
be in danger of doing so.
Their goal is to help people become
mentally sound, physically well,
emotionally balanced, socially
adjusted & spiritually alive.
For more information contact
Gavin Sant and the local team at
office@tcdorset.co.uk
(01202 805505) or the national
office at
www.teenchallenge.org.uk
You can donate to our 2020 Christmas
Offering online at our giving page
on the church website. https://
lansdowne.churchsuite.co.uk/
donate/ - and choose “2020 Christmas
Offering”. Alternatively, you can send
a cheque to the Church Office, payable
to “Lansdowne Church”, marked
“Christmas Offering”.
Bibles for Chinese Christians
– The Bible Society
The Church in China is still printing
and distributing Bibles, despite strict
regulation from the authorities on
non-church and online bookstores.
In recent years, funding has declined,
affecting the ability of the Church to
print more Bibles for the millions of
Chinese Christians, many of whom still
cannot easily obtain a Bible of their
own. A gift of £10 could provide Bibles
for twelve new Chinese Christians.
Hear Xinnian’s story – ‘I’m so happy to
get a Bible! I haven’t had one for 14 years.’
This farmer and mother-of-two, is
just one of millions of Christians in
China to have lived life without a copy
of Scripture. Last year she heard that
a Bible Society team were visiting a
village near her home to hand out
Bibles. She walked two hours across the
countryside to the village to be there!
Times are tight but the need remains
great. May the generosity of the Lord
Jesus be felt through us again this year.
Mike Smailes | Associate Minister

Fit - Out Update
The work on the new building in Lansdowne Road
has made significant progress during the last six
months. We need to raise £360k (inclusive of VAT)
for the Fit-Out and finish costs and to date over
£70K has already been given.
This has made possible the first fix of the audio
visual and kitchen installation. It is also good to
know that as a result, the construction schedule
remains on time and on budget.
Nevertheless, we still have some way to go before
we hit that larger fit out target and the new
Lansdowne Centre can be opened in mid 2021 to its
full potential.
Therefore in order to inspire us to see how this
large, multi- purpose space can be used for the
glory of God and the advance of the gospel and how
we can finish the job financially, we are intending to
have a Guided Tour Day of the premises (Saturday
Jan 23 rd ) and a Gift Day (Sunday January 31 st ).
Put those dates in your diary.
For those unable to attend the Guided Tour, there
will be a Virtual Tour available soon afterwards.
We had hoped that all of this could have happened
in December. But given the uncertainties around
the current Covid lockdown, we believe it better to
wait until the New Year, when we hope to have more
clarity on what is possible with in -person events.
However, if during the time between now and then
you would still like to give , as others already have,
then please use the existing methods.- either Online
or by setting up a Standing Order / Direct Debit.
Contact the Church Office for advice on that and go
to the Church website to find the latest information
and videos on the Regeneration Building project,
click the Let’s Finish the Job!
Here’s an indication of some of the items which are
part of the Fit-Out costs.

• £47 per stackable chair. We need 500.
• £84 for a balcony chair. We need 200
• £290 microwave
•£382 fridge
• £807 freezer
• £3,850 electric induction range
• £6,256 electric combi oven.
• £39 wireless microphone
• £1,450 LED screen
• £4,350 sound desk
• £25,500 auditoria speaker system
We continue to be grateful to God for the generous giving of His people, far and
near, to the Project. We look to Him to complete the good work He began.
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

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.