Life February 2021 fv1

Life
February
2021
‘Outside In’ | Who are you?! | Church Strategy ... and more

“Once-in-a-lifetime” is one of those
phrases which often promises more
than it delivers.
But while trying to avoid the hype,
that’s the potential which the new
Church Building on Lansdowne Road
represents for the advance of the
gospel.
I’m excited to see what God can do
through such a strategic location which
has a reach into so many different
communities, locally and globally.
The plan has been a long time in the
making. Two generations ago the idea
of a new Church building began to be
discussed.
Eight years ago we named it the
Regeneration Project. For this has
always been about more than building
a multi-purpose facility, but to renew,
re-purpose and regenerate a Christian
community.
I don’t think any of us would have
chosen to complete a building project
during a pandemic! But God is
amazingly answering prayer for that.
Regular giving and more recently
£700k in interest free loans means we
remain on target to complete by the
summer.
We held an interactive, virtual tour
on Saturday morning January 24 th so
that people could “walk through” the
premises and we are looking forward
to a Gift Day on Sunday January 31 st to
raise the final £300k for fit out costs.
The key stage we have now reached is
to see how we can each play our part
in realising the potential which this
resource offers us.
The challenge we still have in all this
is that Covid isn’t done with us yet!
All of us have spent most of the last
year personally, trying to survive big
domestic and work life challenges. So
re engaging those whose experience
of Church has been mainly online and
virtual is going to be difficult.
So what follows in this edition of
Life are important messages and
opportunities for you to hear about
Lansdowne’s vision, strategy and
method, as we move forward together
towards the biggest step change in our
story as a Church since the original
building.
I’ve been thinking through what it
might look like for us, when we occupy
the new Church centre, to realise in
Bournemouth the vision of the prophet
Haggai, “the glory of this present
house will be greater than the glory of
the former house.” It’s obviously a very
different context. But our prayer has to
be that in a thousand different ways,
the glory of God will fill His house.
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

February half term is always an exciting
time at church as we host our annual
Holiday Club. This year we would like
to invite children to a holiday club with
a difference! “Outside In” will be a
virtual holiday club for primary school
children. Our theme is based on the
stories of Gideon and centred on the
idea “When God does things differently
to us.”
From Tuesday 16 th to Thursday 18 th
February at 10am on Lansdowne
Kids there will be a YouTube Premier
showing of our Holiday Club for
the day. We will be encouraging the
children to make a ‘den’ in their homes
from where they can watch the usual
holiday club features; mayhem with
Trudy and Darren, drama and exciting
stories from Keith! There will be a craft
and a game each day, and lots of our
favourite holiday club songs.
We still want families to sign up for
their children, so we can send details
of what they need for the crafts, as
well as activity and colouring pages.
You can interact with the team by
sending photos of your dens, crafts and
colouring; and you might want to send
your jokes and messages in early if you
want them to feature in the shows!
Don’t forget to invite your friends,
anyone can join in!
Amanda Peach | Familes Team
16 - 18 February
lansdownechurch.uk/news/outsidein

Turning a motto into a
movement
Church Forum
Agenda
(open to all)
• Introduction and Video
• Overview of the strategy
• Questions and answers
• Conclusion and Prayer
2 February | 7:30pm | Zoom
©Google maps
Zoom details will be sent out
nearer to the date, if you are not
on our mailing list please email
office@lansdownechurch.uk

As we begin this new phase of Church
life, with the prospect of a new
building in the centre of town and
the development of our mission on
the Townsend Estate, the Leadership
of Lansdowne has come up with
a refresh of our Church Vision,
strategy and method to describe the
model we are working towards.
Our vision. Glorifying God,
proclaiming Christ through Word
and Spirit.
Nothing especially new about that
statement!
Our strategy. Making, maturing and
mobilising disciples of Jesus from
our networks to the nations.
Actually the third “m”, mobilising,
is an addition to that classic
formulation. We want everyone to be
involved and to see that they have a
part to play in the Great Commission.
So if I am putting out chairs on
a Sunday, technically producing
media, responsible for the Fire Risk
assessment, I am helping to mobilise
the church to deliver on its mission.
All the practical, administrative and
operational functions that many
people have in Lansdowne are just as
vital to the health of the Church as
any other.
Of course, some of us wear more than
one hat and are making or maturing
disciples too.
Our method. Equipping people,
developing partnerships and
planting congregations.
The first example of the latter is the
mission on the Townsend Estate that
has already established itself.
What will this mean for us in 2021?
We aim to be one congregation at
Lansdowne Road with a Church Plant
on the Townsend Estate.
We will continue to use the
Woodbury Avenue site as a shared
resource for both congregations
during the week. But it will not be a
venue for parallel Sunday services.
It may be that the Townsend work
will ultimately require Sunday use of
Woodbury. But for now the identity
and shape of their mission will have
the freedom to grow on the Estate
itself.
What next ?
We have already begun talking to
the Staff and various Ministry Group
Leaders about these matters.
Now we want to engage with as many
people as possible to help everyone
understand the bigger picture and
how we can each be a part of the
mission of Lansdowne.
So we are holding a Church Forum
at 7:30pm on Tuesday February 2 nd
where we will focus on the Church
going forward.
This will be interactive and online of
course!
If we are going to turn a motto into a
movement for mission then we need
people who are informed, inspired
and involved. Join the movement!
Peter Baker | Senior Minister

As we served coffee and hot chocolate outside
the Townsend Community Centre in the lead
up to Christmas, people asked the team, 'Who
are you?'
Who are you?!
The answer was simple - we are the church
for Townsend!
Strouden Park Chapel and Lansdowne Church
agreed, back in 2014, that together we would
partner to ensure that there was a long
term gospel presence in this community.
With nearly 6 years here getting to know
the community, over the past 18 months
we have been developing a small group of
Lansdowne members and attendees who are
committed to growing into the church for this
community.
As wider Lansdowne prepares for the long
awaited move into the new building in 2021,
we are preparing to launch a new daughter
church here in the Townsend community.
The group of people making up our Launch
Team for this new church have been growing
together in unity as we meet each Sunday
evening to prepare. As our little family has
grown, so has our desire for mission here.
Opportunities like Lockdown Coffee and our
Tuesday Community Meal and Bible Study
have given us the chance to make the church
visible in this community.
We're excited to see what God brings for
us in 2021, with lots of new relationships
growing in the community, the potential of
Sundays together using the school hall, and
discipleship still taking place daily within our
little church family. Please pray with us in all
these things and more. Pray that God would
be leading us to the people he has prepared to
be part of his kingdom, that we would have
opportunities to speak to them, and that God
would be pleased to save them! Pray too for
just a few more of the right kind of people to
join our launch team over the coming months
before we launch.
©Google maps
Tom Davenport | Community Worker

BUILDING UPDATE
update
There is a rapidly changing environment and in the last edition of LIFE we had
stated it was hoped that we could recommence gathered events. However, the
COVID-19 epidemic is now reaching a major peak with hospitals at breaking
point. Government has implemented full lockdown and issued revised instruction
for places of worship.
Consequently, a decision was made to suspend gathered services but still
broadcast live services from Woodbury Avenue. This is, however, proving also to
be problematic and we have now suspended live music and are moving the whole
service to back online. The main difference this time is that we intend to maintain
broadcasting elements of the service live. This is being achieved using a new
software tool StreamYard which we have been using for Peter Baker’s live briefing
and Question & Answer evenings.
In addition to the measures above it has not been possible to allow any Small
Groups or Ministries to meet in person at the Woodbury Avenue site.
Therefore, we should be praying for them as they meet online and despite the
inability to meet in person that the Holy Spirit is still uniting us, providing
encouragement and comfort where required.
Finally, please remember all those in our fellowship on the front line, serving at
‘In Touch’, working in Hospitals and Schools, providing the Foodbank etc, please
pray that they will be kept safe as they provide these vital services.
It is likely that these measures will remain in place for some time and we will
advise as more information becomes available.
Doug McGinn | Director of Operations

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.