Message from Tim

Angry Protests

We need to pray for our police force. The evidence suggests that although the Met got it badly wrong at the vigil for Sarah Everard in London, the police in Bristol got it absolutely right when faced with violent protestors last weekend,. However, twenty officers were injured, and the violence has rightly been condemned as unacceptable. The police have the unenviable task of enforcing legislation which is perceived as an attack on civil liberties. Although the risk of transmitting Covid-19 outdoors is low, the threat of spreading the virus has regularly been stated as the rationale for banning outdoor gatherings. The Coronavirus Act gave the government sweeping powers which they have used to impose disproportionately harsh penalties on offenders, such as a £10 000 fine for inviting people to a snowball fight in a park. There are fears that the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (which includes penalties of ten years in prison for damaging a memorial) will be used to clamp down on gatherings and to criminalise protests long after the virus has been brought under control. The problem is that the less the law is perceived as being fair, the less the public is likely to respect it, and this opens the door to more extremist behaviour. While the perpetrators of violence need to be brought to account, people also need to know that their voice is being heeded, otherwise their pent-up anger will grow.

Jesus was angry the day after Palm Sunday, when he single-handedly launched his own violent protest in the temple, throwing furniture around, smashing open cash registers and scattering the contents, tying lengths of rope together into a whip and using this to lash out at traders as he drove them from their stalls. He stopped people going about their daily business, and these days he would likely have been charged with assault, and causing a public nuisance. The authorities in Jerusalem seem to have been caught on the back foot, because he left the scene without being arrested and went to ground for a few days outside the city. But a man-hunt was under way and when one of his followers accepted a reward for betraying his whereabouts, Jesus was arrested, summarily tried and executed.

What was he protesting against? Was it that the temple had been converted from a house of prayer into a market place? Was it the blatant profiteering of the traders? Was it that the temple authorities were so corrupt that the whole institution needed to be demolished before people could discover God’s presence with them in a new way? Whatever the reason, it is likely that Jesus paid for what he did in the temple with his own life, but he knew what the likely outcome would be, and was convinced that God would vindicate him.

We know Jesus was passionate about the Kingdom of God: this was the motivation for and the power behind everything he did, including that donkey-ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and his subsequent confrontation with the authorities. It looks as though his followers were totally unprepared for what ensued. But Jesus had been deadly serious when he said his disciples would need to take up their cross in order to follow him.

‘Jesus Christ is raging, raging in the streets,
Where injustice spirals, and real hope retreats.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I am angry too.
In the kingdom’s causes, let me rage with you.’

(John C Bell and Graham Maule)

Can we sing those words? Should we?

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

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Planning your Visit

New to Church?

Here at Brighton Road Baptist Church, you will always be welcome. So it doesn’t matter whether you’ve never been to church before or have been going all your life and want to try something different.

No-one cares how you're dressed, what you believe (or don’t believe), whether you’re over 60 or under 6, or something in between - you're welcome to join us if you're searching or just browsing.

Whatever your circumstances BRBC is a safe place to discover God's love.

We are an extended family made of all ages and a variety of backgrounds. We are single, married, divorced, widowed, happy, sad, confused, motivated, those with time on their hands and those with no time at all. The one thing we have in common is that we want to know more about the God who welcomes us all into his family. We look forward to welcoming you.

What to expect on a Sunday morning:

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will offer you a copy of our weekly newsletter.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. We share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Following this we have a time of sung and spoken worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Often a person will pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. There is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

What about my kids?

For children under three, we have a Creche. Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
For kids from 4-11, we have our Kid's Club, BRBK. Activities vary but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. Part way through the service, the leader will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

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Getting Connected

Housegroups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our housegroups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Housegroups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

If you want to get in touch, or have any further questions, please contact us!