While speaking out the front one Sunday morning, Follow Baptist Church Senior Pastor Luke Williams caught sight of a new family entering the church at the back, but as he looked around there were no spare seats for them. Follow has started a new service on Saturday nights to make space for new people while the church renovates a factory as its new church building, which is set to be ready next year.
“We couldn’t wait till next year to create more space for people. Also, our region is sports-mad and there are a lot of people who are searching for faith who play sport on a Sunday, and so would never be able to come to a church to check it out. This gives them space to come to church and hopefully encounter Jesus.”
The new service is currently held at the St James Anglican Church at 5-6.30pm. “The Anglican church has been so accommodating! They said if we are using it for Kingdom purposes, we were welcome to meet there free of charge. They have been such a blessing to us, and we will do something to bless them in return before we move to the factory building.”
Around 150 people are expected to attend on a regular basis, although 350 turned out for the first service. “It had a real buzz, and was one of the best services I’ve been involved in. We tied helium balloons to any empty chairs and encouraged people to consider them as open for someone we haven’t met yet, or someone we’re praying for, so it was exciting missionally. It was also exciting to see new people step up to serve.”
This year the church celebrated the 10th anniversary of its care arm, the Bless Collective, which has significantly impacted the local community, especially since Covid19 which preceded a rise in isolation, homelessness and poverty in the area. “We wanted to be Jesus’ hands and feet. I think Bless has changed people’s perception of church because they see us serving five days a week, running a food pantry and sitting at tables at the community meal. People in these circumstances are often pushed on quickly, but at the church they are embraced and cared about, and it’s a beautiful thing. This also brings a lot of joy and satisfaction to the church – it’s not a weekly grind.” The anniversary was celebrated with fairy floss, popcorn, pass the parcel, a speech from the local mayor and milkshakes.
“One of most exciting things is that a lot of people have crossed over from Bless Collective to attending church. These people are invited into our discipleship pipeline with different courses and ways to connect.” Luke is excited about the possibility of planting more Bless Collective venues as the church creates more church plants. “We want to work with others and alongside others – not proclaiming to have all the answers. We called it a Collective purposefully, so I’m looking forward to that expanding in the future.”