Horfield Baptist ChurchMoving to 160a
What's happening?
On 31st March 2023 we will complete a buildings
swap with B&A Anglican church. Our current home, 279 Gloucester Road will become their home and we will move to their building.
Our new home will be 160a Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NT. Which is a couple of hundred metres down the Gloucester Road on the other side from our current buiding.
Why is the move taking place?
For several years we’ve been praying about the future of our current buildings at 279. This suite of buildings is beautiful and the premises extensive, but they are no longer suited to our mission to and ministry in our local community. Instead of enabling our call to tell people about Jesus, this building has become a burden on our time, money and resources. In 2021 we began a process to prayerfully discern how we might be enabled to be the people of God that he has called us to be in Horfield, Bishopston and beyond.
We made a commitment as we searched that whatever was to become of the church, our building should be used to the Glory of God and for the furthering of the Kingdom of God. This may have seemed rash at the time – we might have benefitted from selling part or all of the premises to be developed to bring in some much-needed cash – but the building was a gift to us from previous generations who have given generously for the work of God in the area.
At the same time as we were looking for partners to take on part of the building, B&A based in church premises very close to us was on the lookout for larger premises, preferably on the Gloucester Road, where they could bring their network of small church communities together under one roof.
Throughout 2022 we have been in discussion with B&A’s leadership about the possibility of a buildings swap and this is now finally happening.
What are the advantages of moving?
160a is a more suitable size for our needs with space for meetings, a catering kitchen, offices, meeting rooms and a lovely big hall which will be used as our worship space on a Sunday and for hirers during the rest of the week.
What will happen to other groups that currently use 160a?
We are adopting the hirers who already use the space at 160a. All those hirers who regularly use space at 279 have also been offered space at
160a, as B&A will be undertaking renovations prior to fully reopening 279 in the autumn.
When we take on the new building, please be patient with us as we settle into our new home. Some decorating work will still need to be completed so that the building is in good condition and ready for use. This should take a month at most and may mean a slightly delayed start at the beginning of the summer term.
When will Baptist church services begin at 160a?
Our services in the new building will begin on 2nd April with a Palm Sunday service at 10.30 am and continue with a Good Friday reflection at 10.30am on 7th April and an Easter Sunday celebration on 9th April at 10.30am. After that our Sunday morning services which will continue to be at 10.30am. We’d love to see you there.