HEDINGHAM BAPTIST CHURCH

Welcome to the heart of the community

At Hedingham Baptist Church, everyone is welcome. It is our belief that God is present in all of us, but His active presence can only be felt through faith in Him. We are dedicated to the service of God and all his people. We invite you to become a part of our growing congregation. Read more...

WEEKLY DIARY

At present there are two weekly Sunday services:

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9.00am Service for children

(in-person but you must book)

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10.30am Service for adults

 (Online and in-person)

KICKSTART: JOBS & EMPLOYMENT

Spread over three weeks in December, these FREE online sessions will cover ‘Discovering Your Strengths’ (Fri 4th), ‘Writing a CV’ (Fri 11th) and ‘Interview Skills’ (Fri 18th). Sessions will comprise a short video and group discussion, lasting about 45 minutes and run by trained Life Skills Coaches from the church, Matt and Carole. 

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We know that 2021 might be a difficult year for those looking for work, so we want to help local people get a step ahead in the jobs market by honing these skills through these three free sessions. To register, just click below:

Do Not Be Afraid

by Rev. A. Sanders

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7)

A long time ago I was a member of a church where the pastor had decided that the theme for the year was “Do not be afraid.” So the theme of every sermon, every message, every talk,—every Sunday without fail—was the same: “Do not be afraid.” For all the 52 weeks of the year we were told, “Do not be afraid.”

Now you might be forgiven for thinking that it was the same sermon preached over and over again every time, but it wasn’t. And you might be forgiven for assuming that the message became boring, dull, and diluted through repetition, but it didn’t.

Every sermon was different and it was based on a different passage of the Bible, but they all carried the same underlying message. Every message repeated the constant refrain, “Do not be afraid.”

Each week we were invited to open our hearts and minds to this truth: God is powerful, knowledgeable, caring and loving. He knows us and understands everything about us. Furthermore, he knows us and the situations we face, and the struggles we have. He knows how fear can attack us, paralyse and destroy us. He wants to tell us, in a myriad ways, “Do not be afraid.”

God does not belittle us for our fears, and neither does he despise us for lacking faith. He does not reject us for doubting him and neither does he ignore us when we fail to see him. He is constantly close by, lovingly calling to us, “Do not be afraid.”

We could be perplexed, confused, despairing, or doubting. We might be overwhelmed, lost, uncertain or confused. We are often gripped by fear, throttled by anxiety, crushed by stress or buried in depression. God stills offers us hope: “Do not be afraid.”

God tells us “Do not be afraid” at least 52 times, enough for a different one each week for a whole year! In fact, one researcher has found that, in the Bible, God tells us “Do not be afraid” not merely 52 times but 145 times! That’s nearly three years’ worth of sermons on one theme alone!

God knows how easily we fall prey to fear, anxiety and worry. When he says “Do not be afraid” he isn’t telling us off. It’s not because being afraid is something wrong or bad, but rather because he is encouraging us to find hope in him.

The Apostle Paul wrote to his friend Timothy to encourage him, saying, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Timothy had his struggles too, but he wasn’t blamed or condemned. Paul takes care to encourage him, by reminding Timothy of the truth of the fact that he already has this love and power from God inside him, enough to conquer all fears.

May we, too, know the comforting presence and the life-changing power of God in our lives.

“He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”

1 Corinthians 15:4