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Christmas 2024

We are looking forward to celebrating the Christmas season and have a number of events planned. These will all be taking place at Evesham Baptist Church Community Centre, Offenham Road and everyone is welcome. A summary of events is outlined below, and please use the contact us form if you would like any further information.
Saturday 7 December 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Contemplating Advent
This is an opportunity to take a pause in the busyness of this season and set time aside to quietly reflect and meditate on the Scriptures surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Sunday 8 December 10.30 a.m. — Anniversary service
It’s now a year since we moved into our fresh new building. At our regular Sunday service we will be celebrating the first anniversary of being in the community centre with special guest Steve Finamore, President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Tea, coffee, mince pies and cake will be served after the service.
Sunday 15 December — Christingle service
Join us from 10 a.m. for toast and crumpets followed by an interactive service at 10.30 a.m. This event is designed for all ages together and, as part of the service, we will be making Christingles, a traditional symbol of Jesus, the Christmas gift coming as light into the world. Tea, coffee and mince pies will be available after the service.
Sunday 22 December 10.30 a.m. — Christmas celebration
As Christmas approaches this will be a lively, modern and relaxed Christmas service with all ages together and the opportunity for everyone to get involved. Tea, coffee and mince pies will be served after the service.
Sunday 22 December 6.00 p.m. — Carols by twinklelight
This reflective event will include traditional carols and readings involving members of our town community. No candles, but plenty of Christmas lights! Festive refreshments will be served after the service.
Wednesday 25 December at 10.00 a.m. — Christmas Day
The big day has arrived! Together we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This will be a shorter relaxed service suitable for all ages.
Unless specified, our Christmas church services are expected to last 60-90 minutes.
Come and join us, we look forward to welcoming you and celebrating Christmas together.
Back from Sabbatical…
The Minister of Evesham Baptist Church, Edward Pillar, has been on sabbatical leave for three months, from June–August 2021. This is normal practice for Baptist ministers to take sabbatical leave every seven years and the last time Edward took his was in 2014. We asked him to write a few lines about what he has been doing during these three months and he writes as follows:
Today, 1st September 2021, I return from my Sabbatical break. The Sabbatical has its basis in the idea of the Sabbath rest, taking one day in seven to rest from work and seek to nourish the soul. And so that’s what I’ve tried to do.
My Sabbatical has involved a little bit of a whole number of things. I have tried to rest. I’ve deflected emails, passed on calls, forwarded messages. I’ve walked, drunk coffee, read books, reflected, played the guitar, listened to music, and walked some more. I enjoyed writing and delivering two papers at the European Association of Biblical Studies Conference – by Zoom, of course! Ordinarily I would have spend a week in Germany at the conference, but virtual reality was necessary under the circumstances.
Sarah and I spent a week in North Cumbria, which was a relaxing break away. We’ve attended two weddings, and I attended a funeral. We’ve had to deal with elderly mothers being in hospital for a few days each. And we adopted a dog! A beautiful Saluki cross named Grace.
Edward will be back at the church, leading our service and preaching again from Sunday 5th September.
A Music Makers elephant!
For eight weeks in the summer of 2021, the city of Worcester played host to a series of sixty-seven elephants as part of Worcester’s Big Parade. Each sculpture is sponsored by a business and individually designed by an artist – either well-known or just starting out, from the Worcestershire area or further afield. They marched into the city on Tuesday, 13th July – and are due to leave again from 5pm on Sunday, 5th September 2021. After this, all the elephants, big and small, will be auctioned to raise funds for St. Richards Hospice.
While walking around Worcester and enjoying so many of the elephants and the wonderful painting and decoration, we found one entitled “We are the Music Makers”. As this is a well-known song that all the children love to sing at Music Makers at Evesham Baptist Church, we thought it was only appropriate to take a picture of the elephant itself and the descriptive plaque that went with it and to show it here.
Music Makers should be back up and running in October 2021, so here is the elephant to encourage you! The decoration is just wonderful, so much care and detail and such a bright, sparkly finish; it’s a cheerful, happy animal!

The detail in the elephant is amazing and the thought and skill that has gone into the design and cutting out the individual shapes is just wonderful.

The artist’s name is Sophie Handy and she has more artwork on display on her web site at sophiehandy.com.