June 2026 Monthly Message

Dear Church Family,

 

I’ve just returned from some time away with family—a great opportunity to recharge and reconnect after a wonderful Pentecost Sunday. God was present through His Spirit, meeting people in a beautifully gentle way. I love it when the Holy Spirit is clearly doing what only He can do as we give Him space to move and work among us. Increasingly, I’m convinced that this needs to be a priority whenever we gather for worship. We come to glorify God and to encounter Him. As Jesus tells us, “where two or three gather in His name, there He is with them.”

 

Last month saw the launch of the Coffee Club Youth Café, running on Thursdays from 3:30–5pm. This is a youth initiative for school years 7–13, where we open the church doors to provide a warm, welcoming and hospitable space. From small beginnings at the end of April (with 10 at a ‘soft opening’), we finished May with 49 young people coming through over the session. We’re thankful to God for this—but we can’t rest on our laurels. We need to keep offering this space and building relational connections over the long term. My instinct tells me that young people are looking for consistency and authenticity. So please do continue to pray: for young people to keep coming, and for lasting fruit from these relationships.

 

May also included our Annual Church Meeting, where we elected PCC members and Churchwardens. I’m pleased to say that Stuart Britton and Heidi Roberts will continue as Churchwardens for another year—please do pray for them as they carry this important responsibility. I also had the opportunity to share what I believe are key priorities for us as a church. One of the most significant is the need to overhaul our governance. Not because it’s bad, but because it hasn’t kept pace with our growth, meaning too much rests on a few overburdened individuals. This needs to change if we are to continue growing as we believe the Lord is calling us to do. I’ll be working with the PCC and Churchwardens to put a plan in place and move this forward.

 

Many of you will know that when we appointed Megan as Children and Schools Minister, we partnered with The Bridge Project (based in Salisbury) for the chaplaincy element of her work in local primary schools. Megan has done an amazing job establishing chaplaincy at ABW and Milldown, with both headteachers very pleased with her contribution. In our ongoing conversations with The Bridge, we’ve sensed that we are now ready to operate this aspect of ministry ourselves. So, we will be formally ending the partnership at the end of this school year and continuing chaplaincy as BFPC. The Bridge are happy to remain available in a consultancy capacity if needed. Alongside this, we’re exploring additional chaplaincy opportunities that have come our way—we’ll keep you updated as things develop.

 

The (somewhat misleadingly named!) “Family Small Group,” which meets fortnightly on Wednesdays under Megan’s leadership, is seeing a resurgence this term. With additional team members and new families attending, it’s a real encouragement. This term they’re working through The Bible Course, helping those new to faith—or on the fringes of church—go deeper and grow in discipleship.

 

A quick reminder, too, of the importance of our corporate prayer gatherings across the week and month. These are a vital part of our life together as a church—times where we seek the Lord together, listen, intercede, and align ourselves with what He is doing among us. If you’re not already part of these rhythms, I’d really encourage you to consider joining in.

 

We’re also really pleased to be welcoming Joanne Steer, who will be with us over the next couple of months on placement as part of her ordination training. Joanne will be getting involved in different aspects of church life during her time with us, so do make a point of saying hello and making her feel at home among us.

 

This Sunday we have our monthly 10am gathering, as well as Going Deeper in the evening.

At 10am, we’ll again use the simplified communion format we introduced last month, involving children before they head out to their groups. The hope is that this creates a space where the whole church family—young and old—can share in communion together.

 

In the evening, we’re delighted to welcome Ed Evans and Chris Backhouse from Salisbury Vineyard Church. Ed, the regional overseer for the Vineyard movement, has a real passion for equipping people to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do come along and join us as we seek to go deeper in this area of our discipleship.

 

Just a practical encouragement as well: do bring your own Bible with you on a Sunday if you have one—we want to be a people rooted in Scripture. And if you don’t own a Bible but would like to explore it for yourself, there are free copies available at the back of church—please do take one.

 

Later this month, there are several building projects taking place. Firstly, the back pews behind the cross aisle will be removed to create additional comfortable seating and a more welcoming space—particularly for the Youth Café, but also for the wider church. We hope this will enhance opportunities for social connection before and after services.

 

Shortly after, work will begin to replace the leadwork on the Julian Chapel roof, which was stolen some time ago. This will be replaced with a non-lead alternative, and all necessary permissions are now in place. At the same time, we’ll be adding roof insulation in anticipation of a future reordering of the main building, including the potential installation of toilets in that space. As a result of these works, access to the building will be limited for a time, as the back door (our main key access) will be within the builders’ compound.

 

With every blessing,

 

Chris