We have 3 new Church Deacons joined the diaconate in January 2012.

Click on the picture below to see the Deacons and Minister in more detail

Back Row:- David Leverett (Church Treasurer), David Milner, Dr. Paul Wharin, Joe Cleaver, Steve Toseland, Steve Vidler, Revd. Graeme Stockdale

Front Row:- Jill Dee, Loraine Tite, Sandra Jones, Norma Butlin (Church Secretary), Kate Drake, Cathy Gillott

Thanks to Paul Lashmar from Wyvern Photography

Dear Friends

Well – what can I say? After several weeks when I’ve been doing the “last this” and the “last that” prior to my retirement, I have now come to my last Minister’s Letter for our church magazine “In Touch”. I hope you’ll forgive me for indulging in a few moments of nostalgia

Thirty two years ago – January 1980 – I made a New Year’s Resolution. I decided that I would get up a little earlier each morning, read my daily Bible reading and the comment attached to it and then I would go for a walk across a nearby golf course to a nature reserve located adjacent to the River Trent, the intention being that I would pray and talk with God as I walked.. We were living in Beeston, Nottingham at the time and I was a chemist working on a power station near Derby.

I am pleased to say that I kept this Resolution for the best part of ten months, with the exception of just a few mornings when adverse weather made it unwise to go out and get drenched!

What happened to cause me to stop going for my early morning prayer walk ten months later? It was in October 2000 that I left my work after ten years with the CEGB in order to commence training for ministry at St John’s Theological College, Nottingham and each morning began with tutor group prayers at about 7.30 a.m.

It had been during one of my early morning prayer walks that I had sensed God was calling me to “full-time ministry” and the sense of call was such that I couldn’t ignore it or reject it. The picture above shows the place where God called me to ministry all those years ago.

After three years of training, a residential selection conference with the Mission Dept of the Baptist Union, and a further four or five months of visiting churches and meeting deacons, the invitation came for me to become the minister at a Baptist church just south of Leicester. My ordination and induction service took place in March 1984 and I became a Baptist Minister, which wasn’t quite what I had planned for my life. I had expected to be working for the Central Electricity Generating Board (or its subsequent incarnations) for the rest of my working life, but God had other plans which were to take us as a family from Leicester to Weston-super-Mare for eight years, and then here to Kettering for the past 17 years.

Life as a minister hasn’t always been easy and I have often said I would much rather do anything else and enjoy the luxury of a “9 to 5” job, but I have always been quick to add that I know such a life wouldn’t be at all satisfying or meaningful because I firmly believe God called me to serve him as a minister.

I’m sure you will appreciate that it was a huge step of faith all those years ago but, despite the difficulties and, in the earlier days when we still had our family living with us, the hardships, God has remained faithful, has kept us and has enabled me to do things I never imagined I could do (and still couldn’t do without God’s help), and now He has graciously made provision for us as we approach retirement.

Stepping out in faith is something we’re all called to do from time to time, as individuals and as a church. God doesn’t often give detailed guarantees covering every eventuality. But he does give us over-arching promises, including the text I’ve suggested for this year’s Annual Text:- “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Finally I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who, throughout my ministry, has encouraged, helped and supported me and my family, and especially “To God be the glory” for preparing the way ahead with each step of faith.

Yours in Christ’s service

Graeme Stockdale

Annual Letter – December 2011

Dear Friends

As I write this Annual Letter I realise that I often comment on how quickly the year has flown by. Never has this seemed more so than here towards the end of 2011 as Christine and I prepare for retirement and pastures new in just a few weeks’ time! Indeed, not only have the past twelve months passed quickly but also the past seventeen years here at Fuller. And when I recall my first “superannuated” position working for what was then the National Coal Board, the reference to the year 2012 on the pension documents seemed to belong to the far-distant future, and suddenly here it is - almost!

In view of all this, not only do I want to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” on behalf of the Deacons and Church Members to all of you for your support, service and dedication throughout another busy year, but I would like to add a personal word of thanks to all who have supported and encouraged me during my ministry here at Fuller. We are indeed blessed as a church with so many people willing to spend their time and energy in a whole variety of ways as together we serve our Lord and one another.

Last year I mentioned the fact that on top of the usual level of activity and busyness here at Fuller, we had three projects which were keeping some of us even busier – the Chapel Project, the updating of the Coffee House  and the new Heritage Centre being developed in partnership with the Baptist Missionary Society. There is now the possibility of adding yet another project to our agenda – a possible partnership with KCU (Kettering Centre for the Unwaged) which, subject to the outcome of a Special Church Meeting on Tuesday 10th January, would lead to KCU locating their offices and classes here at Fuller. More details of this are on the Members pages of this website.

Other important local initiatives have involved working with other local churches through Churches Together in Kettering and have included the setting up of a Street Pastors scheme and also attempts to address the needs of those who are homeless. All of these projects need our prayers and support through personal involvement, as the opportunities arise. Our financial support is also very important, both in direct giving to project funds but also in ensuring that the church’s general fund maintains a healthy balance through our regular giving. This will continue to be so even during the forthcoming pastoral vacancy. As I wrote last year - when we struggle as a church to meet our routine financial commitments the result is that we can become too focussed on maintaining the status quo, which means we then become less responsive to the vision God sets before us.

My suggested Text for 2012 is one which applies equally to the church and to Christine and myself at this time – “I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). This verse is particularly appropriate for me since it is the text that sustained me throughout my training for the ministry thirty years ago, but I believe it has a message for Fuller also at this time.

As the year 2011 comes to an end, before us stands a doorway, with a sign over the top saying "2012". Beyond this doorway is a variety of experiences awaiting us together with all kinds of opportunities which will also come our way. The one certainty, as we hesitantly step through the opening, is this - that God is already there, waiting for us. The question is “Will we live today and tomorrow in the light of God's plans and God's presence?” You see, this belief that God has gone ahead of us into the future is a comforting thought only if we set out into the future intent on finding him, staying with him, and living out our lives according to his plans and purposes.

The doorway is one way of thinking about the New Year. The sea is another. 2011 is now for us a safe harbour - safe because we have become familiar with its events. But the time has come for us to leave that safety, and head for the open seas.

                                             Beyond these shores into the darkness.

                                             Beyond these shores, this boat may sail,

                                             And if this is the way, there will be

                                             A path across the sea.

                                             And if I sail beyond the farthest ocean,

                                             Or lose myself in depths below,

                                             Wherever I may go, Your love surrounds me,

                                             For You have been before beyond these shores.

                                                                                    ("Iona" 1993 – based on the voyage of St Brendan)

May the Lord bless you and keep you in 2012 and beyond.

Yours, in His service,

Graeme Stockdale

The Christmas story is the greatest story ever told and you can hear it for the first time or experience it in a whole new way.

Experience the 2000 year old nativity story in real time as eye witness messages are sent direct to your phone or computer  - starts 18th December and finishes on 1st January.

http://www.christmasstarts.com/experience/home/

Fuller Baptist Church is pleased to announce the launch of our brand new 360 degree virtual tour of the church.

The new virtual tour can be found on our home page. You can control the direction of the tour with your mouse or cursor.  Simply click on any of the embedded images to view the church from a new perspective.

Walk through the halls of Fuller Baptist Church and visit each of the rooms or simply see what the church looks like from the pulpit!

Please give us your feedback and tell us what else you would like to see.

Dear Friends,

On Sunday morning I went to Mbingo Baptist Church. It was an infant dedication service - just like back home. The pastor explained clearly that this was not "salvific" (to use his word) and different from infant baptism.

The day before Proffessor Hesseling and I attended a meeting of The North-West Cameroon Parent Organisation (of children with cancer) here at Mbingo - which we helped to establish in May of this year. One parent had travelled around 220 miles, all the way from Mutengene in the South West of the country.  I saw this man in May when he showed to us a prescription for drugs which would have cost about £400.00. At the time his 12-year old daughter had an aggressive muscle cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) treated in the capital. He'd said "I have nothing left".  He had used all his money (and that sent by a sister in the UK) to pay for his daughter's treatment. Proffessor Hesseling looked at the list of drugs and managed to reduce it to just the essential ones.  He then asked if I was willing to supply these (free of charge) from our Burkitt lymphoma stocks.  Of course I was.

Sadly this man's young daughter later died but this grateful parent travelled all the way north just to thank us.   I still cannot get used to a system in which if you have no money you do not receive medical care.

Isn't our NHS wonderful?

Paul