Coronavirus updates

This is the primary place to receive updates that relate to DBC, the Church Centre and Coronavirus. Changes relating to our activities and the Coronavirus will be communicated here.

Last updated 12th October 2020

Update from DBC leadership (extract from church family update)

Dear friends,

In regards to providing opportunities to physically meet together, for worship, prayer, communion and teaching etc we have sought to be united in our approach as a Leadership Team and to be careful to listen to one another and others within the church family. As a Leadership Team we seek to practise unity in the midst of diversity.

In Ephesians 4:1-3 it says; ‘As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’.

In Ephesians 4:16 it says; ‘From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work’.

On behalf of the Leadership Team, I want to thank you for your support, encouragement and understanding over the last six plus months. Despite the diversity of views and opinions within the church regarding COVID-19, how we ought to respond to it, and what church life and ministry should look like in the midst of it, I want to thank you for considering others before yourself and for making church ‘unity’ your priority and goal. This, I believe, demonstrates our love and commitment to one another and above all our love for and desire to honour the Lord Jesus Christ during this difficult time.

Meeting together on a Sunday

As a Leadership Team we have decided that we will begin meeting on a Sunday at the Church Centre within the constraints of the restrictions that are in place. So from Sunday 25th October we will be offering a 10.30am service at the Church Centre. This service will be livestreamed and will therefore replace our existing online service, and attendance will be restricted to 50 people. If you wish to attend please book a place by no later than a Thursday evening each week through the Church EventBrite booking system, the link will also be sent by email and it will be available on the church’s Facebook page. Alternatively you can book a place by emailing the church office at office@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org or by phoning the church office on 01387 268926. If no one answers the phone please leave a message. When booking a seat for more than one person please indicate the names and number in your party. Families with children and teenagers are very welcome to come to the service but please note that for now there are no separate crèche or other ministries arranged for them. We can provide a table for individual families to sit at during the service which we hope can make things easier for those with primary school age children. If for any reason you need to take your child out of the service please feel free to sit in The Avenue where you can listen to the service on the two screens. If there are others in The Avenue please adhere to social distance regulations.

Service format – what to expect

The Sunday gathering will be different from what you are used to. It will be laid out differently with only 50 seats! The service will include Live or pre-recorded elements. We will be able to share communion together, the bread and wine will be provided in two small plastic containers which will be placed on the shelf on the rear of your seat, it is not possible to serve you communion in the usual way due to government regulations. The Sunday service will be livestreamed and will replace our virtual service. The livestream service will also be available to view later on the DBC YouTube site.

Opportunities for individual prayer

The Church Centre is open for individual prayer from Monday – Friday from 10am-12pm. All government advice and guidelines regarding social distancing, a one way walking system, a signing in system (so we know who’s been in the building), wearing nose/mouth masks, and hand sanitisers will be in place. Also, the building will be kept clean which includes doors, surfaces and toilets (which will be restricted to one male and female). This is open to church family, other local churches and the wider community. If necessary numbers will be restricted to allow social distancing

In the meantime, read on to find all the ways you can connect with church on Sunday and during the week!

Sunday-Saturday

Alistair, Eoghan and the Pastoral Care team continue to support church family, via phonecalls. If you have any concerns or needs please do not hesitate to contact one of us or leave a message on the church office phone which will be answered every week day morning.

Alistair - 07882 698428.
Eoghan - 07515 939698.
Church Office - 01387 268926.

Help! card

Sunday

1. Morning service in the Church Centre and via the DBC YouTube

From Sunday 25th October we will be offering a 10.30am service at the Church Centre. This service will be livestreamed and will therefore replace our existing online service, and attendance will be restricted to 50 people. If you wish to attend please book a place by no later than a Thursday evening each week through the Church EventBrite booking system. If you can't attend in person, please continue to visit the DBC YouTube channel at DBCC Gillbrae on Sunday mornings at 10.30am for our morning worship service. Also, remember that you can visit the YouTube channel at anytime after it has been posted up on to our site.

2. Sunday Virtual Sunday School

For all our DBC children, please visit Virtual Sunday School to view a short video for Sunday. If you have children at home please connect into this and join in with them. This has been produced by 4front theatre company and a new video is posted each week.

3. The Baptist Union of Scotland National Prayer event

This will be live monthly on the first Sunday of the month from 7-7.30pm on the BUS Facebook page. You will be reminded of this event and provided with access details every week via Facebook and email.

4. Discipleship Explored online – Sundays at 8pm, commencing week 23rd August

This eight-session journey through Paul’s letter to the Philippians is ideal for believers at any stage of the Christian life. It features documentary-style films and inspiring real-life stories from around the world, Bible studies and weekly reading plans. Read more

5. DBC Youth

Each Sunday evening the Youth team are hosting and leading a WhatsApp Live DBC youth event. If you have young people at home please make sure that they can join in with this event. The Youth team are also connecting up with our young people in other ways through WhatsApp.

Monday - Saturday

6. DBC evening Devotionals/Reflections

Alistair, Eoghan and others are producing evening devotionals which are going out via Facebook, DBC YouTube at DBCC Gillbrae and by email. These are posted online at 9pm every evening.

Tuesday

7. The Deacons prayer meeting (the Deacons are the elected church leadership team)

The Pastors and Deacons will be meeting via Zoom online for a weekly time of prayer from 8.30-9pm.

Wednesday

8. The Deacons Meeting

The Deacons will be meet as normal for their monthly meeting via Zoom online from 7-9.30pm.

9. Christianity Explored online – Wednesdays at 8pm, commencing week 23rd August

An opportunity to find out more about the life and person of Jesus Christ over 7 sessions in Mark’s gospel. Each session consists of a video clip followed by some questions and discussion. Read more

Thursday

10. Food parcel deliveries - started during lockdown, a small team continue to shop, pack and deliver food parcels to those in need within our community. We are grateful to all who continue to gift money and time to allow this vital work to continue.

11. Midweek Prayer Gathering
The weekly Prayer Gathering will be held on Thursdays at 2pm. Each session will last for approx. 45 mins and both sessions have the same content, including a Scripture reading, brief devotional thought and a prayer section. Each gathering will be restricted to 50 people and you are asked to let the church office know, by email or phone, if you plan to attend. You can also book a place online at the DBC EventBrite booking system.

12. Alpha online – Thursdays at 8pm, commencing week 23rd August

An 11 week course which explores some of life’s big questions eg ‘Why am I here?’ ; ‘Who is Jesus?’ Each session consists of a video clip followed by discussion time. Read more

Friday

13. DBC Prayer Gathering

Every Friday, Eoghan or Alistair will be hosting and leading a DBC Prayer Gathering from 7.30pm via Zoom. An email will be sent out to all our DBC church family with an invitation and a link. If you want to join in please download the Zoom app onto your phone, tablet, laptop or home computer. You do not need to sign up to Zoom to join the meeting.

We trust and hope that you will be able to access and benefit from some or all of these different opportunities in the weeks to come.

God bless you.

With our love,

Alistair and Eoghan

Sundays at DBC

Sunday morning worship at the Church Centre will recommence on Sunday 25th October at 10.30am. We would love to welcome you, and will do this in a safe and COVID-secure way. Due to the government restrictions, attendance is limited to 50, therefore please book your place in advance by phoning the DBC Church office (01387 268926) or via EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dumfries-baptist-church-sunday-service-tickets-125170467237

In addition, short evening reflections are available every weekday evening at 9pm. You will be able to access the Sunday worship and other short video messages/ reflections at DBCC Gillbrae. Further updates are available here

Find Us Here

Mission & Vision

We Are:

Created to Worship – Matthew 22:37

We believe that we are firstly Created to Worship the one true and living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our worship includes the whole of our lived experience within and outwith the context of church. We believe that God is calling us to be an inclusive Christian community made up of people who have found salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Commissioned to Reach – Matthew 28: 16-20

We are Commissioned to Reach all those who do not yet know Christ, believing that salvation comes through hearing the Gospel good news proclaimed and by witnessing to the reality of God’s incarnational love, lived out in our lives on a daily basis. Within the church we are committed to genuine biblical Christian fellowship and discipleship, leading to maturity; and to the resourcing and enabling of local, national and worldwide mission.

Compelled to Serve – Ephesians 4: 11-13

We are Compelled to Serve – which includes everyone who considers Dumfries Baptist Church to be their spiritual home. This service will be costly, involving time, money and effort as we seek to support and respect one another’s needs, whilst reaching out with the same practical love to those living and working in the geographical areas in which God has placed us, corporately and individually.

Who's Who

ALISTAIR PURSS - Lead Pastor

Alistair was born and brought up in Irvine, Ayrshire. He is married to Sharon and together they have been in Christian ministry since 1991. Alistair has served as the Pastor of Brigadier Free Church, Enfield (1991-1995); Sawyers Church, Brentwood (1995-2005) and Senior Pastor of Bethany Christian Centre, Houghton-le-Spring (2005-2010). In November 2010 Alistair was inducted as Senior Pastor of Dumfries Baptist Church. Alistair and Sharon have three adult sons, Ryan, Kieran and Aidan. One of their sons lives and works in Newcastle and the other two live in the greatest city in Scotland, Glasgow! They are proud of each of their sons, they bring Alistair and Sharon a lot of joy and an empty bank balance!

EOGHAN PATERSON - Pastor

Eoghan grew up in Whitburn, a small mining village near Livingston, West Lothian. He committed his life to the Lord at the age of 9 and enjoyed being part of a lively and thriving local church – Whitburn Gospel Hall. Eoghan studied Naval Architecture at Strathclyde University, then went on to train as a Maths teacher in Leicester. He started dating his wife Debbie while studying at University. They married in May 1994. Debbie worked as a dietitian for the NHS for 17yrs. In 2011 they both were given a clear call from God to leave their employment and study full time at Tilsley College. During their time at college God called them to serve full time for Him at Banchory Christian Fellowship Church in August 2013. Eoghan was then called by the Lord to serve as Associate Pastor at DBC which started on 21st October 2019. Eoghan and Debbie have 2 beautiful girls – Lucy and Rosanna. They love cycling, swimming and various team sports.

Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Care ministry within DBC exists to encourage, promote and develop within this church, Christ’s principles regarding genuine love for one another. Jesus said, ‘My command is this: love each other as I have loved you’ (John 15:12). To find out more see the Pastoral Care leaflet.

Prayer

The church has a dedicated prayer team who are always willing to help. If you would like to make contact with the prayer team then please ask one of the welcomers on a Sunday.

There are also prayer cards available on the literature table in the auditorium which you can complete and leave in the box provided. You can be assured that your prayer requests are treated in strict confidence.

Giving

The Bible reminds us that everything we have is a gift from God and really belongs to Him, not to us (Psalm 24:1 and Deuteronomy 10:14).

God’s greatest gift to us was His Son, Jesus, who, by dying on the cross, took the punishment for sin that should have been ours. Paul encourages us to give generously to the church, not only in gratitude for this amazing gift, but also as a way of following Jesus’ example of generosity (2Corinthians 8:7-9).

Giving can take many forms: financial, time, talents, but whichever way we give, it is a key part of our discipleship.

The ‘Giving’ leaflet concentrates on financial giving. If you need more information on how to give in other ways, please speak to a member of the Leadership Team.

Giving to God cannot be restricted to pounds and pence.

All we have comes from Him and belongs to Him.

At Dumfries Baptist Church we encourage people to give of their time.

Financial Implications of Coronavirus – March 2020
The decision to temporarily close the Church Centre, to include Church Services, will clearly have a significant effect on the financial income, while the expenditure will continue much as before. It is therefore important for us to try and ensure that there are opportunities available for people to continue to give to the church, if they are able.

For those who give directly through their bank there should be no problem and these offerings can be processed in the usual way.

For those who give by means of ‘weekly’ or ‘monthly’ envelopes, there are a number of options. If you have a bank account with a ‘standing order’ facility it would be possible to set up a regular payment directly to the church (probably monthly) which can be cancelled at any time. The easiest way of achieving this is to fill in a simple form and return it to your bank. A copy is available from the DBC office email office@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk and can also be downloaded here. If this is not possible and you wish to continue to use the envelopes or donate anonymously, then please contact the DBC office to discuss a way of getting your offering to the Treasurer on a regular basis.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the work of the church which will continue.

Giving Leaflet