Category Archives: News

Worship & Prayer in the Park

Worship & Prayer in the Park was planned for 8th September 2024 in the Human Nature Garden in Horsham Park. Unfortunately, due to a MET Office yellow weather warning of heavy rain, the decision was taken to move indoors to Kingdom Faith Church in Foundry Lane, Horsham. However, as the words of the opening song reminded us, “You’ve been faithful through every storm”1. Around 140 people gathered together, praising the Lord, praying to Jesus and proclaiming the good news of the gospel.

1 Great Things by Phil Wickham

Worship & Prayer July 2024

Over a hundred people from different churches across Horsham District gathered together for this evening’s Worship & Prayer event, organised by Horsham Churches Together.

We prayed for growth as disciples and togetherness as believers. We prayed in prophetic expectation of what God will do through His Holy Spirit here in the Horsham District, inviting people into a living relationship with Jesus. And at the end of the academic year, we prayed for children, students and staff who work in education.

The next HCT Worship & Prayer event will be on Sunday 8th September in the Human Nature Garden at Horsham Park – bring a picnic from 4pm, with the main event from 5pm til 6pm.

An amazing day out at the Funday Sunday

Despite a few heavy rain showers, we had an amazing day at the Funday Sunday in Horsham Park, organised by the Horsham Rotary Club. At the Horsham Churches Together stall, we offered free children’s crafts, gave away Bible story booklets and talked with people in our community. We also had a prayer tree where people were invited to write a name on a ribbon before tying it to the tree.

A big thank you to the volunteers Life Community Baptist, Holy Trinity Horsham and St Mary’s who helped run the stall, along with Jon White (Trafalgar Road Baptist), Michael Hogg (Brighton Road Baptist) and Rachel Abbot (Salvation Army).

Funday Sunday 2024

Horsham Churches Together are hosting a stall in Horsham Park at the Rotary Club’s Funday Sunday on 7th July 2024, 12 noon til 5pm. There will be free craft activities for children, information about HCT, and a prayer tree.

St John’s Broadbridge Heath, Horsham Matters and Turning Tides also have stands at the Funday.

Hustings 2024

250 people attended the general election hustings organised by Horsham Churches Together, listening to six parliamentary candidates answering questions from the public, and sharing their policies and vision for the future of Horsham and the UK.

The hustings event was chaired by BBC Radio 4’s Chris Aldridge, who posted on social media afterwards, saying “Thank you to all the candidates who joined us and faced a lively audience! Local democracy at its best!”

Questions put forward to the candidates included addressing the root causes of the need for food banks; welcoming refugees and asylum seekers; the affordability of local housing; end-of-life care & assisted suicide; the expansion of Gatwick airport and support for countries impacted by climate change. The candidates were also asked to talk about their policies that would directly benefit young people. In a closing question from the chair, each candidate was asked how they would spend their first one hundred days in office if elected on 4th July.

Thank you to everyone who came to the event, all the candidates for taking part, Chris Aldridge for chairing the proceedings, the volunteer stewards and the team from Kingdom Faith Church.

Watoto Children’s Choir

The Watoto Children’s Choir are performing at St John’s Broadbridge Heath on the 17th & 18th of May, as part of their three-month tour. Performing act from their latest album, “Better Days – There Is Hope”, the choir presents the story of orphaned and abandoned African children who’ve received the love and care needed to help them rise above their circumstances, ready to make a difference in the world as they become Africa’s future leaders.

Like Africa, the production is vibrant and colourful, taking you on an emotional journey as the children sing, dance, and share their personal stories of restoration and hope. As people see their smiles and are embraced by their hugs, the children have the privilege of telling people, “No matter what you’re going through, Jesus is our hope and there are better days ahead. Look at what He has done in my life.”

Watoto is a family made up of people from all over the world who are working together to ensure the forgotten have a place to belong. In 1984, in a time of civil war, Watoto planted a local church in Kampala, Uganda to speak hope and life to the nation. Since then, Watoto has rescued thousands of orphaned and abandoned babies and children, placing
them in loving families. They’ve equipped and empowered vulnerable women in their neighbourhoods. And sent over 100 children’s choirs across six continents.

There are no tickets left for the Broadbridge Heath performances, but they will be performing at the Big Church Festival on 25th & 26th May.

Discover more at www.watoto.com

Good Friday 2024

On Good Friday, over 300 people gathered in Carfax to worship, pray and declare Jesus is Lord. Kath Jones from Connect Southwater Community Church spoke the gospel message, and the musicians from Trafalgar Road Baptist Church lead the sung worship.

Announcement of Appointment of New HCT Development Co-Ordinator

Horsham Churches Together is pleased to announce that Rev Pete Dibdin has been appointed as the new HCT Development Co-Ordinator. The Development Co-Ordinator’s role involves working with HCT churches and partner organisations, helping us to collectively share the Good News about Jesus through joint events, shared projects, and strategic conversations.

As a local minister, Pete has taken part in many HCT events over the past five years, including the services on the Carfax Bandstand and the United Service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. From 13th February, Pete will be working 15 hours a week for HCT and serving 3 days a week at LIFE Community Baptist Church.

Pete says: “My heart is to see followers of Jesus uniting in prayer, working together in mission, and making a difference in our local communities. I look forward to working with the churches, charities and organisations that partner together through Horsham Churches Together.”

Pete continues: “When I first saw the job advertised, I was captivated by the possibility of taking on this role within HCT. But before I could apply, fear gripped hold, and I said no. But God had other ideas. Two weeks later, as I was praying, the presence of God’s Spirit moved me to tears, and I clearly heard God say, ‘Look again at the HCT Development Co-Ordinator’s role, and see what’s possible.’ In the conversations that followed, God opened the doors and led to the beginning of a new chapter for me in Horsham.”

Pete will be distributing his work hours throughout the week and will be available Tuesday to Friday. If you would like to contact Pete, please send him a message through our website contact form.

Update from a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024

Thank you to all those who participated in hosting and attending gatherings for prayer across the churches in Horsham district, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024. It was such a blessing to be able to meet, pray, fellowship, walk and worship together.

At the various gatherings it is understood that at each of the times of prayer between 3 to 8 different churches were represented with gatherings of between 12 and 30, with a larger number for the United Service on Sunday evening hosted by St. Mary’s and led by Cornerstone Methodist.

Please continue to pray for unity and look out for further opportunities as Horsham Churches Together to gather, pray, worship, fellowship, learn, serve and witness together in mission and ministry.
Revd. Michael Hogg – HCT

For a couple of resources from the week check out our Blog Post on our website Here

Join us for the 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

“GO AND DO LIKEWISE” (Luke 10:37)

The Good Samaritain – Luke 10:25-37 by  JESUS MAFA from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

The ‘Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’ takes place each year from the 18th to 25th January. It is an opportunity for Christians from local churches to come together in prayer.

Horsham Churches Together will be celebrating the week with a series of events Join us if you are able.

2024 JANUARY
– Thursday 18th: Brighton Road Baptist Church (7.30pm)
– Friday 19th: Prayer Walk – Horsham Town Centre (meet at 12 noon, Carfax Bandstand)
As part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, there will be the opportunity to take part in self-guided prayer walks around the Horsham town centre. Rev Pete Dibdin, Life Community Baptist Church, will be at the steps of the Carfax bandstand between 12:00pm and 12:20pm with printed prayer walk guides, you can get more information and download a print and mobile versions of the Guide.  HERE 

– Saturday 20th St Margaret’s Church, Warnham, (10am)
– Sunday 21st: HCT United Service at St Mary’s Parish Church (6pm), led by Cornerstone Methodist Church
– Monday 22nd: St John’s Broadbridge Heath (7.30pm)
– Tuesday 23rd: St Mark’s Church, Holbrook, with Horsham Eco Churches (7.30pm)  Based on the Good Samaritan and loving your neighbour, “Lord, turn our churches into ‘inns’, welcoming those in need.” Tis will be an  hour of worship and prayer,  contemplating  why we need to turn our churches into inns, and what local Christians are already doing together.
– Wednesday 24th: Trafalgar Road Baptist (12.30pm)
– Thursday 25th: United Reformed Church, Springfield Road (7.30pm)

Each year ecumenical partners in a different region are asked to prepare the materials. In 2024, the churches of Burkina Faso are inviting us to join with them in a process of self-reflection as they consider what it means to love our neighbour in the midst of a security crisis. Using the parable of the Good Samaritan the reflections explore how we find our common identity in the experience of God’s love. As well as the need to place love at the centre of the quest for peace and reconciliation.

You can download the reflection booklet from HERE

The parable of the Good Samaritan is found in Luke 10:25-37   Read the chapter and passage (NIV) and also listen and watch a dramatization on Bible.is HERE

Resources for the week can be found on the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland’s website: https://ctbi.org.uk/resources-for-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2024/