Every year in November there is an election of deacons
This year the election will be held at the Body Talk meeting and also a Zoom meeting on Thursday 28th November 2024 - Candidates’ profiles are below
I grew up in a Christian family and was baptised when I was 13 at West Croydon Baptist Church. The verse I used at my baptism was, Jesus is the way the truth and the life.
I became a Sunday school teacher when I was 18 which I found was a great way to share the truths of the Bible with children in the church. In October 2014 I took on the leadership role of a group called 'The Fountain' after the former leader was no longer able to continue. This group was for the more mature members of WCBC. We met every Thursday afternoon for a time to socialise, worship, pray and learn from God's word. It provided an opportunity for gaining and giving support and fellowship. I had a great team who supported me in keeping this group running. Unfortunately, when Covid 19 hit we were no longer able to meet physically but we found a way to continue on line. A WhatsApp group was created which is still in use and provides a life line to those members who are now elderly.
My life has given me some unexpected curve balls which I would not have come through without my faith in Jesus! The joy of the Lord is my strength! I love this verse and this has carried me through many moments of difficulty in my Christian life.
One of the aspects that drew me to Crawley Baptist Church is the worship. I love to sing Gods praises as it lifts my spirit to a place where I feel closer to God as I express my love and gratitude to Him for His faithfulness, love and grace. The other aspects are the teachings and the friendships I have found at CBC. In CBC have also found a church that serves the community as well as its members. I have been supporting CYM at CBC which I have found is a practical way of sharing God's word, my faith and developing relationships with the younger generation.
I am a member of the One Voice Choir which is great fun and provides another way to get to know new people both inside and outside the church.
To have the opportunity of being part of the journey of CBC at this point with the merger with Greenfields will be interesting to see how God directs this development. To be able to serve God's people and the wider community in Crawley is something I have prayed about as I believe in seeking Gods guidance in all areas of my life.
I thank God for the gifts he has blessed me with and hope to use these to support the work of the church.
I have served on the Deaconate now for 30 years and have been Church Secretary since 2000. Over the years there have been challenges but also exciting moments and opportunities as we look forward to what God might be doing amongst us. It feels like now is one of those moments as we have completed the merger with Green Fields and look to appoint a new ministerial role.
My role as Church Secretary involves lots of work behind the scenes with various administrative duties but also supporting Ian and the staff team. Although I have been on the Deaconate for many years I am happy to continue to serve for another term and do what I can to support the team going forward. I also lead the “Interactive Bible Study” Life Group and occasionally play in the worship band on a Sunday morning.
I am married to Joy, who continues to fully support me in this role, for which I am most grateful. We have two grown-up children, Emily (married to James) and Laura and now two grandchildren, Eden and Percy. My day job outside church is as an Electronics Engineer for Thales in Crawley.
I became a member of Crawley Baptist Church following my baptism in 2002. During my time at CBC I have been an active member of the church community, including serving as a deacon for the past three years. I am passionate about and involved with social mission in Crawley through my role as Chair of Trustees of the Easter Team and more recently as the initiator and leader of the Heartisan craft cafe. My professional background is in Human Resources Management, where I am self-employed and provide support, advice, and guidance to small to medium sized businesses.
The Trustees of Crawley Baptist Church comprise eight elected deacons and four members of staff
The current deacons are Ade Aderounmu, Graham Durrant, Sharon Golightly, Ian Larkham, Shamima Macadjar, Phil Munt and Graham Poole. The ministerial staff are currently Ian Phillips, Sandra Warner and Sue Lindridge.
The ministerial staff are trustees by the nature of their appointment and are not voted into the position of trustee.
Deacons serve for three years before standing down. At the 28th November Body Talk meeting an election will be held for three positions (Sharon Golightly, Graham Durrant and Phil Munt come to the end of their period of service). Retiring deacons are eligible to stand for a further term of three years if they wish to and are nominated. There is currently there are currently three positions to be elected to.
Role of Deacons
The primary role of the deacons is to give visionary thinking for the future direction of the church, to give support to the staff team, to oversee the general work of the church and to perform the duties of Charity Trustees under the Charities Act.
Qualities of Deacon
A Deacon should be a person:
of mature faith;
filled with the Holy Spirit;
who supports to the full the worship and vision of the Church;
who supports a Life Group as fully as he/she is able;
able to work in harmony with the Senior Minister, other staff and fellow Deacons;
shall be able to serve as a Charity Trustee, i.e. is not disqualified by statute.
A Trustee must also be over 18 years old and not be a member of less than six months duration. In addition, the majority of Trustees shall have received Believers Baptism, (note: all of the existing Deacons meet this requirement). A close family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling) of a serving Charity Trustee shall not be eligible for appointment as a Charity Trustee.
Voting
There are three ways to vote:
A postal vote can be obtained from Graham Durrant and by 24th November 2024
Voting will take place in the Body Talk meeting at church on 28th November 2024
During the Body Talk Zoom meeting you will be able to vote online via the church website - details and password will be provided at the meeting