Conception

The Church began its life as a church plant from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Swanage in the year 2000, meeting initially as a Church  Home Group with other Christians in the local community.

This was an answer to the faithful prayers of a small group of people who had been praying for a Baptist Church in the Wareham area for some time.

Having discovered the availability of Stoborough Village Hall, and believing this was God’s provision for us, the leap of faith was taken in April 2001 to hold an evening service there each Sunday.

This small church family struggled with growing pains, successes and failures, laughter and tears, joys and sorrows (real family life), but a faithful God has held us in the palm of his hand.

In May 2003 it was decided that if we were to grow further as a church and play our part in serving the Stoborough and Wareham area we needed to move to a morning service. Ten people from the Swanage Church committed themselves to come for two years and join the Stoborough congregation and support it through these early days. Two couples accepted the responsibility under the Swanage leadership to endeavour to take the Church forward.

In 2006 a speaker who came to “practice”! He and his wife were wondering and praying about God’s future plans for them. Little did we know that God was drawing them towards us and the church towards them. Stephen Coles and his wife Lesley accepted the call to us, on a part time basis. Whilst he underwent training at Salisbury, he was inducted in a role as pastor on the 24th February 2007, becoming full time in 2010. In 2018, Stephen & Lesley moved to a new pastorate, and we now have a well-functioning leadership team to take us forward.

Birth of the Church

As the Church grew the time came for us to stand on our own feet and the process of transition began. We were accepted by the Baptist Union of Great Britain as an independent Church to be known as Stoborough Baptist Church and were launched at a wonderful service of ‘Birthday Blessings’ on 27th November 2011.

We began our first year in 2012 with generous support from the Baptist Home Mission Fund who had the imagination and vision to invest in us and we are so grateful.

Growing Up

Despite our mistakes, the years have progressed well, and God has stretched and grown us in faith and love in ways we never imagined. Our thinking is limited, but we worship a God who’s imagination knows no bounds. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. To Him be Glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever Amen.

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