On Saturday, 26^th October 2024, Hatch End Baptist Church merged with Pinner Baptist Church. Together, they became one church across two sites. This auspicious occasion was celebrated by a united ‘merger service’, with Regional Minister, Revd. Winston Bygrave presiding. It was a truly joyous occasion which included the act of covenanting together. Representatives from each church told their story of how God had led them to a greater appreciation of what it means to be ‘one church’ under the Lordship of Christ. And in good Baptist fashion, the service was followed by a sit-down buffet!

It had taken eighteen months to get to this point; eighteen months of regular meetings for prayer and discussion, as well as engaging in conversations around the legal and practical elements of joining together. As expected, there were hurdles along the journey, but God in His faithfulness walked alongside them in helping them to form a deeper understanding of Ephesians 4:4-6, where we read these profound words:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But why should two London Baptist Churches, each with its own unique history, consider joining together like this? Firstly, after years of faithful service, the trustees of Hatch End Baptist Church were looking to step down. The congregation was eager to continue worshipping together but without trustees, this was not going to be possible. Secondly, around the same time, Pinner Baptist Church felt God might calling them to a ‘wider missional work’. Knowing this to be the case, London Baptists  encouraged the two churches to discern the mind of Christ for each of them together.

For Manoj Raithatha, the Minister of Pinner Baptist Church, the idea of becoming ‘one church across two sites’ was not a difficult decision. As he says, ‘Having come to faith in Jesus from a Hindu background, I was not prepared to see another Baptist Church with a rich history of engagement in its local community close down. To do so would be to lose a Christian presence in that part of London!’ In his thinking around joining with Hatch End Baptist Church, Manoj also references the significance of our Baptist Declaration of Principle which encourages us all ‘to take part in the evangelisation of the world’.

As Pinner Baptist Church now moves forward as one church across two sites, there is one membership that gather across its two locations for Sunday worship, and seeks to serve together in combined ministries. Your prayers at this pivotal time in their shared history are greatly appreciated!

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