Life as a Free Church apprentice
Stephen Baraniak tells us a bit about his apprenticeship at a Free Church
I’m now just starting my second year as an apprentice at Beeston Evangelical Free Church in Nottingham. The church is situated on the edge of Beeston town centre with Nottingham University in one direction and a large housing estate in the other. The church is made up of some students or recent graduates, international students, but also with a large number of families and a growing number in the ‘retirement plus’ age bracket. We meet twice on Sunday mornings and once in the evening and through the week have a number of groups and prayer meetings.
I chose to work in a free church, mainly because it was the church that I grew up in and k new well. A church that I knew I would have lots of opportunities to dip my toe into paid gospel work and test the gifts God has given me, knowing that those around me will give me honest and robust feedback.
The apprenticeship splits into three over a week: practical tasks, formal training and Bible teaching. Practically I have been helping out in the office making sure everything is ready for the Sunday meetings, helping with Crèches (a great joy), ensuring that Sundays run practically, which means keeping an eye on rotas, as well as developing an upgrade for our current sound system. With regards to formal training we attend the Midlands Ministry Training Course in Birmingham once a week. Each week we study different topics, for example: Biblical theology, understanding and handling the Bible, principles of preaching, Bible books, youth work and much more! We also meet fortnightly as a church team to focus on Ministry Skills, on understanding and handling the B ible and understanding B iblical theology and how it should shape our lives. We also meet fortnightly with a mentor to study the B ible one to one and to get feedback on talks. The final third of my time is Bible teaching . This year I have spoken at CUs, taught at youth weekends away, occasionally preached at church, and met one to one with people . I also help out each week with the Tuesday fellowship group (for those who are retired), helping set up, giving lifts, building relationships and getting to speak once a term. I also spent one day a week helping a C.U. in Stoke-on-Trent, which involved meeting with guys one to one, and supporting the exec when I could.
The greatest encouragements and challenges have come from working with the Tuesday fellowship group. An encouragement because a good percentage have been serving Jesus for longer than I have been alive. Many of the members have been through and are going through some very difficult times, yet are full of faith, love and hope; eager to see the gospel grow and spread not only locally, but also to the ends of the earth. At the same time, it has been challenging because the group has those who are still rejecting our great king and despite hearing each week about all that the Lord Jesus has done to rescue us from the wrath to come, they are yet to trust him. I find it difficult as someone much younger than they are to know how best to communicate the gospel; it has forced me to do the work by faith and not by sight, trusting that as we teach the Bible faithfully and pray, as we love people in serving them, so the work of Jesus continues and the gospel spreads. It has been a great year, and I can’t wait to get going in my second year.