'Home Mission' is the resource that keeps the national Baptist family functioning. It is the responsibility of all Baptist Churches to contribute to this. Click here to find out more about what happens to the money given to Home Mission. For a wider perspective, including the answer to the question "What has Home Mission ever done for us?" visit the Home Mission section on the BUGB website.

This year (2008) our target remains at £225,000 the same as for last year. As of the end of August the total sum given to Home Mission by Churches in the East Midlands equaled £141,270.

As a guide the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) suggest that each church should be aiming to give 5% of its general fund gross income to Home Mission each year.

The work of the Associations - Twenty-five per cent of the money given by EMBA churches is returned to the Association to help support its work amongst the churches. In addition, we receive a further fixed sum to cover the cost of one of our Regional Ministers. Home Mission money is the main source of income and enables the Associations to employ staff to work with the churches. For details of EMBA Staff click here

>> The work of the National Resource based in Didcot - providing advice, support and resources on a wide variety of subjects. These include: advice and encouragement for work amongst young people and help with involvement in social action issues; the publication of books, manuals and helpful leaflets; support for training and in-service training of ministers; help in dealing with media related issues; and advice on a wide range of legal and financial matters. All of this is available to all churches in membership of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. For more details of what is available visit the BUGB Website.

Every church that belongs to the Baptist Union or one of the Associations is supported by Home Mission - we all benefit so we should all contribute to the family purse.

Each year around 400 grants are made nationwide. Of these over 300 are for churches, some of which will be calling their first minister to a newly-planted fellowship. In addition, support is given to chaplains working in the areas of education and industry, as well as evangelists and missioners. Within the East Midlands we have a number of churches who are benefiting from a Home Mission grant.

For 2008 these are Alvaston (Derby) - Bilborough (Nottingham) – Billesdon (Leics) – Boulton Lane (Derby) - Boston (Lincs) - Bottesford (Notts) – Calverton (Notts) – Cotmanhay (Derbys) - Desford (Leics) - East Leake (Leics) – Epworth (Lincs) - Fleckney (Leics)- Greenhill Community Church (Coalville, Leics) – Hill Street (Swadlincote, Derbys) - Hugglescote (Leics) - Junction (Derby) – Newthorpe (Notts) - North Evington (Leicester) - Pinchbeck and Gosberton (Lincs) – Smalley (Derbys) - Stanground (Peterborough) - Swanwick (Derbys)

Note that some of these churches are not actually receiving the money at the moment as there is no Minister in post.

BUGB also give Mission Project Grants (formerly these were known as 'Against the Stream' and 'Green Shoots’ grants) in order to encourage and enable Baptist Churches to respond to the mission needs of their community as part of their ongoing work and ministry. These are one-off grants for new projects or new initiatives within existing projects. These projects must have a mission focus, in that their main aim should be to benefit people from the community which the church is seeking to serve. Any mission-focused project will be considered but priority will be given to

- innovative and creative evangelistic initiatives

- initiatives which are intended to help alleviate poverty or the effects of poverty

If you would like to know more about BUGB Mission Project Grants then please contact the EMBA Office.