History

Building

Worcester Baptist Church is one of the oldest Baptist Churches in the area. It was founded in 1658 during the rule of Oliver Cromwell when 18 men and 21 women came together and appointed a pastor to lead them. When state control over religion was re-established after Charles II came to the throne, the Baptists suffered persecution, but weathered the storms and knew more peaceful times in the 18th Century when they built a meeting house in Silver Street (now the Elim Church in Lowesmoor).

Growing numbers, and the generosity of a benefactor, enabled the congregation to move to a new site on Sansome Walk in 1864, next to an Arboretum and Pleasure Gardens. The arboretum was soon sold for housing, and the new church became the centre of a thriving community. Throughout the late 19th century the members had a strong desire to share their faith with other parts of the city and beyond. Chapels were established at Kempsey, Rainbow Hill, Red Hill and Fernhill Heath.

A new phase of the church’s life began in 2010, when we entered a partnership with St. Peter’s Baptist Church (formerly Red Hill Baptist). A team of people came from St. Peter’s to help us in the task of sharing God’s love with the Arboretum and the City Centre.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets on the right in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our musicians. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 10-15 minutes. We will have a Bible Reading, prayers and a space we can all reflect together before our young people leave for their groups. On the first Sunday we share communion together and everyone is invited to this and is explained fully each time.

One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

Ignite is the overall name of our children and youth groups that run on a Sunday morning.
The children and young people join the main service for the first section of worship and the All Age slot, before heading over to the church hall (located behind the main church) for their groups. On the first Sunday of every month, communion takes place at the start of the church service, so our children and young people can join in communion with their family if they wish to.

Each member of the children and youth team has been DBS checked and receives regular safeguarding training. For further information, contact Heather(our Children’s and Youth Worker) at worcbaptistyouth@gmail.com

Ignite consists of three groups:

Sparks (Babies and Preschoolers)

Flames (Reception - Year 5)

Blaze (Year 6+)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We are in the process of putting these together and aim to start one in the north of the city, one at church and one on Zoom during Advent 2026.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

The Family Space
Little Angels
Kaleidoscope
CAMEO

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Minister - Rev Mike Lowe

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Blessings

Mike and everyone at Worcester Baptist