.png)
Please visit this page regularly to get the latest news about events at Bradfield and Rougham Baptist Church.
News sheets in PDF format 
(Click picture below to view.)
 05-Oct-2008 |
 12-Oct-2008 |
 19-Oct-2008 |
 26-Oct-2008 |
 02-Nov-2008 |
 09-Nov-2008 |
 16-Nov-2008 |
 « Archive » |
The well-known and popular Alpha course is returning to Bradfield & Rougham
Over 2 million people in the UK and 10 million worldwide have now attended an Alpha course, an opportunity to explore the meaning of life, running in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations across the world. Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions.
The new course starts on 25th September 2008 at 7.30pm in The Lounge, Bradfield & Rougham Baptist Church with a short talk about the relevance of Christianity in society. The course will run for 10-weeks.
For further details about the course at BRBC please contact Jonathan Armstrong on 01284 760348 or 07901 650222 - or send an email to: . To read more about the Alpha course in general please take a look at the Alpha.org website.
Rachel Andrews in Bangladesh with the ORBIS charity
Rachel tells us about her recent visit; "On the 18th of April I was privileged to be able to return to Bangladesh with the charity ORBIS to continue some further teaching on paediatric ophthalmic surgery. I had accompanied two colleagues from the West Suffolk Hospital ,Mr Anthony Vivian (Consultant Surgeon) and Mr Stuart McGill (Orthoptist) to Bangladesh in 2006 to start a programme of training for the doctors and nurses in Moulvibazar Eye Hospital, north east Bangaldesh. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries on earth and over one million people are blind. Our programme involved a week of working with them in the clinic and operating theatre and teaching them how to diagnose and then operate on children who needed squint surgery."
"The first visit had been very successful and in the interim 2 years they were progressing well. Within their limited resources they were operating on and treating children who had serious eye problems. The need for treatment when a child has a squint manifests itself in two ways, one, the sight in the squinting eye can often be saved if operated on in early years, and two, their development is delayed, they are usually denied an education, marriage and social status. Our second visit was to take them another step further in the complexity of this surgery and for me to train the nurses in best practice for the nursing of children on the ward and in the anaesthetic room."
"One of the main areas of concern was the lack of parent involvement which in itself creates anxiety for child and parent alike. We are very aware when doing a work like this that we are not trying to change a culture or work outside its limited resources but we can sometimes show them a better way and one which does not always involve finance! Perhaps the best illustration I can give of this is to see the smile of a mother and child together in the anaesthetic room awaiting surgery when previously the child would have been there alone and petrified and the mother left on the ward in tears. This is best practice as everyone involved benefits! We were able to perform 35 teaching operations which when working in temperatures of 40 degrees C, and an air conditioning which sometimes fails, is no mean feat! Well done Mr Vivian!"
"Since our return, I am keeping in close contact with the nurses via email and hope we will remain colleagues for years to come, we have become dear friends! The week went far too quickly and there is still a lot that could be done to further their aim of becoming a hospital of excellence in this field of surgery. Financially the program by ORBIS is now finished in this hospital although they would always be there in a support capacity. Personally I would love to be able to return in the not so distant future to give additional help to Priyota, the paediatric nurse, it would however have to be under my own auspice, and we have to see whether that is possible! I will certainly try!!
A big thank you again to all those people who donated money. We raised over £1000 and the money went towards instruments left for the surgeons, medical books and posters to cheer up the childrens ward."
James Martin at the US Christian Soccer Coaching Academy
You can keep up to date with James' latest US adventures on his blog which can be found here: http://jamesymartin87.blogspot.com. A recent entry reads: "Ben and I had our first game for the Cincinnati Vandals at the weekend. It was hard work and my legs are still bad. I'm very frustrated as I was no where near fit enough and now my legs are bad I can't work on my fitness until they recover. I hope they are better for the next game! We were able to watch Man Utd live today which was great, I feel starved of good ol' English football!". Remember James in your prayers - for his well-being and for his witness while coaching.
The African Prisons Project & the Freedom Cry CD
Prisoners in Africa are kept in the most appalling conditions; many are ill with AIDS and TB, diseases prevail due to malnutrition and a lack of hygiene. The African Prisons Project (APP) has been setup to promote education and health in African prisons through the construction of libraries and the renovation of medical facilities. APP aims to offer hope and compassion to people who have been marginalised and abandoned by much of society.
The condemned prisoners find expression by organising themselves into choirs - voices which are rarely heard outside the prison yards. In December 2007 a team from the UK visited Uganda to record the death row choirs at the Lusira prisons complex in Kampala. The resulting 'Freedom Cry' CD contains 13 tracks of inspirational African music; listen to one of the tracks: 
A Song of Freedom.
The limited edition 'Freedom Cry' CD is now on sale for just £10 with proceeds going to APP. If you would like to support the work of the Afican Prisons Project by purchasing the 'Freedom Cry' CD, then please send an email with your contact details and quantity required to: .