Tech-savvy Orpington Baptist Church in London is churches celebrating receiving a £500 donation from Baptist Insurance.
In April the specialist insurer invited Baptist places of worship to submit their Tales of Technology – stories showcasing how they have been using technology to benefit their mission, their congregation and their community.
Entries were submitted from across the country, with churches sharing how they had moved services and meetings online, installed automated heating systems to reduce costs and even embraced the world of TikTok.
Judges had the unenviable task of selecting regional winners from the wonderful and inspirational stories with 13 regional winners selected from across the UK and each receiving a £500 donation.
When the UK-wide lockdown was announced Orpington Baptist Church started filming services on a mobile phone, but in October 2020 they purchased a video camera to start live streaming to the church’s congregation.
The church updated its website, Facebook and YouTube page to share the videos to a wider audience and the church’s videos have attracted viewers from the other side of the world in Australia. They have also started using Zoom to host meetings and coffee mornings.
Rev Martyn Travers, senior minister at Orpington Baptist Church, said: “We’re absolutely delighted and excited to have been announced as one of the regional winners.
“As soon as the first lockdown was announced we invest thousands of pounds in cameras and other broadcasting equipment. Before the pandemic we would have around 300 worshippers on a Sunday. Since then we’ve seen some of our older friends reluctant to return in person, so the ability for them to follow online has been wonderful.
“We have also attracted a large number of new people who have seen our services on the internet and have now started attending in person, plus people from as far afield as India and Nigeria have been able to join baptisms, weddings and funerals, involving their family members when travel wasn’t permitted.”
David Lane, chief executive at Baptist Insurance, said: “I’d like to congratulate all of our winners of the Tales of Technology competition, each of whom will receive vital funds to support their work.
“We heard some amazing stories about how churches progressed their mission and benefitted the local community using technology.
“Orpington Baptist Church’s entry absolutely summed up the impact that technology has had in providing for its local community and I am delighted to announce them as worthy winners of the regional prize.”
For a full list of the winners and to learn more about their work, visit www.baptist-insurance.co.uk/churchcomp
