About Our Church

• A member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain: O.B.C. promotes key Baptist values and beliefs
• A member of Churches Together in Oadby (C.T.O.): O.B.C. is active ecumenically - One of our members, Sheila Lamb, is the current chair of C.T.O.
• A family church, with a large proportion of children and teens involved, with Boys' Brigade, Children's Church, Crusaders, Girls' Brigade and other groups...
• Style of Church: In the 1989 MARC Church Census, O.B.C. was described with the following styles of churchmanship: broadly-based, evangelical, charismatic
• Active with other churches in evangelism and mission
• Noted for its varied Creative Arts, with Paradox Performing Arts, this includes it’s drama team Translucent Theatre Company which has led drama at the national Baptist Assembly, and Leading Edge, as well as touring local churches.  Translucent also has a dance group and puppet team, to help provide a wide range of performance styles.  Paradox also includes the music group Regeneration which has also led worship in many  churches and other public events. 

• Our new Ministry Centre, (Phase 1 of redevelopment), was finished in November 1999 and the new office has been operational since April 2000.  The Church employs Stephen Holman as a part-time administrator within the office, in addition to a voluntary staff. The new premises have been added to the front of the building to help us be more effective in the community. They include:  Quiet Room for Reflective Listening, Prayer Ministry, Disabled Facilities, Church Office, New Foyer, Kitchenette.

• We have now renovated our Kitchen and toilet facilities in the Oasis Centre, (Phase 2 of our redevelopment), providing far better facilities for both the church and the community who use our premises.

 

Oadby Baptist Church (O.B.C.) has a membership of about 110 people. Morning congregations are commonly about 90 adults and 20 children. The age profile is comparatively unusual in that we see roughly similar numbers of every adult decade age, with the largest number of people being currently those in their 40's. Evening services follow a varied format, and numbers attending vary between 20 and 35.

 

In June of 2002 the church adopted a document entitled "Towards a Common Vision", the result of many months of hard work, setting out it's vision for the years ahead.  To read the document, click here

The church has just called Rev. Ellen Price to be our new minister.  She will be starting with us in September.  Ellen is married to Steve, they have three teenage children - Ed, Rachel and Emma, and two border terriers called Alfie and Percy.  Ellen was a nurse, before becoming a full time mum, and began to train for the Baptist ministry in 2004.  She enjoys walking, reading, cooking, eating with friends, cinema and theatre.  Ellen says "I see church as like a training ground, preparing us to express our spirituality and live our faith where we live and work."

Deacons: Leaders in the church include a secretary, treasurer and eight other deacons.

Leadership Action Teams:  In addition, following growth in 1996-97, and an “Action in Mission” report at that time, the church has recognised the need to expand leadership resources at Oadby, and has set up ten leadership action teams, involving about 50 members, and which initiate developments in the areas of mission & social action, evangelism, discipleship, worship, performing arts, youth & children, pastoral care, finance, administration and premises.  The teams are empowered to act, rather than just talk about things!

The many organisations listed on this site also are ably led, including children's and youth organisations, an expanding number of house groups, care teams, through which the members of the church and congregation are pastorally supported, music and drama teams, and a wide variety of groups, events and courses run in the life of the church.

 

Since at least 1795, Baptists have been active in Oadby, so apart from the Parish Church have the longest Christian history. The current building (pictured right) was built in 1897-98.

 

 

 

 

The history of Baptist witness in Oadby goes back to before May 1795. It was at that time that Mrs. Elizabeth Waldren of Manor Farm, which was situated near what is now the Old Library public house (formerly the Old Manor Inn), had her house licensed for Worship. Five years later she had a barn converted for the use of worshippers and in 1815 she had a Chapel erected in what is now Chapel Street on the site which is now Jeannes Fashion shop and the launderette.

However, it was not until May 8th 1825 that the Rev. Robert Hall of Harvey Lane Baptist Church, Leicester, dismissed 13 members from that Church, including Elizabeth Waldren, to form the Particular Baptist Chapel, Chapel Street, Oadby.

The building which stands at the bottom of Chapel Street and is called "Chapel House" was built in the mid 1800's when the Sunday School grew so large that a new building was erected for this purpose and it later became the Oadby Board School, thus enabling children of non-conformists to receive an education near home. They had previously had to walk to the village of Evington. By the 1890's the Fellowship was looking for bigger premises and the land, on which our present building stands, was given to the Church by Mrs. Ellis, a local benefactress, who also gave land to the village for a swimming pool, which was formerly located next to our church, and for the Ellis Recreation Ground.

It was on Thursday March 17th 1898 that the new church building was opened.

On Sunday 28th November 1999, an extension to the front of the Church was opened. 

At Easter in 2004, renovations to the kitchen, toilets and halls were completed.

(See 'The Baptist Cause in Oadby - The First 200 Years', available from the church)