Where we are
Dumfries Baptist Church (a member of the Baptist Union of Scotland), Gillbrae Road, Dumfries DG1 4EJ
Charity Number SCO 21258
Contacts
Phone 01387 268926
Email office@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk
Website www.dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk
Church Staff
Senior Pastor: Alistair Purss alistair.purss@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk
Associate Pastor: David White david.white@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk
Secretary: Lesley MacKay secretary@dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk
Treasurer: Mr I Penn pennnithsdale@supanet.com
Church Office: Open 9am – 1pm Monday – Friday Tel 01387 268926
Regular Worship
Sunday Morning Service: 10.30am.
Sunday Evening Service: 6.30pm.
Mission, Ministry and Social Action
We believe that we are firstly Created to Worship the one true and living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our worship includes the whole of our lived experience within and outwith the context of church.
We believe that God is calling us to be in inclusive Christian community made up of people who have found salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
We are Commissioned to Reach all those who do not yet know Christ, believing that salvation comes through hearing the Gospel good news proclaimed and by witnessing to the reality of God’s incarnational love, lived out in our lives on a daily basis.
Within the church we are committed to genuine biblical Christian fellowship and discipleship, leading to maturity; and to the resourcing and enabling of local, national and worldwide mission.
We are Compelled to Serve – which includes everyone who considers Dumfries Baptist Church to be their spiritual home. This service will be costly, involving time, money and effort as we seek to support and respect one another’s
needs, whilst reaching out with the same practical love to those living and working in the geographical areas in which God has placed us, corporately and individually.
Our congregation meet together regularly in small groups to study and pray. We also have strong links, A Rocha, Alive Radio, the Baptist Missionary Society, Bethany Christian Trust, Christian Care for the Homeless, Compassion, D and G Befriending Project, Frendz Pregnancy Crisis Counselling Service, the Gideons, Africa Inland Mission, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, OMF International, Scripture Union, Tear Fund and the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship.
Activities
The busy church programme includes work with children and young people on a Sunday morning during the morning service. A club for girls meets on a Wednesday evening called GirlZone and Impact, for both boys and girls meets on a Thursday evening. Toddlers Groups meet on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Friendship Hour for seniors is on the first and third Thursday afternoons and Encore, a seniors’ lunch club, meets on the last Wednesday of each month.
The Church also regularly offers the opportunity to follow courses in a variety of subjects including Christianity Explored, Discipleship Explored, Alpha, How to Drug-proof your Kids and Marriage Preparation.
History
The first known Baptist witness in the town was around 1800 with a building in Three Crowns Court. Dumfries Baptist Church was established on 11 August 1872 with Mr George Anderson of the former South United Free Church serving as evangelist. By 1876 Rev Lachlan McPherson was serving as full-time pastor.
The Baptist Church building in Newall Terrace was built in 1881, cost £2000 and is said to be modelled on Spurgeon’s Tabernacle in London. The ministry of the Rev Alex Bremner (1887-1897, 1923-1932) was rewarded by young men having to sit on the window sills, gallery not withstanding. The building our forefathers built was our spiritual home until Sunday 18th March 2018.
The Baptist Church building in Newall Terrace was built in 1881, cost £2000 and is said to be modelled on Spurgeon’s Tabernacle in London. The ministry of the Rev Alex Bremner (1887-1897, 1923-1932) was rewarded by young men having to sit on the window sills, gallery not withstanding. The building our forefathers built was our spiritual home until Sunday 18th March 2018.
In the 1960’s DBC was on the brink of closure. A handful of ladies with the support of the Baptist Union of Scotland decided to pray and see if God would revive the church. He did! Through the 70’s-2000’s God has built the church up and today we have over 300 adults and 50 plus children and young people who consider DBC as their church family.
In the early 90’s a group of people from DBC had a vision to plant a church in the Georgetown area of Dumfries. This is mainly an owner occupier estate built in the 70’s and 80’s, which has never had a church building or any significant community facility within it. Although the vision was right the timing was wrong!
About 2005 we decided that we either had to renovate and extend our existing building, find a new bigger building or build a newbuilding to accommodate our growing congregation. A few years later we moved our Sunday morning services to Dumfries High School.
Around the beginning of 2012 we found and purchased a 3.2 acre green field site in the Georgetown area, between the three main housing estates of Cresswell, Larchfield and Georgetown. Then began the process of designing our new church centre and seek to raise the funds necessary to build it. We officially opened and dedicated the Dumfries Baptist Church Centre to the glory of God on Saturday 12th May 2018. It was a day of fulfilment and at the same time the beginning of a new chapter!
The centre was built for four connected purposes: Church – Community – Commercial – Café. It is our intention to bring and share the love, life and hope we have found through faith in Jesus Christ into all these areas of the church’s life and service within the community of Dumfries.