The church family at Cippenham Baptist Church are looking to develop a Family Hub, a place where children, young people and their familes can go when in need o help support and friendship. Their site already facilitates activities run for families to support their education, well-being, helth needs and social activities. They desire to link these together better to help signpost local familes to find the support, friendship and community the need.

Through the hub they envisaged they could become a truly inter-generational and family-friendly church with a positive reputation in the wider community, a place where both churched and unchurched children and families will find a welcome that offers safety, support and compassion, whilst nurturing faith and inspiring discipleship across all ages. To do this they need to source furniture, equipment, basic maintenance and some internatl decoration.

As a church CBC don't want to be running events for the sake of running events, but to listen to the needs of their community, support them, journey with families and bring the faith contribution of the church through their actions, using their buildings and sharing the love of God. Many of the community are unaware that their site is home to an active church - by developing a family hub they will be opening their doors to the coomunity to use their facilities and a place where people feel loved, supported and respected. 

Over the last 18 months CBC have developed startegies to be more visual in the community - "Bright Night" alternative to Halloween - lighting up their car park and providing treats; "Festivge Fun" - crafts, refreshments and Santa's Grotto; "Bumps & Babies" - seeing the need ofr parents of newborns to meet - this group has flourished and they are now investigating how they can continue to serve those families.  One mum wrote in their Christmas card, "Monday Club is the highlight of our week and without the group I wouldn't have met the women (and babies) I now call friends. All the Monday cups of coffee and chats have been and will continue to be, so appreciated."

CBC are working with St Andrew's Share Church , thinking how they can develop their sites to be the 'earts and lungs' of the community in Cippenham, showing that even though they are different churches, their desire to be a community is strong.   Like many towns, the services being offered to families have been cut. Following a consultation and closure of some children's centres, Slough Council recently announced that they are developing the Family Hub model. CBC are continuing discussions with them and local schools, on how they can be a ‘spoke’ of the family hub network in Slough.  They’ve also begun to develop links with Slough Outreach, a community initiative to help the homeless and vulnerable people who recently opened a charity shop locally. All these connections will help facilitate the running of the hub as they help families in their community but their reason for this is to grow their little Church so they can continue to serve God and share his love in Cippenham.