The stories of twelve baptisms
Testimony, discipleship and church growth at Windmill Community Church, Wolverhampton.
Recently, something remarkable took place at Windmill Community Church in Wolverhampton. Across two baptism services, one in September and one in October, twelve people aged between eight and 82 publicly declared their faith in Jesus Christ. It was a season marked not only by celebration, but by spiritual renewal, thoughtful conversations about faith, and a growing sense that God is at work among the local community.
Those baptised came from a wide range of backgrounds. Some had grown up around church, others were new to faith, while a few had walked with God for many years but sensed a call to a deeper, more personal commitment. Family members, friends, neighbours and visitors from the community filled both church buildings, with some even standing due to lack of space. In a moment that reflected the church’s practical and welcoming approach, a donated hot tub was pressed into service as a baptism pool.
To understand what has shaped this season, we spoke with Andrew Hodson, Senior Leader and Counties church planter at Windmill, who has been involved in church planting since 2003. He explained that Windmill serves two distinct communities in Wolverhampton: Finchfield and Compton.
One building, a more traditional church that seats around 60 on a Sunday, welcomes over 100 people during the week through activities such as coffee mornings, mums and tots, and craft groups. The second, a modern building with space for around 120, sees roughly 400 people pass through each week via its coffee lounge, gardening club, wellbeing walks, toddlers’ groups and community meetings. While different in style and size, both congregations share leadership, trustees, youth work, prayer life and a set of core values: Welcome, Wellbeing and Worship.
Central to Windmill’s life together is a simple but intentional ethos: people are encouraged first to belong, then to believe, and over time to see their behaviour shaped by faith. Alpha courses, wellbeing events, cafés and everyday conversations create safe spaces for people to explore Christianity at their own pace. For many of those baptised, the decision felt deeply personal. Several had not realised others would be baptised on the same day, which only underlined the significance of the moment for them.
Despite the wide range of ages and life stories, Andrew noticed a common theme running through each testimony. In every case, faith had become personal. Whether someone was taking early steps or responding to a fresh challenge after years of church involvement, baptism marked a clear declaration of trust in Jesus.
Romans 12:1 has shaped Windmill’s theological outlook, calling believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. That conviction was evident not only in the baptisms themselves, but in their wider impact. Friends, family and neighbours who would not usually attend church came to watch, and many stayed to talk and ask questions. During one of the baptism services, a person gave their life to Jesus, and since then the church has seen a growing number of people enquiring about faith.
In response, Windmill has focused on careful and intentional follow-up. Those baptised are being supported through Beta courses (following on from Alpha), life groups and small discipleship huddles of two or three people. The church doesn’t see evangelism and discipleship as separate activities, but as closely linked aspects of church life.
Lois and David
Two personal stories illustrate the breadth of what God is doing. Lois first came to church at age 11 after a Christian neighbour had been praying for her for some time. For a while she was the only young person her age, but she continued to attend, grew in faith and chose baptism as her own declaration of trust in Jesus. She is now helping to lead the Christian Union at her school.
At the other end of the age range is David, who has served faithfully in church for over 40 years and played a key role in the Compton church plant.
Through the church planting journey and the M4 course, he was challenged afresh about obedience and personal faith. “Part of me didn’t want to draw attention to myself,” he admits, “but I knew I needed to make a personal commitment to Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.” After his baptism, he described feeling: “free, more able to become the person God made me to be.”
Looking ahead, Windmill’s focus is not on preserving a moment, but on stewarding what God has begun. The church continues to invest in children, youth and community work, and is actively seeking a second worker with a passion for young people. Andrew sees this wonderful season as less about numbers and more about obedience, openness and expectancy – the church community offering themselves afresh to God and trusting him to bring transformation in deeply personal and lasting ways.