Earl Soham Baptist Church - who are we?
Neville Jephcote
Neville Jephcote is not a typical member of our church—but then who is? We would not call ourselves “Baptists” as people, despite aligning with the Baptist denomination, and we have diverse backgrounds. Coming originally from a high-church environment in Watford, complete with bells and smells, Neville joined the choir and then became a server “because it was less boring than sitting in the pews”. When his parents retired to Sussex he joined the church youth club and became a Christian soon after at 14. “There was something about those people that he rather wanted,” he says.
After school he started as trainee manager at Eastbourne Building Society but then become a trainee land surveyor with Ordnance Survey in Southampton, holding poles up for a living. When aged 21, his job was due to move, but he decided to stay put and become a bus conductor in Brighton, since when he has stayed in the bus industry for nearly 30 years, now running a bus company (Far East Travel) which owns 20 vehicles. He met his wife Wendy through another youth club: two brothers in a Baptist Church in Portsmouth belonged to different clubs and arranged trips between the two—Wendy’s in Portsmouth and Neville’s in Framfield, Sussex. Apparently five marriages in total resulted from this arrangement! This was when he first experienced Baptist churches and they have been a bit schizophrenic about denominations ever since!
On moving to Suffolk, they found ESBC relaxed, friendly and welcoming. “The people are genuine, you are free to be who you want to be and the main focus is on God.” Currently they have no formal role there.
Their two daughters are now at university. Neville and Wendy have a strong interest in the work of the Amos Trust, with whom they went in May/June to Israel and Palestinian Territories, and in human rights issues generally. Despite running buses, Neville is also studying at Spurgeon’s College for a BD (Bachelor of Divinity) degree, having started with the Open Theological College and later being accepted for the Local Ministry Course.
Unlike his buses, which we hope will follow their prescribed courses and times rigidly and reliably, our spiritual journeys are not predictable. Where will Neville’s end up? All we can say is “Watch this space!”