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What we Believe

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NEW: The Vicar and PCC of St John the Evangelist Whittle-le-Woods & Clayton Brook Community Church have taken the important step of supporting the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) and to that end we fully endorse and uphold the basis of faith published by the CEEC here.

We believe in living out our Christian faith as effectively as possible, having an impact on those who have not yet heard or experienced the great news about Jesus Christ.

Some time ago (2015) we put together a couple of pages detailing our 'Core Convictions'. Although all the below is still valid, you can see this document here for a detailed view of who we are.

We believe we should share the good news about Jesus, equip people in their faith journey and see them live out their faith in the world.

At the church, we believe in…
  • The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
  • The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
  • The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
  • The dignity of all people, made male and female in God's image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
  • The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
  • The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
  • The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
  • The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
  • The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
  • The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers—given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
  • The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.

 

This text was taken from the Evangelical Alliance basis of faith page

Glenys
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet in each of our Church Buildings (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 9:30am at St John's and 11am at Clayton Brook. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is full wheelchair access to all areas downstairs at Clayton Brook, and a fully accessible toilet; at St John's we have wheelchair access into the building, but our seating (pews) means the space available for wheelchairs during the service is a little limited - please ask our welcome team for assistance if you require it. There is also a a sound loop at St John's for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. Unfortunately, the toilet at St John's is down some steps.

Our Service

The main service begins with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

  • Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
  • Bubbles (3-7 years)
  • Junior Church(7-11 years)
  • Pathfinders (11-15 years)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. Someone will announce when it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. 

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Children are brought back into church towards the end of the service.

Children

Getting Connected


Growth Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Growth Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Men's Ministries
  • Women's Ministries
  • Children and Youth Ministries
Get in touch with us to plan your visit
If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
 
Name:
Telephone:
Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 

Leadership 

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Leader 1   Leader 2
Leader Intro   Leader Intro
 
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)