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An ordinary church, trying to be a faithful one
No campus jargon, no celebrity culture. A congregation that meets weekly, knows each other's names, and takes the Bible seriously enough to be changed by it.
Our story
Grace Fellowship began the way most churches do: a handful of families who wanted somewhere honest to bring their questions. We have grown since, but the shape has not changed much. People still arrive carrying something heavy. People still find a chair, a cup of coffee and somebody willing to sit with them in it.
Today the congregation spans four generations and a good number of nationalities. On any Sunday you will hear several accents in the room and see flags along the wall for the countries our mission partners serve in. That is deliberate. The church we read about in the New Testament was never meant to look like one neighbourhood.
What we believe
Written plainly, because a statement of faith nobody can read is not much use to anybody.
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God
One God, eternally Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He made everything that exists, and he made it good.
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The Bible
God has spoken, and the scriptures are where he has done so. We read them as trustworthy, and we teach through whole books rather than cherry-picking comfortable verses.
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Jesus
Fully God and fully human. He lived the life we could not, died in our place, and rose bodily from the grave. Everything else in the Christian faith hangs on whether that last clause is true.
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Salvation
A gift, received by trusting Christ. Not earned by attendance, respectability or good behaviour, none of which are in short supply and none of which have ever saved anyone.
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The church
Not a building or an audience, but a people. We baptise those who profess faith, share communion together, and hold each other to what we say we believe.
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Our hope
Christ will return and make everything that is broken right. Until then we work, wait and try to be useful.
How we are led
A pastor, a team of elders and deacons, and a congregation that is told the truth about the money.
Pastoral leadership
Pastor John Barry carries teaching and pastoral care, supported by staff and volunteers who lead worship, children's ministry and outreach.
Elders and deacons
Elders share responsibility for the spiritual health of the church. Deacons handle the practical work of caring for people and running the building.
Accountability
Accounts are presented to the congregation annually, and the outreach funds are reported on separately so you can see exactly where giving went.
Come and see for yourself
Reading about a church only gets you so far. Turn up on a Sunday and make up your own mind.