We believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is holy, perfect, and full of glory. He is the creator, the source and sustainer of all life – and he rules over it all as Lord, supremely and sovereignly. Although Christians may differ over exactly how God made the universe (e.g. creation vs. evolution), there is no doubt that God was behind it all and that the universe exists according to his design and will.

One part of Christian belief that can seem a little (OK, perhaps a lot) confusing is that we hold to a belief in one God, yet one who exists as three persons. The Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit are different ‘persons’ – yet they exist together in perfect unity as God. Analogies (such as white light being made up of three primary colours) can be helpful to an extent, but they tend to fall a bit short of capturing the full picture.

Much easier to grasp is the fact that ‘God is love’ – it’s his very nature. And we’ve only got to look at Jesus to see what God’s love looks like: he cares for those who are struggling, he provides for those in need, he heals the sick. God loves each and every one of us – and that’s at the heart of everything we believe as Christians.

Jesus is God, but he chose to become a man. He did so to show us a different way to live: a life in a close relationship with God, a life lived to the full.

He also came to set things right between us and God.

Each one of us has chosen to live life our own way rather than God’s way, with our own self-interest at the centre. This is what the Bible calls ‘sin’, and it drives a wedge between us and God. Although it might not always be obvious at the outset, sin usually leads to us hurting one another and/or ourselves – and this is a long way from what God wants for us.

Because ‘sin’ is so totally against everything that God wants for us, he cannot turn a blind eye to it. But he doesn’t actually want to punish us – He loves us too much for that – and so he sent his Son, Jesus, to take upon his own shoulders the consequence of our selfishness. By dying on the cross Jesus showed us how much damage our rebellion and selfishness does and he demonstrated the depth of God’s love for us. And because Jesus died for our sins on the cross, that ‘wedge’ between us and God has been removed. We start a new life, now in relationship with God, when we accept what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We are ‘saved’ from the consequence of a ‘guilty’ verdict, forgiven and freed to live our lives God’s way.

Jesus dying on the cross wasn’t the end of the story though. After three days he rose from the dead – confirming in the most amazing way that he was who he said he was: the Son of God who died for our sins. A short while later Jesus returned to be with his Father in heaven, but he has promised to come back and to establish forever a perfect, God-centred life for those who want it.

We know of the Holy Spirit as the third person in the trinity (that is, the three-in-one-ness of God – see ‘God is…’, above, if that sounds confusing!). He’s God – just like the Father and Jesus. And Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who choose to follow him. In this way, as Christians, we can know the constant presence of God in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is our helper. He helps us to live the life Jesus showed us – a life lived to the full, in relationship with God, and with his power at work in us and through us. We seek to listen to the Holy Spirit and to follow his guidance. By doing so, we keep ourselves at the centre of God’s will, and enjoy the best that God has for us.

There is something special about the Bible.

It’s made up of 66 different ‘books’ that have been collected together as one BIG book. There’s poetry, historical records, personal letters… all sorts, written by up to 40 different authors in three different original languages over a period of many hundreds of years. But although it has been written by human authors, Christians consider it to be from God. It was the Holy Spirit who guided and inspired its writing.

And because we believe the Bible to be what God wants to say to us (or ‘God’s Word’ as it’s sometimes called) we take its content very seriously. In all sorts of different ways the Bible tells us what God is like, who he is, what he’s done, and how he feels about us. It teaches us about the best way to live our lives – the way that is best for us and best for others.

The Bible is packed with amazing stuff. Stuff that changes lives, shapes beliefs and inspires action. If you’ve not read the Bible before, why not give it a go and tell us what you think? (A good place to start would be the ‘New Testament’, as this tells the story of what happened when Jesus came on the scene).

Christians talk a lot about being ‘saved’ or being ‘born again’. You might not think you need saving. You might think the idea of being ‘born again’ is… a bit weird. However, what Christians are talking about is being saved from the self-centred living that leads to messed-up lives (and all the consequences of being apart from God), and born again in a spiritual way to a new God-centred life, a life that is full of God’s best for us.

Yes, being saved or born again is partly about experiencing a life with God that extends beyond death. But it isn’t all about ‘when we get to Heaven’ – it’s about life now too.

Other religions tell you that ‘salvation’ has to be earned. As Christians we don’t believe that. We can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works. No matter how hard we try we cannot fix what is broken in us or reach the kind of perfection God wants for us.

Christians believe that salvation is a free gift given by God. It is a gift that is given when you recognise that Jesus has the answers. It is given when you dedicate your life to learning from him and following his ways. Nothing you can do will ever earn that kind of generosity.

Why then are Christian’s known for good works? We do good works because Jesus did and we follow him. We do good works because we are thankful for God’s amazing gift and for all that Jesus sacrificed in order to give it to us.

• GROWING in understanding, faith, and love for God.
• CARING for one another as family.
• LIVING-OUT lives of faithfulness and service.
• REACHING-OUT with the compassion and message of Jesus.

This is our church mission statement. For us, it sums up what we think God wants our church to be all about.

For more about the life and activity of our church please check out the rest of the site.