Well it depends what you mean by “us”. If you are here because you want to find out about Sholing Baptist Church I very much doubt if you are interested in the actual building. It is quite old, with a few traditional features, but on the whole it’s a bit plain and boring. The Church, on the other hand, is anything but.
If you are thinking of coming along to one of our meetings then you might find some helpful info both on the “What to expect” and the “Not just Sundays” pages. You might also like to have a look at past services on the “Catch up” page.
If you want to know a little bit more about what we believe or how the church runs then please read on. If your questions aren’t answered then we would be happy to meet and chat over coffee; just get in touch through the “Contact us” page.
Our Vision Statement
‘Sholing Baptist Church strives to be a church that welcomes everyone with the love of God, providing an opportunity for all to be encouraged and built up. We are faithful to the Word of God and meet together to worship Him as well as grow in our own faith. We pray that our love for God would reach out into the community, to help and support those around us and encourage more people to meet Jesus.’
Who’s who?
Our Pastor, Chris Ricketts, and his wife Cheryl, have been at our church since they were teenagers back in the 70’s. Chris used to work for HSBC Bank when, in 1987, the church asked him to become the full-time pastor. At the time we said we had enough funds to pay him for 2 years! We are grateful to God that we have been able to pay him for longer than that!
They have 4 children, all married, and a total of 11 grand children. You can imagine that life is very busy. Their eldest son and his family live in Gloucester but the rest are local and come to our church.
Their youngest child, now Katie Evans, is employed part-time as the church’s Children and Families Worker. Much of the crazy and fun stuff our young people do is down to her. You can see some of the things they get up to by checking out the Church Facebook Page. Or ask the Mums from Toddlers, or the Kids from Sunshine, or the Teenagers at the Church.
We also now employ Katie’s twin brother Sam to help out part-time.
Leadership
We currently have 5 Leaders, responsible for the spiritual and material oversight of the church – Chris Ricketts, our Pastor; Gerald Payne, our Secretary; John Warry, our Treasurer; Alan Speake; and Andrew Robertson.
Our Life Group Leaders also help us to understand and apply Biblical teaching in our everyday lives.
We recently formed an Engage Planning Group to look at ways we can improve our church – feel free to pass on any suggestions.
Our Logo
Our logo is the exact shape of our church building, windows and all. But a building is not the most important part of a church. That’s why our logo is made of people – men, women, boys and girls – people like you and me. And more are coming and joining. That’s how a church grows.
A building is only as strong as its foundations. We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, so we try to understand and follow its teaching.
The Small-print
SHOLING BAPTIST CHURCH [INDEPENDENT] – STATEMENT OF FAITH AND PURPOSE
WE BELIEVE IN
The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgement;
WE BELIEVE IN
The Divine inspiration of the Bible and its consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
THEREFORE WE WILL
Through personal reading and collective study seek to understand the teaching of the Bible and its application to both our personal and church life.
WE BELIEVE IN
The universal sinfulness of fallen man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation;
WE BELIEVE IN
The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin, and from its eternal consequences;
WE BELIEVE IN
The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead;
THEREFORE WE WILL
Commit ourselves to the proclamation of his Gospel throughout the world both by personal witness and church evangelism, and encourage believers to profess their faith by being baptised by immersion and regularly taking Communion.
WE BELIEVE IN
The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit;
THEREFORE WE WILL
Seek to live our lives in such a way as to bring honour and glory to God and have a beneficial effect upon our world. We acknowledge the mutual accountability we have towards each other and will lovingly give and willingly receive correction, rebuke, discipline and encouragement.
WE BELIEVE IN
The priesthood of all believers, who form the universal church, the body of which Christ is the Head;
THEREFORE WE WILL
Support our church as much as our personal circumstances allow by:-
- prayer – both personal and corporate;
- attendance of church meetings – for prayer, Bible Study, worship, evangelism and the conduct of business;
- financial giving – proportionately, thoughtfully and willingly – for the work of God in our own locality and throughout the world;
- service – using the practical and spiritual gifts the Lord has given us for the building up of the church in love.
WE BELIEVE IN
The future, personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory, and in the resurrection of the dead.
THEREFORE WE WILL
Set our hearts and minds on spiritual things.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
All professing Christians who regard Sholing Baptist as their church, and are in agreement with the Statement of Faith and Purpose, should be encouraged to become members. All requests for membership will be considered by the Leaders and, if accepted, the applicant will be received into membership at a subsequent Communion Service.
The oversight of spiritual and material matters of the church shall be the joint responsibility of the Leaders, one or more of whom may be employed by the church in a paid capacity. There must be a minimum of three Leaders, though preferably more.
The Leaders are to be believers in full accord with the Statement of Faith and Purpose and shall be men called and qualified by God in accordance with the Scriptures. Nominations can be submitted in writing to the Secretary by any church member at any time. After due consideration the existing Leaders may decide to announce the proposal to the church inviting comments. After a period of one month the Leaders will either invite the nominee to join them as a Leader or, should an invitation not be extended, then a suitable explanation will be given. New Leaders will be formally welcomed into office at a subsequent Communion Service.
Those accepted into Leadership will continue in office until they resign or are removed, should that become necessary. The Leaders are under an obligation to ensure that the Biblical standards for leadership are maintained. Any allegations of unsuitability must be dealt with and appropriate action taken. A Leader can be removed from office by the majority vote of the other Leaders. Should a significant proportion of the membership become discontent with the Leadership over any issue to the extent that it cannot be resolved satisfactorily then the advice and guidance of a mutually respected third party may be sought.
Only church members shall be eligible for positions of leadership within any department of the church.
A formal register will be kept of all members. Any who cease to be in agreement with the Statement of Faith and Purpose will have their membership cancelled. Any members who, in the opinion of the Leaders, fail to be actively involved in the life of the church may be requested to resign membership. Personal circumstances will of course be taken into consideration.
An authorised meeting of the church for the transaction of any business shall consist of at least one-third of the membership. On occasions when voting is required the outcome will generally be determined by the majority of votes cast. Members under the age of 18 are not permitted to vote.
The Annual General Meeting for receiving the statement of accounts and for the election of officers shall be held as soon as convenient after the 31st December.
The Church Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected from among the Leaders at the Annual General Meeting.
The church shall meet for business at the Annual General Meeting and such other times as are deemed necessary. A meeting shall be called by the Leaders or at the request of one-third of the membership. One of the Leaders shall preside at all business meetings of the church. We will endeavour at all times to maintain a spirit of mutual love and respect and do all things in a decent and orderly manner.
Any amendment to this document shall be by a two-thirds majority vote at a meeting specifically convened for that purpose.
The Leaders have the right to attend all committees of the church and associated organisations. Any request for the use of the church buildings must be by written application to the Leaders. No gambling, smoking, or consumption of alcohol shall be permitted on the premises.