Vision & Values
Who we are:
We are chosen and redeemed to be devoted, holy disciples of Christ, a joyful family and servant missionaries to Worthing and beyond.
Chosen - We are called
We believe that God has graciously called us together to be his chosen people, taking us from out of the world, out of the nations and into His family. There are therefore no ethnic, national or background barriers to church life. Everyone, adults and children, are important to us and have a role in church life.
Redeemed - we confess
God redeems us from the world, removing those divisions, and He cleanses us of our sin by the blood of Jesus, making us into new people by grace, through faith. We therefore confess that we are all sinners, saved by grace and that we are not our own but belong to God. For this reason we seek to cultivate a culture of humility and honesty with each other, and ongoing change in our lives.
Devoted - we commit
Our response to this gracious salvation is whole hearted devotion to God and to the life he has called us into. In church, we express this in heartfelt praise, service and in committed relationship with one another. In the home and in the workplace, we aim to do all things for God’s praise and glory as his servants. We therefore desire to be a joyful, generous and thankful people, with an ‘others first’ attitude.
Disciples - we are consecrated
This doesn’t come naturally to us because of our old lives. Life in the church involves an ongoing process of being remade into holy disciples of Jesus according to his Word, and by His Spirit’s enabling. This work of consecration takes place through preaching and studying the word. Our desire to be remade into a holy people means we come prepared, prayerful and with a posture of learning. We want to hear from God and be transformed!
Joyful Family - we commune
God brings us together and changes us to be his family because He wants to commune with us. We see this as a church when we have the Lord’s Supper together. This divine hospitality begins to shape our lives as a church so we encourage members to be hospitable, spending time with one another around food. Hospitality is a vital part of our welcome and witness, as people taste and see that the Lord is good.
Missionaries - we are commissioned
Such sweet family life with God and with each other is something we can’t keep to ourselves! In fact we are commissioned by Jesus to share it. Therefore, in our day to day lives we are missionaries to those around us, and God gives us all gifts, vocations and opportunities where we can serve him and share our faith.
What to expect when you come
The six statements above about who we are give us a simple liturgy for our 10.30 service. We are called to worship; we confess our sins; we express our commitment to God and to each other in service, giving and in song; we are consecrated by the preaching of the word; we have communion each week* and are commissioned at the end of the service to go into the week as missionaries.
*The communion table is open to all who trust in Jesus Christ and who are living in obedience to Him. Our bread is gluten free, and the wine is alcohol free. Communion on the first Sunday of the month is celebrated in the evening meeting.
The 10.30 service includes a crèche (0-pre-school) and children’s groups (reception – year 6) led by experienced, DBS checked teachers and helpers. We are a family church and we all stay together at the start of our meeting. We love having children in church and include messages and songs for our younger children before they leave for their groups. A member of our Welcome Team will be on hand to answer any questions.
At 5.45pm, our evening meeting gathers in the rear hall (for a 6pm start) for coffee and cake and we sit around tables. The message is brief, punchy and includes discussion time and questions. Our High School age youth group (Fusion) meets upstairs during this time for their own service, with preaching, discussion, worship and games.
We have wheelchair access (between the church building and Chapel Gifts and Books), an accessible unisex toilet with baby-change facilities, an induction loop and large print materials (ask a member of the Welcome Team).