We believe in a God who provides for us through His love. We believe that He came to our world in human form and died for our good. We believe that He remains with us in the form of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage us to live according to His will and commands, that through faith, forgiveness and His grace leading to good works we may receive eternal life.

This is good news! At a time of increasing uncertainty, it is our mission to bring this to people not only here in Challock but wherever we interact with others throughout the world.

Introduction

The world is going through great changes at this time which affect us all. We cannot ignore the circumstances in the world - indeed we are called to consider them in our prayers, and to hold on to what God has to offer us in these times.

We believe that life has a meaning and purpose as portrayed in the Scriptures and that there is a means of living set out there which we should try to follow.

We believe that Jesus Christ, born some 2000 years ago, died for our good and that as a result we are able to live a future life in His presence through Faith. We do not profess to understand it all, but we believe it and we see God at work in His world now through the actions of the Holy Spirit influencing lives everywhere.

Thoughts of a seeker

I'm thinking of trying the Church. My life is in a mess and I don't know whether I am coming or going; but I am scared stiff what will happen when I first set foot inside the door.

What should I wear? In Mum's day they wore hats and Dad wore a suit and tie.

Do they sing hymns or is it all guitars and do they sway to the music? Will I be ignored or will the welcome be so effusive that I will feel instantly trapped into something when I only want to test the water? How will I know when to sit, stand, kneel - do they still kneel?

Will I be expected to say something? anything? - on my own even? And since I haven't been consumated, or whatever, what happens when they all go up to the front?

I'm not sure I can cope with this - I think I'll leave it another day...

And another month, or a year or more goes by...

Reassurance

You will get a welcome! But don't worry - you won't be press-ganged into anything! You will be handed a service book, a sheet giving information about today's specific readings and notices and some other information, and you will be given a book of hymns or songs that we will sing during the service.

Come smart but relaxed, hats, ties and suits are optional; everyone wears what they feel comfortable in.

Yes we sing, and quite well too, but no particular actions go with it. If we introduce movement or dance in any form it will be for those who want to do it and only for particular events under careful direction.

You will know when to sit or stand from the service book and it will probably be announced anyway.

If it is a Communion Service you may come up to the altar rail even if you have NOT been confirmed where you will be blessed. (Nice that one - I wish it had happened when I was young. Ed.)

After any morning service you will be invited to stay for a little while for a cup of coffee or other light refreshment which will give you a chance to meet people informally. We will want to get to know you better but whether you stay is entirely up to you.

How the Church is run

The Church is run by the Vicar and Parochial Church Council. It is overseen by the Church of England through the Diocese of Canterbury which is subdivided into Deaneries. We are in the West Bridge Deanery.

The PCC cannont do what it likes. Permanent alterations to the fabric of the church building for example need to be processed through the diocese and a Faculty obtained. Grants may be available for major projects or repairs.

In order to do its job properly a busy PCC will delegate many of its functions to committees. This is good - it involves those who do not wish to have the more general responsibilities of running the church, but who have a particular talent to offer. Such people are the backbone of the church and often do their valuable work almost unnoticed.

Who pays?

Despite opinions to the contrary, the Church of England is not that wealthy. It has assets, but to dispose of these to fund day to day expenses would be irresponsible. Anglican church congregations have had to learn that they must fund most of the costs of running the building, paying for the clergy and supporting the many activities of the Church. It has been a painful lesson. It used to be common for the "collection" to be the main method of personal giving.

But there is no need to despair! If the Church concentrates on its core activity of bringing people to Christ, and reaches its congregation in a sustainable way, then the money needs tend to fall into place.

But let's keep it real - we cost over £500 per week to run.

This means that the PCC will spend approaching £1M over the next 25 years! We are a big business and must run this side of the church carefully.

Find out more - Alpha

The way to find out in some detail and in a friendly atmosphere what our beliefs are all about.

To find a course near you or for more information about Alpha - see the Alpha website.

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Try singing! According to Radio4 not so long ago, our soft pallet suffers muscle slackness like any other muscle as we grow older. Singing, especially over different ranges and vocal sounds, strengthens the pallet muscles and reduces the likelihood of snoring.

So come along regularly to church and have a good sing!...

How can God allow such things to happen?

Don't we all hear this cry from time to time about events in the world. The catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 stand out as an example. But there are many things that happen to people in their personal lives and we ask sometimes in our anguish:

Why does God allow suffering?

We don't have a ready answer but it is worth examining what would really happen if God did intervene at such times. Perhaps we would gradually realise that we could take risks with our lives and the lives of others, knowing that there is a safety net which will prevent the worst from happening. Ultimately we could become totally irresponsible and do what we felt like. In fact our lives would be far from free; we would become robots.

Sobering thought?

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Flower arrangers

During Advent and Lent, the seasons of preparation, the church is rather bare, the altar frontal is purple, and there are few flowers in church. But Christmas and Easter change all that!

But why do we forgo flowers during Lent? Surely this is the season of new life and the church would do well to recognise this. Remember Christ spent much time in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Order or Re-order?

We sometimes like to have an informal service in church; perhaps where we could gather round in a circle for teaching, occasional singing, readings, music or whatever comes to mind at the time.

The Anglican churches in particular in the UK have struggled with trying to make their buildings more user-friendly, warmer in winter and effective for modern worship. But these buildings are often of great historic interest and significance in the community and are regarded as "sacrosanct" especially so far as their fabric is concerned.

Did you hear of the vicar who met opposition to his proposed relocation of the piano? He moved it just one inch every day until it eventually arrived where he wanted it! We should not forget that much of the internal fabric of our churches was substantially altered relatively recently by the Victorians to suit their styles of worship, so we should bear in mind that our present needs may not be met in today's historic buildings. If anyone is worried by this they should consider the amount of alteration carried out in the cathedrals: York, Canterbury and Exeter have all seen major internal alterations in recent years to the great benefit of congregations and visitors.

So we should not be surprised if, as a result of review or some other need, one or more of us identifies a weakness affecting us within the church building pointing towards some possible alteration. Let us not look on this as a threat, rather an opportunity for careful and prayerful consideration.

Mission and Outreach

The Church in the UK and elsewhere cannot wait for new members to just arrive. We are commanded to

"preach the Gospel to the world".

So we will be getting into the whole business of reaching out very shortly.

This website is some form of a start, but the work will be largely personal - one-to-one. This will be an exacting task and will make us all think carefully what we believe in and what we can offer openly to people who are struggling. We hope that they will then feel able to come back to the church as a physical and symbolic centre of the ministry. We hope many seekers will find this site helpful in clarifying their thoughts on what we believe in. We know it is not easy but it may be an introduction to a way of life that is wonderfully fulfilling.

History
Murals from the 1950s
Millennium Mural