The Gathering is Launched!

An exciting new event was launched at New Road Baptist Church on Sunday aimed at Students and Young Adults. Taking place on Sunday evenings during termtime, the event aims to help young adults explore some of the biggest questions of our generation in a safe, open, inclusive faith setting. Each evening starts with a meal together, followed by a short talk from a different speaker each week, and then an opportunity to discuss the topic in small groups.

This term’s theme is Identity, and the opening evening featured Matt Drapper, author of the book ‘Bringing Me Back to Me’, speaking about ‘Finding God in Exclusion’. Matt shared his personal story of being excluded within his Christian upbringing and experience of church, and what we can learn from stories of exclusion in the Bible, such as that of Hagar. He briefly shared inspiring stories of how, a from position of exclusion, new insights can be gained from familiar Bible passages. In his words: “It took me a long time to hear it, but more and more I had the feeling Jesus recognised my pain, and it was through my existence as an outsider and my confidence in Jesus, I was able to re-study the Bible and understand it as an inclusive, not exclusive text.”

One of the founders of The Gathering, Josh, spoke after the event of his excitement of the launch: “This project is the result of 18 months of prayer and discernment, and a lot of hard work from the core team, church members and volunteers. It was such a privilege to have Matt join us for our first Gathering, and to hear his heartbreaking story of exclusion, but also of the joy of finding the inclusive love of God in even the bleakest of moments. To be able to host this space in which we share food and offer a safe place for people of all backgrounds, sexualities, gender identities, races, and dis/abilities to explore faith is such a blessing, and from the modest start we have made I pray that God continues to use this space to speak into peoples lives.”

A recording of Matt's talk will be uploaded to YouTube soon, but in the meantime, he has uploaded the text of his talk for all to read – just go to the Gathering Facebook page.
The programme of evenings for the rest of this term can be found here or on Facebook and Instagram.

The Gathering is a space for all. We are committed to the inclusion of all people, regardless of sexuality, gender identity, dis/ability, neurodiversity, race, cultural background, economic circumstances, or faith background. You can read our key principles here.

Gathering launch photo

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

This church welcomes you!

Who are we?

All ages, different backgrounds
A mix; visitors, new church members, some with lifetime experience
An informal church, accepting people as they are

Coming to a 10.30am Sunday service

For directions please see the directions page
Aim to turn up around 10.25 a.m. (but sometimes we’re late too!)
You’ll be met at the door by a friendly face
We are a friendly bunch, if you’re unsure of something, please ask!
Feel free to be who you are, not someone you aren’t!

What to expect

Our aim: whether you’re looking at Christianity for the first time or have been a Christian for many years,
we want you to be encouraged and inspired by a morning with us.
We hope we will all draw closer to God as a result.

Here’s a quick summary:

We start at 10.30am with a few notices of coming events, followed by silent reflection
The service lasts until about 11.30am
Our worship blends Bible reading and prayer with traditional hymns and modern songs
Everyone can participate in the worship
The average size of our congregation on a Sunday morning is around 30 people
At 11am young people go to their own group. The church implements a strong Safeguarding policy
We have a talk from the bible that is relevant and meaningful to our lives
We share in communion together as part of the service (first and third Sundays); all are welcome to participate
After our service tea and coffee are served; some services are followed by a lunch

What we believe

We are a Christian church and believe all can have relationship with God.
We believe this can happen because of Jesus, who invites us to follow him.

Is it just Sundays?

Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives that show it. We’re not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we want to make a positive difference in everything we do.

For those with disabilities

We aim to be an all-inclusive church and to meet the needs of all who use our building.
Our premises are accessible for those with disabilities. We have a loop for the hearing impaired.
For disabled parking or for other specific needs please contact the church office

Celebrating Marriage

If you would like to be wedded through a Christian marriage service, please contact our minister for a conversation. The church is registered both for the marriage of a man and a woman, and for same-sex marriage.