This church fellowship began in 1877 and consisted of ordinary working men, mainly miners and their families, who provided the ministry and organisation from their own resources. They organised and helped the construction of this building which was opened in 1885.
No-one including those who conduct the services, receives any financial remuneration for any of the work they do in the church. Like those miners and the very first Christians, their income comes from an ordinary, every-day job.
Our church is self-governing. No-one is more important than anyone else. We are accountable to each other and to God.
We are part of a local group of Independent Methodist Churches known as the North East Circuit of Independent Methodist Churches. We often share in joint activities and worship with other churches in the circuit. We have a particularly close relationship with the Independent Methodist Church in Hebburn which can be found in Victoria Road, Hebburn and we hold a number of joint services during the year.
We are also part of a national group of churches known as the Connexion of Independent Methodist Churches
Through this national body we are represented at Churches Together in England, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Free Churches’ Group and Women’s World Day of Prayer. We are also a member of the Evangelical Alliance.
Today, Christianity, and the Bible – your chance to interact with us.
During August each year we look at whether the Bible has anything to say to us and our world in the 21st Century. Through video clips we look at what is going on in the world and think about whether the Bible is relevant and able to speak to those issues.
If you would like to view any of the videos and consider for yourself whether the Bible has any insight to offer we’d be pleased to share the content with you. Or you might want to start a discussion about any contemporary issues that concern you. In any case we’d be delighted to hear from you at IMCboldon@gmail.com or if you live nearby or on holiday in the area we’d be delighted to welcome you.
These are just some of the issues we’ve covered up to now:
- Amer’s Story – the experience of a Gazan orphan with a family member in the UK
- Christianity and other religions with John Lennox – an emeritus professor of mathematics at Oxford University
- Practical Hospice Care: a short film about providing end-of-life care for a Christian singer, Mike Stanley and the support provided for his family
- 40 years apart – a look at the experiences of families who were separated after the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia
- Cold-case Christianity – a cold-case police detective looks at the testimony of biblical witnesses with J Warner Wallace
- First day at secondary school for a Ukrainian refugee
- Having a famous Christian father – Billy Graham’s daughter talks about forgiveness
- Should women be church leaders? Tom Wright looks at the biblical evidence.
Useful material to help you get your head round the Christian Faith and the Bible
A lot of people see a great big black hard-backed book with what looks like a zillion pages and think “this is way out of my depth and anyway it was written years and years ago and has little relevance to me or the world of today – no thank you!” But if you get to know it even a little bit you’ll begin to realise you were mistaken on both counts – you will not be out of your depth and you couldn’t get a book that is more relevant to the situations you come across in today’s world.
There’s a brilliant video-backed course published by the Bible Society simply called The Bible Course – explore the BIG story (follow this link for the Bible Society UK -the Bible Course) It’s devised and presented by a guy called Andrew Ollerton and we can guarantee that you will find it makes the Bible mind-blowing rather than mind-numbing. It’s not very expensive and easily downloaded.
Quite a lot of people including a good many Christians have only the vaguest idea of what the essentials of Christianity are. Andrew Ollerton also presents a video-backed course called “The Romans Course” (follow this link here for the Bible Society UK – the Romans Course), and again, you’ll have your eyes opened as to what Christianity is all about and it’s not about escaping to heaven!
If you live nearby why not get a group of friends and/or family together and we’ll put the course on for you absolutely FREE! in a nice warm space, with refreshments as well. Just message us.
STATEMENT OF FAITH:
The Independent Methodist Churches are Trinitarian, believing that God the Father is revealed through Jesus Christ his Son, who alone is Saviour of the world. The Holy Spirit makes God’s saving work real in the lives of his people. On acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, a person is born again and becomes a child of God by adoption. The full doctrines of the denomination are defined in our statement of faith under ten headings:
The Trinity – We believe in One Living and True God, Creator of all, eternal in three persons as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; him alone we worship and adore.
God the Father – We believe that God the Father Almighty, in holy love, gave his Son for the salvation of mankind.
God the Son – We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son. For our sake he became man, was truly human and truly divine, and lived a sinless human life. We believe that he reveals the Father, that he died to atone for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and was exalted. He is our Advocate, Mediator and Lord. We believe that he will return personally in power and glory.
God the Holy Spirit – We believe that God the Holy Spirit convinces of sin, righteousness and judgement. He causes those who repent to be born anew and dwells within them, witnessing to their salvation and developing the fruit of a Godly life. He endows believers with gifts for the up-building of the Church. He glorifies Jesus.
Mankind – We believe that all people are sinful and are unable to deliver themselves from the guilt, penalty and power of their sin.
Salvation – We believe that salvation from the guilt, penalty and power of sin to eternal life is a free gift of God. Salvation is his purpose for all mankind and is only possible through personal faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that all must stand before the final judgement of Christ and that those who have refused his salvation will be separated eternally from God.
The Bible – We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and are the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The Church – We believe that the Church is the whole company of the redeemed in heaven and on earth and consists of all who are united to God through faith in Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, which is his body. The purpose of the Church is to worship God, to promote the fellowship of his people, to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations.
The Sacraments – We believe that the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper are to be practiced in obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that in the observance of the Lord’s Supper, Christ is certainly and really present, though not bodily in the elements. When used by believers with faith and prayer, the sacraments are, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace.
The Christian Life – We believe in the priesthood of all believers, affirming that each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The individual believer is required to render obedience to Christ in every area of life, seeking always, under his direction, the advancement of his Kingdom.
CHRISTIANS IN THE COMMUNITY
What do we mean when we say that we are “Christians in the Community”? To answer this you would need to understand the mission statement of our churches – “Every Independent Methodist Church is to be involved in ministry and mission within the local community, preferably in conjunction with other Christian groups in the area”. This means that we are where God has placed us, committed to Jesus Christ, and we love him, serve him – by loving and serving one another.
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you have questions about our services, need support, or just want to say hello, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
