West View Baptist Church, Hartlepool

A family friendly church in the town of Hartlepool

News

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Church to re-open for worship on 13th September

We are making plans to re-open

As the government has begun to relax some of the lockdown measures and provided new guidance, we wanted to let you know what our current plans are for re-opening the church for gathered worship.

In the first instance, we are proposing to reintroduce  some form of a Sunday morning worship service from 13th September. 

This will most likely be very different to what we might regard as our ‘normal’ service, as there will be many constraints on how and what we are able to do. 

The leaders are reviewing the current guidance from the Baptist Union and the government to ensure we can plan a safe return to church gatherings at church. Our intentions are always wanting to minimise risks and ensure the well being of our congregation.

We don’t know how things will change in the coming months so any plans we may make now will always be subject to change based on the latest guidance and current situation.

We will let people know nearer the time the exact details of our plans for reopening, the measures that will have been put in place and your role in helping make this possible.

Accessing Online Services

The live online Sunday services have now come to a close, as churches start to re-open and prepare to do so. We want to thank everybody who have joined us over the last few months and a special thank you to all those who have been able to contribute with bible readings and songs.

From September we hope to record services when they begin and post online. So stay tuned…

THURSDAYS ON ZOOM WILL CONTINUE

This week’s (30th July) Zoom meet-up will NOT take place, and we encourage you to access the Keswick Convention that is online all this week. (See https://keswickministries.org/)

However, the Thursday meet-up on zoom will be back on Thursday 6th August at 7:30pm and will continue for the foreseeable future.

See http://wvbc.org.uk/together for details.

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Join us for Sunday Service Online at 4pm

We are live streaming a simple informal worship service on Sundays at 4pm. This is available live through Facebook on our Hartlepool Baptists Together Facebook Page. And can also be watched afterwards (see videos on the Facebook page).

Join us at 4pm.

For more information about our online meetings an services during the current crisis visit : wvbc.org.uk/together.

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Meetings and activities suspended until further notice

UPDATE: We have set up a page for info about our online gatherings here.

Following the advice from Public Health England and The Baptist Union, we have taken the very difficult decision to suspend meetings at West View Baptist Church until further notice.

This applies to Sunday services and Filling Station, as well as all church midweek activities and small groups.

We will need to find new ways of continuing to function as a church and of supporting one another during this time. We may be able to explore ways of achieving some of this online in order to comply with the need for social distancing, but we recognise this may not be possible for some. Please continue to care and look out for each other at this time.

More information and details of how we might connect online will follow.

We encourage any members of the church family who feel ill, have to self-isolate, need help or are feeling at all worried or anxious, to call one of the leaders or use the contact page, so that we can find ways of offering appropriate support during this time. 

with our love and prayers at this difficult time,

Tim

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Don’t be scared to reach out and help a Zombie

3 November 2019

We were joined by Mattie Steel who preached on 2 Thessalonians chapter 1

He shared his experience of being at Stockton sixth form college he took chemistry but he struggled about pulling together ingredients to make the final product. Other things in life are not as difficult. Fish and chips, visiting the lakes and good weather, Middlesbrough and a win makes a happy Matty.

The opening of the letter shows Paul in a good mood . Persecution is on the increase but this church in Thessaloniki is increasing.

Matty can see a similar spirit here at West View Baptist Church. But Paul’s letter shifts to those who don’t accept god. It gives Paul no joy to say this. Jesus will return and there will be a judgement. Paul shows that he knows God’s heart is that none should perish.

Our Godmay make you worthy of his calling. Paul expands on this in chapter 8 of Romans. God has chosen called or invited people to come into a relationship with him. He also provides the way for us to be made right with God.

What Paul is not saying is that there is some sort of level that people need to achieve.

In Christ you get a new identity. You are different and this is described right through the New Testament. Different audiences are called to this change, from say a little Corsa to a powerful Ferrari for Christ. Whenever there is a command you will receive the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to live up to the call as a child of god set free from the bondage of sin. You are free. Paul wrestled with this in Romans 10. We live a new life as the old self was crucified with him. Alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Paul prayed that God may make you worthy of his calling. Theologian Don Carson says we are to grow up into Christian maturity.

If there is any struggle you feel in bondage to, Jesus will set you free. Matt offered to pray for any one who needs this freeing from struggle.

Paul prays for fruit from this group of believers in Christ. He recognised the deeds coming from faith, but there is a need for prayer as well. We will only see new kingdom fruit with prayer behind it. Falling to the extremes of either of these camps makes it easy for the external world to dismiss us. Holy huddles, or Christians doing nice things is what we will be dismissed as.

Always offer to pray when out on the streets. Matty gave example of an addict they prayed for who felt sober for the first time in a number of years.

Take the risk and see what happens. Nothing that you can do that can put people off God’s love.

Matty related the story of the time that he was down in Brighton and there was a Zombie festival that weekend. He found himself alone in a railway station at midnight being prompted by God to go and speak to someone. That someone was dressed as a Zombie… at midnight! Matty offered help. Found out the man in the costume had been suicidal previously and following chats then and later he came to Christ and was baptised.
He also shared that our hospitality does not have to be perfect. He once offered a meal to two people down on their luck. He only had beans and bread in to offer. The two young people wanted to cook the meal and sadly they burnt the toast and were that keen on stirring the beans so they wouldn’t stick, they reduced them to mush. It didn’t matter. God still used burnt bread and bean purée to enable someone to be led to Jesus.