Who are we?

Gathering Community Church is a friendly and contemporary Bible believing Christian church in the south of Norfolk. We centre our lives on Jesus through worship, prayer and Bible teaching and our desire is to make a measurable difference in our community.

Like any family, we are not perfect, but we desire to live life in a such a way that each person feels loved, accepted and supported at all points in their life. Our hope is that every person who attends feels they can call Gathering Community Church home.

Why it matters

01 RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

We live in what can often feel like a dark and broken world. But, in the midst of this, God created us to be in close relationship with Himself and each other. Therefore our desire is to live relationally.

02 THE GOOD NEWS OF

JESUS MATTERS

Although life changes at a rapid pace, some things never change. The stability of knowing God’s love is so energising, exciting and engaging that: We want to share this good news and for everyone to experience it.

03 HOPE MATTERS

The Bible says Jesus came to bring light to our lives, so that in every situation we face, we can have a certain hope that God is with us. We want to radiate this light so others may share in the hope we have.

04 LIFE'S JOURNEY MATTERS

None of us can be certain what will happen tomorrow. Part of the mission of Gathering Community Church is to be there for people whenever they need it. We want to be with people for the journey.

What do we
believe?

Who we are and what we do as a church must always be securely rooted in what we believe about God. The Bible is the source that shapes our understanding of Him, and we are sure it is His inspired message to humanity and provides us with a clear path toward a relationship with Him.

What we believe about…

This list of core beliefs is an intentionally brief list, upheld with an understanding of freedom in which less essential matters are left to the conscience of our church leadership and our members. The less essentials are important because we embrace the whole of the bible; but we also recognise there may be different interpretations and applications. We respect varying points of view, provided the essentials are not compromised.

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Bible in its entirety originated with God and was given by the inspiration of God through chosen people. We hold that the Bible is infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.

📖 Deuteronomy c6 v6-9; Psalms c19 v7-11; 2 Timothy c3 v15-17; Hebrews c4 v12; 1 Peter c1 v23-25

We believe that the one and only true God is the Creator, Ruler and Sustainer of all things. He exists in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personhood.

📖 Genesis c1 v1-2; Deuteronomy c6 v4; Isaiah c43 v10-13; Matthew c28 v19; Luke c24 v49; 1 Corinthians c8 v5-6

We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all humanity by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose bodily from the grave, was seen by many and ascended into heaven where He now intercedes for his people and rules as Lord of all creation. Jesus will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfil history and the eternal plan of God.

📖 Isaiah c9 v6; Isaiah c53; Matthew c1 v22-23; John c1 v5; Acts c1 v3; c1 v9-11; c4 v10-12; Luke c24 v36-48; Romans c1 v3-4; 1 Corinthians c15 v3-8; Philippians c2 v5-11; Colossians c1 v13-20; Titus c2 v13-14; Hebrews c4 v14-15; Revelation c22 v20

The result of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ is a maturing life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world so we would understand the saving work of Jesus Christ. He enlightens the minds of men and women and awakens in them recognition of their need of a Saviour. At the point of salvation, He indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely empowers each believer with spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the Church. The Holy Spirit provides each Christian with power to live in a manner pleasing to God, to understand spiritual truth, and to serve as ambassadors for Jesus in our world.

📖 John c14 v16-17, c16 v7-13; Acts c1 v8; c2 v1-4; Romans c12 v6-8; 1 Corinthians c2 v12-16, c6 v19-20, 1 Corinthians c12; 2 Corinthians c3 v16-18; Galatians c5 v16-25; Ephesians c1 v13-14, c4 v11-13

The central purpose of God’s revelation in the bible is to call all people back into relationship with Himself. We were originally created to have fellowship with God. Humanity rebelled against God, choosing to go their independent way, and thus were alienated from God and suffered the corruption of their nature, rendering them unable to please God. This rebellion took place at the beginning of human history; making all individuals since, sinners. We therefore suffer the consequences of our fallen state and need the saving grace of God to restore our fellowship with Him.

The salvation of humanity is completely a work of God’s free grace and not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness. It must be personally received by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation results in a person becoming a new creation and being continually transformed into the image of Jesus.

📖 Luke c24 v46-47; John c3 v16; Romans c5 v12-21, c10 v13-15; 2 Corinthians c5 v17; Ephesians c3 v8-9; Colossians c1 v13-14;

Titus c2 v11, c3 v5-7

The church is composed of people who, through their saving faith in Jesus Christ, are united together in faith and fellowship. The church is expressed in many unique and diverse ways through local congregations as it fulfils its five primary purposes: to worship God; to experience community with each other; to engage in the process of spiritual growth; to equip each other for service; and to reach the world through mission.

📖 Matthew c16 v18, Matthew c28 v16-19; Acts c2 v42-47; Romans c12 v1-2; 1 Corinthians c12 v12-13; Ephesians c2 v19-22, c4 v3-4, v11-16; Hebrews c10 v25

As the church, we participate in living illustrations of God’s covenant with us through two symbolic acts:

1. Baptism: Baptism by immersion in water is a public profession of faith in Jesus. It is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Jesus to walk in newness of life.

📖 Matthew c3 v13-17; c28 v19-20; Luke c3 v1-22; Acts c8 v36-39; c16 v31-34; Romans c6 v1-4

2. Communion: The Communion consists of two elements: the bread and the wine. These elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus. Communion is a memorial of Jesus' suffering on the cross and a celebration of our salvation.

📖 Luke c22 v14-20; 1 Corinthians c11 v23-34

Created to exist forever, each person’s death in this life precedes his or her eternal destiny. There is a judgement day to come where all people dead and alive will be raised together to face the judgment of God. He or she will either consciously exist in Hell - eternally separated from God by sin, or, in the new Heaven and new earth - eternally in union with God through forgiveness and salvation.

📖 John c3 v16; Romans c6 v23; 2 Corinthians c5 v6-10; 1 Thessalonians c4 v13-18; Hebrews c9 v27; 1 John c2 v25; c5 v11-13; Revelation c20 v15; Revelation c21 v1-8

Who are we?

Why it matters

What do we believe?

What we believe about…

What do we
believe?