ABOUT US
Who we are?
Our church is made up of people of all ages and varied backgrounds. We meet to worship God and serve Jesus Christ in the community of Bradford on Avon and the surrounding area.
Our faith is centred on the Bible - God’s message to humanity - and on Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2000 years ago, Jesus died and, after three days, rose again from the dead, so that sinners (as we all are) may, through repentance and faith, have peace with God and the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
For more information about what we believe, please see our doctrinal statement.
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Sunday services
If you are coming to one of our Sunday worship meetings, we will be very happy to see you. Our services take place every Sunday, at 11am and 6:30pm. They are open to the public and anyone may join us. They last for about 75 minutes in the morning and about 60 minutes in the evening.
During our meetings, we sing hymns and songs and there will be prayer and readings from the Bible. You’ll find a hymn book and a Bible in the pew where you are sitting.
A central feature of our meetings is the sermon, which focuses on a passage from the Bible and what it means for us today.
If you have children with you, we’re delighted to see them too. We hope that even younger children will be able to stay in the service throughout, but if they become restless, or if you simply prefer to do so, please feel free to take them to the Upper School Room (the stewards can direct you to it). The service is relayed there on an audio-visual link.
There is a short children’s talk during the morning service. Children are welcome to come and sit in the front pew for this when invited to do so by the preacher, if they’d like to do so.
We stand to sing and also remain standing after the last hymn while a short blessing is pronounced. Otherwise, we remain seated throughout the service.
Week-time activities
We run other activities during the week. For more information, see our whats on page, or any church member.
History
There has been a Baptist church meeting on this site for over 300 years – the present building dates from 1797. We have a booklet on the history of the church – there are usually copies on the table in the entrance hall and you are welcome to take one if you are interested
OUR PASTOR
Robert Strivens grew up in the south-east of England and was educated in Ramsgate and in Canterbury, during which time he came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
He studied law at Cambridge University before joining a law firm in the City of London and qualifying as a solicitor. In 1983, he married Sarah, who is from Cambridge. Robert practised law for fifteen years but believed increasingly that the Lord was calling him into pastoral ministry.
Accordingly, in 1997 he began studies at London Theological Seminary (as it was then called) and on their completion in 1999 he was called to the pastorate of Banbury Evangelical Free Church. After eight years in Banbury.
Robert was called to a full-time role at LTS, where he had been lecturing for a number of years, and in 2008 he took over from Philip Eveson as Principal of the Seminary. During recent years, Robert felt an increasing desire to return to pastoral ministry. Earlier in 2017, Robert accepted the call from Bradford-on-Avon Baptist Church to be our pastor, the role which he took up on 1st October 2017.
