What we Believe

Rising to Setting

Jesus said: 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' (John 14:6) So we believe that the good news about Jesus Christ is relevant at all times, in all countries and cultures.

We unite around the truths of historic, Biblical Christianity found in the FIEC Doctrinal Basis.

1. God

There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.

2. The Bible

God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

3. The Human Race

All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.

4. The Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

5. Salvation

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

6. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

7. The Church

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

8. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

9. The Future

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.

As an FIEC affiliated church, we accept and agree to abide by the FIEC ethos statements on Gospel Unity, Women in Ministry, and Same Sex Marriage.

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

Thinking of coming along?

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect at a Sunday service.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Services starting at 10:30am and 6pm. There is free parking on the church site, and the streets around are permit-free. For your first visit, we recommend arriving a few minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will give you a service sheet or hymn book and a Bible.

Please note there is no dress code - please come as you are!

Services are free to attend, and we don't pass around an offering bag or plate during the service.

We serve tea, coffee, squash and biscuits after the service most weeks, which is a great opportunity to meet people, if you'd like to. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is ramp access to the church, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. There are ambulant accessible toilets in the main foyer, and wheelchair accessible toilets in the rear area of the church.

Our Services

Our services begin with a welcome from one of our church leaders. They will share some church news and notices about what's going on in the life of HBEFC. We are then led through activities which help us do three main things:

listen to God - we hear parts of the Bible read aloud for us, and we hear a sermon - a talk which explains what a Bible passage means and how God wants it to affect our lives;
respond to God - we pray (mostly one person will pray from the front, but sometimes we might say a prayer together, such as the Lord's Prayer); and we sing together, a mixture of traditional and modern hymns and songs. If singing in this way is new to you and you prefer to remain seated and listen, that's OK!
encourage each other - everything in the service is designed to help us in our faith, and that continues as we chat after the service, with refreshments most weeks.

HBEFC LRes-7

What about my kids?

We enjoy welcoming people of all ages to our services, and we stay together for the first 15 minutes or so. After this, children from Reception - Year 8 are invited to go to Sunday Club. The service leader will make it clear when this starts. The activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, prayer, singing and craft. Of course, if you prefer that your child stays with you for the whole service, they are very welcome to do so!

Young people (school Year 9+) stay in the service.

We also have a Creche Room available throughout the whole service, for children up to Reception age. This room has toys and books, and a speaker relay so that you can hear what is happening in the main service. We're not currently able to offer a full 'creche' facility, so parents and carers are asked to supervise their own children.

HBEFC LRes-4

Getting Connected

Questions?

If you'd like to ask any questions before you visit, or even come and visit the church beforehand, please do get in touch, at office@hbefc.org.uk or 07935471286, or using the form below:

Get in touch with us

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.