Who are we?
The church has been meeting in Hilldale (near Parbold) for over 130 years, and the congregation today is made of ordinary people who meet together each week to worship God and hear teaching from his Word, the Bible. The church exists to make disciples of Jesus, by helping Christians to grow in their faith, and by sharing the good news of the gospel with other people
The church is not the building, but the people who meet here to worship God and teach the truths of scripture, which we believe to be the word of God. The Bible has a message which is relevant for all time, and for all people, and is able to give hope and peace in this world which is often full of turmoil and sadness. The Bible teaches us how we can have a real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and living God, and know his presence with us.
It is an important part of our worship that we listen to God speaking to us, through his word the Bible. This is part of what we mean by calling ourselves an ‘evangelical’ church. You can find out what that means by clicking here, or a basic description of our beliefs and teaching can be found here.
What to expect
If you would like to meet with us you would be very welcome at any of our services. On Sundays we meet at 10:30am and 6:30pm. You don’t need to book in advance, and the services will last about 1 hour. Please stay around afterwards to get to know us over tea or coffee, we’d love to welcome you.
There is no special dress code you need to be aware of, just wear what you normally would if meeting a friend, for example. You won’t be asked to say anything in the services, or to pray out loud in a service, though services do include congregational singing. Everyone gets offered a Bible and hymn book as they come in, so don’t worry if you don’t have your own Bible to bring.
Children are very welcome in either of our Sunday services. In the morning service, children stay with us during the first half of the service, and then go out into a separate room for children’s Bible teaching class during the second half of the service (during the sermon and closing hymn). This class is best suited to primary school aged children (or younger!), though there is no obligation for children to go out to the class. They are welcome to stay and listen to the sermon if they’d prefer. Alternatively, especially if you are still getting to know us, you are welcome to accompany your child during the class if that would be any help. Children are welcome in our evening services too, but there are no separate classes for them.
A typical worship service will begin with a short reading from scripture, followed by a hymn or song of praise that we sing together. We have a brief teaching aimed directly at the children, along with a worship song designed for children to learn and sing easily. Someone will lead us in prayer, and read from the Bible, and there will be a couple of other songs we sing together. Once the children leave for their class, it will usually be our pastor Seth who will give a sermon based on the Bible passage that has been read, which usually lasts about 25-30 minutes. Services usually end with a hymn followed by a short prayer or blessing.