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Our History The church grew out of a Sunday school started by two ladies from Wycliffe Baptist church in their home on Hilltop Road, Earley in 1942. We then moved to two temporary halls and our first church meeting was held on 4th December 1949. A new church building was built on the same site in the 1960’s In 1981 a prophetic word was brought to the church and as a result new congregations were planted. In 1984 land is bought in the Lower Earley housing development and Brookside church building was built.
Our Values Worship & Prayer –We love to offer genuine, non-religious worship and praise to God in recognition of who he is and in thankfulness for what he has done. Both in Cell Groups and in Celebrations we make worship and prayer the highest priority. The Word of God – Brookside is evangelical in its doctrine and beliefs. We believe that the bible is the foundational source of truth, that it is through the bible that God reveals himself to us and bible teaching concerning life and faith is important. The Holy Spirit – Brookside is also charismatic. We place an emphasis on the active work of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available today to build up and strengthen the church. Real Relationships – “They will know that you are my disciples because of your love for one another” (John 13:35). Above all our programmes, plans, and initiatives, we value genuine caring, love filled relationships which can stand honesty and reality. The Kingdom of God – Gods kingdom can be described as anywhere where God’s authority and rule as King is acknowledged. Jesus taught us to pray that God’s kingdom would come to earth so we want to bring the light of the gospel message to a world in need of direction. Every Member Ministry – We are all different but a part of the same body therefore we should each have a unique role or job to fulfil. This includes the Young People and Children – we don’t see them as the church of tomorrow but part of today’s church. Discipleship – We are commissioned to make not merely ‘converts’ but ‘Disciples’ (Matthew 28:19-20). We believe we have a responsibility to help one another grow into the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29). Training and Equipping – Leadership roles are given to the church to equip members to fulfil their potential in doing the things God has called them and anointed them to do. This is done through teaching, training and live example. Mission & Growth – We unashamedly want to see the church grow through individuals deciding to follow Christ. We encourage members to reach out to friends, neighbours, colleagues and family through initiatives like Alpha, the Cell Group, etc. Partnership in the Gospel – We are quick to acknowledge that we are jut a small part of what God is doing through the whole body of Christ. We are members of Reading Christian Network, Evangelical Alliance, and we have partnerships with overseas organisations.
Our Structure We operate under a charitable trust called Living Hope Trust. Four Trustees oversee the duties of the Charitable Trust. We have a Leadership Team of seven (see ‘Contact Us’ for details) We have an office staff of four (see ‘Contact Us’ for
details)
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