St. John the Baptist/Mission

Our Story

Greatham village holds a sanctuary of history within the Church grounds and the Hospital of God. We inherit the past and form that into our future as a Church together seeking new ways to grow as a community, to help those in need and to safeguard God's creation that surrounds us.

The Church has been worshipped in for hundreds of years, a place of pilgrimage, spirituality and welcome.

We are pilgrims on a journey of Faith continuing to grow as disciples of Christ and building community. We meet different people along the way on our faith journeys, we share new experiences together and we welcome everyone.

We seek God in everything we do and everyone we meet. God has called us to take up our cross and follow him.

What is Mission?

W are called to reflect God's mission to the world through what we do through serving the whole people of God as a Church.

Our mission involves:

Services in the Chapel and the Church building - Schools ministry, Stichell House, Hospital of God, Communion, Funerals, Baptisms and Weddings

Social events - pie & peas, Greatham Feast, games night, refreshments, conversations and spending time with one another.

To teach, baptise and nurture new believers

Teaching is a natural part of the Christian faith in sharing it with others. Jesus taught about our faith to his disciples and everyone he met, something we are called to do.

We regularly have Baptism services in Church twice a month on the 3rd and 4th Sundays.

Rev'd Philip and Rev'd Louise go into Greatham CofE primary school every week to do collective worship which is prayerful, missional, interactive and a learning experience of faith for you young people as well as adults.

To Proclaim the good news of the Kingdom

At the end of Matthew's Gospel (28:16-20) the disciples we're granted the Great Commission by Jesus to go and do likewise.'

We are charged with this Commission too, to proclaim and teach the faith to all people and share the good news of the Kingdom. This is lived out everyday in our lives as Christians.

Sermons are preached regularly on a Sunday which share messages of hope and joy but also bring us the realities of life and faith together.

Greatham CofE primary school share collective worship on a weekly basis with Rev'd Philip and Rev'd Louise where faith is shared through songs, prayer and a talk and we all learn together.

5 marks of Mission

To respond to human need by loving service

This is a huge part of Jesus' ministry, which is why it's important for the Church to be a sanctuary for the surrounding community.

There is a monthly Communion service in Stichell House that Rev'd Philip and Rev'd Lou lead together and enjoy chatting with the people who live there and the staff after the service.

Its important that we pray for ourselves, the people in our lives/community and people we are yet to meet, but also for the world around us and the Church. In prayer we trust that the Holy Spirit is at work and we offer to God human needs and situations in the world.

As a church we also do parish visiting where we spend time catching up, sharing Communion and visiting those who are sick or housebound.

We also visit friends/families when they have lost a loved one to prepare for their funeral service in the Church. We journey with families and friends through supporting them in their grieving.

To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

We are called to be a peaceful people and are called to a life of prayer as Christians and regularly pray for the needs of the world.

Through gathering together at different times as a community we are able to share our lives together and the needs and news happening around the world.

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

We are really grateful for our Church Gardener who kindly looks after the grounds for us and keeps it tidy and cut back, making it a beautiful space to be in.

Our Orders of Service are printed and kept in a cupboard and so they can be reused regularly.

We regularly recycle cardboard, glass, paper and plastics that we've used in Church.

Any rubbish that is left in or outside of the Church is removed efficiently.

As part of our service and daily prayers we regularly pray and thank God for the gift of creation.