Greetings from Grace Church Buckley, or GCB as we’re known.
It’s been three and a half years since the last update so now is probably a good time to bring you all up to speed.
Last time we featured on these pages, we had the Pastor, and we had the people, the beginnings of a team to head up the church plant, and preparations for and possibilities of where we could meet were beginning to get sorted out. All this came to pass and on the 14th October of 2018, GCB had its first public meeting, held in the facilities of the Bistre Community Centre, Nant Mawr Road, Buckley.
We had all the challenges you might expect within the first year of serving the community of Buckley, and some you might not expect, but the Lord graciously carried us through. Various outreach projects, public bible studies in the local café, an office facility in the centre of town, had all brought new folk through our doors to hear the wonderful Gospel news of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Uncertain of the future we had in remaining at the Bistre Centre, we moved to new premises, the Hawkesbury Centrein late 2019. Things were set to continue and grow, our presence in the community, but sadly family commitments and ill health took Pastor Jonathan McPeters and his family back to the US in early April 2020, which coincided with the start of the COVID lock-down here in Wales.
Serving as ministry trainee at GCB, I was set to continue serving for a second year under Jonathan and as a not-quite-yet-finished-my-training ministry trainee, this was a time of ‘stepping’ up that I was not expecting, but not a surprise to God. Since then, by God’s grace, I have committed myself to and led the congregation of GCB throughout the changing times and lock-down periods and was recognised and employed as Assistant Pastor by our sending church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Mold, in October 2020, given Pastoral oversight of the GCB.
It’s been a difficult 18 months for us, as it has the rest of the world, in and out of lock-down conditions, and a number of difficulties that, for a small church, have been quite significant to navigate, but the Lord has grown our numbers in recent weeks, and it is clear that the Lord has carried us through, and we have much to be thankful for.
We’re all now fairly well versed in Zoom meetings, and our YouTube channel widened our teaching reach and, as we have recently began to meet in public again, and we’re thankful that this reach has brought new local people to us.
As we hopefully come out of this period of restrictions, now is a good time for us to be refocusing on the mission, the purpose for God calling and building His church where He has placed us. That is, of course, that our church family would grow more and more in our love and understanding for and of the Lord Jesus and His people, and that by His Spirit at work in us Christ would shine and for the sake of His Gospel we would be winsome for the lost of Buckley. Below is a link to an advert we have out for a full time pastor. Please pray that God will bring the right person forward and give us the wisdom to know His will and His timing!
https://fiec.org.uk/jobs/assistant-pastor-18
Yours in Christ,
Mike