Our vision is to see Barking Riverside thriving with Jesus at the Heart of Every person and Every place. We’re joining in with what God is doing, not planning what we can do for Him…

We as a Church have come a long way in the last couple of years; with lockdown easing we have fallen into more of a rhythm, we connect with some amazing people, had some great events and gatherings (both over zoom and IRL), got a core staff team together and even become more legitimate with our new BMO status! Now it’s time to take a breath, regroup and really hone in on what God’s plan is for Barking Riverside and discern what He wants our role to be here, moving forward.

We will be taking the next 6 weeks to really pause, listen, pray, dream and plan together what our next steps will be. Starting this week, we will take our Family Sunday Hubs and Monday Evening Hubs to not only pray & worship as we usually do, but also to dedicate time to carve out our path as a Church. We will then draw to a conclusion on Sunday 1st August, coinciding with the New Wine United Breaks Out festival, where we will worship, share our vision and how to be a part of it, all over a family meal together.

On Monday we kicked it off by focusing on Jesus and who He is for us and looking at the I AM sayings in John’s gospel, to determine the key themes we as a Church need to embody for our community. Each of these sayings illustrate metaphors Jesus used to show how He can enhance, guide, sustain and create life for us and we want to focus on the most pertinent ones for us as a Church in Barking Riverside.

The key themes that came out of the session were HOPE and being relevant to and accessible for EVERYONE. With our diverse community and considering what the world has been like for all of us in the last year and half, we as Church at Barking Riverside want to be reflect that beacon of hope in our community, as Jesus is the Light Of The World for us.

We will continue on this journey in the following weeks, as to how we can practically put this in place and truly connect with the needs of our community and how we can join in with what God is doing here, in places we are. We will keep you posted in the coming weeks as to how we get on, but in the meantime:

• keep 1st August in your diary for baptisms celebration and picnic
• if there is something you would really like us to bear in mind along our journey, please don’t hesitate to get in touch here
• you can get more information about us as a Church and how to get involved here or check out our social platforms

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11

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