A Solomon’s House Advent Journey As we enter the Advent season, we’re excited to share something new from Church at Barking Riverside, soon to be Solomon’s House: a five-part podcast series called Advent with Vision & Values. This podcast is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. Each episode explores one of the traditional Advent themes alongside the values that shape who we are as a church family; dependence on God, passion for people, joyful generosity, and daring to dream with faith. Across Advent,… Read More

Unite the Kingdom – protest or march?Charlie Kirk – bigot or martyr?St George’s flag – patriotism or racism?Reform UK – hope or threat?Immigration – invasion or invitation? Public debate today is filled with soundbite dichotomies like these. Genuine conversation, the kind that seeks understanding, is too often replaced by clickbait designed to provoke emotion. Yet behind all this noise, a question keeps surfacing for many believers: what is the place of Jesus and Christianity in all of this? Whatever the issue, you’ll find sincere Christians on both sides, each quoting Jesus to… Read More

As usual, this summer was low key and quiet, a time to spend with the family, go on holiday/staycations and some R&R ahead of a new academic year starting. Despite it being low key, there was still a lot going on that has helped us prep for this new school year. Youth Hub We had a Youth Hub session to keep in touch with our youths and also tee up our new youth podcast that we’re planning and preparing for this term. We’re launching Echo Youth: Our Voice. His Word. This will… Read More

This past year has been a time of transition for our church family. New things have begun like Youth Alpha, Saturday grappling & prayers at Joe’s Gym, and the Flourish prayer lunch at George Carey School, while others, like Family Hub on Sundays, have paused or shifted. These changes haven’t always been easy, but they reflect our desire to follow God’s lead and grow with Him. We’ve also seen how Church at Barking Riverside is connecting with and blessing other local churches. Joe’s Gym attendees are joining Christ Church Thames View, and… Read More

2024 was an amazing year and to capture it, we have created our very first Impact Report! We thank you for your ongoing support of Church At Barking Riverside. We’re so thankful for what God has done this last year. 2025 has followed suit and we cannot wait to see what He has planned for us for the rest of this year and beyond! If you like what we’re about and would like to support us through prayer and donations, please become a Friend of Church at Barking Riverside. In return, you’ll… Read More

We have a Family Hub update!As we continue exploring new ways of being church and planning for long-term sustainability beyond our current funding, we’ve been taking time to reflect and adapt. Recently, we made a big push to grow Family Hub and reach more families across the estate, particularly during our special session on the 11th. While our faithful core group remained, no new families joined us that day, prompting us to pause, pray and reflect about what’s next. We’ve since regrouped to consider how Family Hub can evolve to meet the… Read More

God’s faithful love is amazing. I cannot even begin to explain the amazing things that has happened in the last month and I can only think the Holy Spirit is really moving in my life and in the lives of those around me and I’m here for it! The last three years has been one of the hardest periods our family has faced. After a sudden bereavement, followed closely by redundancy, it felt like life as we knew it had crumbled. There were moments of deep sorrow, confusion, and even doubt. But… Read More

I thought Christ was King Of my Life…until I heard Joe’s Palm Sunday talk. Our own Joe Bayes preached at Christ Church Thames View on Palm Sunday and I was privileged to hear it as a run through beforehand. And I was challenged by it. In the best way. So I wanted to share it with you all almost like an added bonus this Holy Week. I hope you enjoy… As Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowed with excitement roared; “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of… Read More

We have gone on a bit of a journey the last few weeks making space for Jesus, but if nothing else, I want you to remember these spiritual habits are for Lent and. As we go through Holy Week, there’s a certain stillness in the air; a time to reflect on all that Jesus walked through in His final days before the cross. Can you imagine being treated how He was, not just by the crowds that had shouted Alleluia at the mere sight of Him a week prior, but by His… Read More

When you hear the word “fasting,” what do you think of? Maybe you picture people depriving themselves of food. Or a monk surviving on nothing but dry bread. Or maybe, if you’re being honest, fasting is one of those things you’d rather not think about at all. That’s used to be my camp. The extent of it would be to give something up over Lent. More widely, I knew more of other faiths fasting on a regular basis and I associated it with them rather than with Christianity. Then I started hearing… Read More