Welcome to our blog. The following items are from our Minister, Rev. Mark Welch, unless stated otherwise.

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Reflections on today's Service

1 Feb 2026
Today we considered “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is being strong enough to be gentle rather than reacting in the face of provocation. To meet violence or aggression with calmness that neither surrenders nor capitulates.
We also considered in our children’s talk how we are at the hinge of the Christian year between Christmas/Epiphany and Easter where we remember Jesus is the light of the world. (Candlemass). We lit a candle together and placed it on the communion table.
After communion the music group led the congregation in singing the hymn: Brother, sister, let me serve you, Let me be as Christ to you. (Acapella in beautiful musical harmony). The sense of love and unity flowing out of the Eucharist was incredibly powerful. We are looking forward to believers Baptisms to come around Easter and Pentecost as new Christians are welcomed into both our local, gathered congregation, and Baptised into the communion of the Holy, catholic and Apostolic Church.

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Being True Disciples

27 Jan 26
A movement requires momentum for real social change. Dr Martin Luther-King (of blessed memory), led a movement as he challenged oppression and injustice. The Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Churches are clearly movements for peace, justice and righteousness as they speak out against oppressive and tyrannical misuse of power in the USA and practically engage people in acts of resistance.
Yet these true movements are marked by the combination of Tradition, (the accumulated wisdom of the Church over two Millennia), Reason and Scripture.
Struggle as I might with some of the pomp, these churches are clearly movements for the kingdom of God.
A church that has nothing to say about justice, that does not defend the vulnerable, and the weak, that says safely silent at a moment of national destiny (and we are surely approaching one of those moments over the next few years in the UK), is not a movement but a mortuary. Our purpose is not simply to produce “disciples” who join in “sanctified” inwardly focused navel gazing, but true disciples of Jesus Christ, who in seeking the kingdom of God, challenge and change the world.

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Update on new initiatives

26 Jan 26
ALPHA is going well and we are working towards the church’s first ever trauma healing groups in partnership with the Trauma healing Institute, The Scottish Bible Society and folk from YWAM and local GP surgeries. We have some new folk right accross the age range from 20’s to seniors, all equally loved valued and cherished as children of God, made in his image.

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You have 12 Followers

24 Jan 26
Makes you think, the greatest ever influencer lived a short life, eschewed the religious and political establishment who had lost the plot, built twelve deep relationships with flawed and fallible people, and two millennia later, 2.3 billion people are following him. It almost makes you think there might be something in it.

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Feeling Positive

16 Jan 26
It has been a week of very long days getting new initiatives sorted on top of other commitments.
I can see God changing peoples hearts and minds which makes it all worthwhile.

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Spiritual Leadership

11 Jan 26
Spiritual Leadership in these turbulent times is coming from the Catholic and Anglican/Episcopal churches. I’m disappointed and saddened by silence from some other traditions, and wondering if the silence results from a theological inability to relate faith to real life. Has pietism robbed Protestant Evangelicalism of a coherent theological world view and understanding of the value of humanity?

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Post-Christmas reflection

28 Dec 25
There are perhaps not that many Baptist Ministers who would say this, but I’ve come to the conclusion that Luther was a bit of a prat. (OK I’m using hyperbole to get your attention), so to qualify this statement with clarity and charity, if he had foreseen where there principle of Sola Scripture, or Scripture Alone, rejecting tradition, would lead us, I honestly believe Luther would be having second thoughts. I serve in a denomination which follows this principle and I don’t like where it’s leading evangelicalism . Over the Christmas Season, almost every denomination that allows tradition and the litergical year to feed, nurture and inform the reading of scripture produced coordinated statements which while generally framed in posative language, were clear warnings against the politics, hatred and division being sown by the far right. From some evangelical groups there has been a deafening silence. Is this born out of cowardice, complacency, or simply ignorance? I cannot say, but I strongly suspect that the lack of tradition and a litergical framework to inform the reading of scripture has led to this sorry state of moral agnosticism. Today is the feast of the slaughter of the innocents when, shaped by the tradition of the liturgical calendar, many church communities will have reflected on scripture and brought to mind the atrocities in Palestine by the Israeli state and other malignant international actors such as Russia and the ICE agents of the Trump administration in the USA. But in many Evangelical church’s the menu will be restricted to an emotionally incontinent, theologically vacuous, unstructured celebration of Jesus and me spirituality, no doubt sprinkled with prayers for Israel. The moral
Compass entirely absent, the nutter count disproportionately high.
It’s time for a return to tradition, (without jettisoning modern worship songs), and to jettison the Sola Scripture mantra that has lead evangelicals into a theologically and mortally illiterate ghetto where mainstream orthodox Christianity seems like a very distant place. As for me, I’ll have a healthy dose of traditional catholicity please, for without it evangelicalism is on the road to hell, or at the very least, (to employ a mischievous metaphor), a little healthy perdition.

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Church Christmas messages

26 Dec 25
Great to see a coordinated effort from Anglican and many Episcopalian Bishops and Superb leadership from Pope Leo in their Christmas Messages. The Church is very imperfect and always less than the Kingdom of God, but, there is courageous leadership (in parts of it at least).

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Results of past missionary work

25 Dec 25
Today we had the huge pleasure of hosting an Indian lady who has recently joined our congregation having moved to the UK to work as a graduate nurse in the NHS. She comes from a part of India that was evangelised by Welsh Presbyterians after the Welsh Revival and is now strengthening the church in the UK. She particularly enjoyed our Carol Service which reminded me of the URC in Salisbury which was one of the significant elements of forming me spiritually together with Anglican Worship. Amazing that a Welsh missionary should evangelise a part of India and a century later the blessing is returned to us. Far from being a threat to a ‘Christian nation’ immigration is strengthening the church in what has become a secular nation.

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Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find somewhere to park, and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets and a lift.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of songs and hymns, prayers, Bible reading and a sermon. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

After the service we serve tea, coffee, squash and biscuits in the Cross Street Centre. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.
What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Junior Church (4-11 years)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up for the first part of the service. They then go to their groups. The children's group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

A Sunday School activity

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.