RESOURCES

1689 Confession of Faith

Back in 2011 we made a very important decision as a church, to adopt the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith as our statement of faith, and we became a confessional church. See what that means here!

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Love From Liz

Our lovely Liz Stredder is now with her Saviour in glory, but before she was taken from this world she left us a legacy of writing and testimony that you can explore here and be richly blessed.

Testimony - Benedict Allmand-Smith

When I was a small boy I would pray every night for my sins to be forgiven, but I did not really mean it. Because of this, I doubted if I was a true Christian. But then you might ask, “why did you pray on your own when no one else could hear or see you?” and my answer to this would be, “I was deceiving myself”. I would do a lot to please my mum and dad, but they were not the only people I was deceiving: I was deceiving myself! I would try and say to myself that I was a Christian, but I knew I wasn’t. I would do lots of the things that were easy for me to do (the outward things), but when it came to the hard things (the inward things), I would fail. That is why I was constantly sent up to my dad to be set right again, but it never took a permanent effect on me. I used to get very angry and frustrated not only at my brothers but also at my Dad, without any good reason. After listening to thousands of sermons and messages, one night I thought about what would happen to me when I was going to die. I often used to have bad thoughts about hell and if I was going there, and this night I had the same thought, and also worried about other family members. I thought about all the sins I had committed and I also felt very guilty. It was a feeling that I did not like, and I hoped that it would just go away. Then for the first time, I really wanted to stop sinning and I got down on my knees and prayed for forgiveness. I knew this was true repentance. It was April 21st 2008 and I was 9 years old. After that I felt happier and set free, and it seemed like I had just destroyed all the sins I had ever committed before. It was the first time I had any intention of trying not to sin again, and although I knew this would be impossible, it is what I really wanted.

However, I do not get the credit for any of this, because it is all due to God’s work inside me. The only reason I am standing here today giving my testimony is because the Lord God sent his Son to die on a cross for me to wash all my sins away. I thank him with all my heart. It is truly amazing grace. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who could save me because he is the only perfect man. No one else could have taken my sins away. It fills me with joy to think that, although he had lived in heaven in perfect harmony with His Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity, He came down to earth to be insulted and rejected by the ones He came to save. Then He was beaten and spat on and crucified when He had done no wrong. And He did it all with a good spirit. Then He was buried and rose again on the third day. These things will be signified in my baptism: when I go under the water it signifies death and burial, then when I come out I am a new person, cleaned by Jesus’ blood. By the power of the Holy Spirit I now want to live the rest of my life serving Jesus my Saviour. Being baptised tonight and becoming a member of this church in Ramsbottom will open doors for me to serve him. When I am older I would like to be a deacon of this church and if God gives me the gifts I would also like to preach His word. But I can always serve Him and I will try to do this for the rest of my life. Please pray for God to give me strength to do this.

Testimony - Elaine Hennessey

For those who don’t know me, my name is Elaine Hennessey. I was the third child of five (three girls, two boys). I was born into a mixed religious home. Dad was Catholic, and Mum was a Jehovah’s Witness. Both Mum and Dad were very strict, which, over time, made me rebellious, and I never really felt loved. Unknown to the children, our mother had been in touch with the school, and we were not allowed to go into assembly because of the minister’s coming to preach.

I remember going out one Sunday morning and seeing a church building open, and I walked in. I was greeted with kindness and taken to where the children were and introduced to the minister’s children, who were about my age. For the first time ever, people were being kind to me, and I felt happy and safe until I went home and walked into shouting and violence. I went to church whenever I could, without my parents knowledge, and I loved every minute of it. When I left school, I got a job with John Tullis, a plastic company just across the road from where I lived.

When I was twenty-one years of age, I met Steven, and we got married. Over the years, we had three beautiful daughters: June, Deborah, and Claire. My husband studied horticulture and went to London for an interview at Ormly Lodge with James Goldsmith; he was offered the job and accepted. So then our family moved to London. We were all so excited as we drove to London, following our belongings in the big van. A few months later, I found I was pregnant again, this time with a boy.

Life became more stressful with all the children running around and a baby, with no family around to help out. My husband was working long shifts; he usually had time out at the pub. I wasn’t coping very well; I was exhausted, and I had no one to turn to. I cried out to God, “If you’re there and love me, as you said, come and help me.” I fell asleep praying. The next morning, Steven had to go to work, and I was getting the kids ready when a knock came on the door. It was Martin, one of Steven’s Christian friends. I told him that Steven was at work, but he said God had sent him to me.

Martin’s mother was parking the car, and she came in as well. They then gave me the news that Steven was cheating on me, and God had sent him to tell me that. They asked me to go to church with them to get back with God, which I did. After this, I contacted my brothers, who came down and picked me up to go back to Scotland. Once again, I saw that God was upholding me and lifting me up out of the situation. Steven came to Scotland to try to reconcile things, but he had broken our marriage trust, and at that time I could not forgive him. As time has gone on, we have reconciled somewhat, for the sake of the children.

Over time, I ended up like a gypsy, going from one place to another, hence ending up in Gamesley. I’ve been to several churches in this area but found I could not settle at any. I ended up going to the one on the estate simply because it was near home and mobility was a problem at that time. Until one particular Saturday evening when my granddaughter’s friend asked if she could go to church with her. As I didn’t know the people, I wanted to find out where it was and also if I could find out more about it myself. To this end, I visited Anne’s house to find out more. It was decided we would all go to Anne’s church together on the following day. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted not only by Anne but by the minister and other people as well. This made me feel very welcome and at home here.

Over the months, Rob (the minister at the time) has given me instruction on the ABC basics course, which made me realise that I was a sinner, and that is why I am waiting to be baptised into this church family. I have enjoyed meeting everyone in this church and also from Trinity Grace Church, Ramsbottom, as well. I will do my utmost to be a devoted member of Charlesworth Church in the coming months and years ahead.