Search

Type your text, and hit enter to search:
Close This site uses cookies. If you continue to use the site you agree to this. For more details please see our cookies policy.

What is the Gospel?

The gospel is a term Christians use all the time, but if you aren’t that familiar with Christianity it can be one of those expressions that’s unclear.  We want to explain what the gospel is because we believe it changes everything.  At Montpelier Church when we talk about the gospel here is what we mean:
GoodNewsStoryCircle
The gospel literally means “good news”.  It is the story of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But who is Jesus? Jesus is God who came to us in the form of man to rescue us.
BadNewsStoryCircle
Why we need saving: We’ve all messed up and fallen short of God’s perfection. (Romans 3:23). The consequence earned for our sin is spiritual death and separation from God forever (Romans 6:23).
GoodNewsStoryCirclePart2
We’ve earned death, but God freely offers us life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). He gave his life to pay the penalty we deserve for our sins.  It is a gift that we could never earn on our own.  Salvation comes through believing in what Christ has done on your behalf, not through anything you do for God Ephesians 2:8-9).

The gospel is the good news story because it proves we are loved for who we are, not for what we do (or don’t do).

It’s hard to wrap our heads around this kind of unconditional love. We often think we need to prove ourselves to God – by living flawlessly to gain his approval or working relentlessly to replace our failure and shame with success and status so we are worthy to be seen. But this isn’t the message the Bible shares. The God waiting for you to measure up is absent from its pages. Instead, we find a God who reaches out to us. Who came to live alongside us to redeem us – to redeem you.

We get it backwards and think that the emphasis is on us and our actions – but Christianity isn’t a checklist to complete, it’s a choice to make. A choice to put your faith in Jesus or yourself.

We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19

We all have a different story.  No matter what yours has held so far, it doesn’t change the fact that he first loved you, regardless of whether you’ve ever loved him in return.  In offering himself on the cross, Jesus is extending you:

Unconditional love for who you are, rather than what you do.

Wholehearted acceptance, without fear of judgement or rejection.

Full forgiveness and release from the weight of your sin and shame.

What choice will you make with Jesus?

Want to know more?  If you are interested in talking more about the gospel and what it means for you, please send us an email at office@montpelierchurch.org. We look forward to connecting with you.



 

 

Glenys
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.

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 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space 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.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

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 in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

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.
  • Livewires (3-7 years)
  • Encounter (7-11 years)
  • Katalyst (11-15 years)
  • Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Children

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Men's Ministries
  • Women's Ministries
  • Night Shelter
  • Foodbank
     
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.
 

Leadership 

No Photo icon   No Photo icon
Leader 1   Leader 2
Leader Intro   Leader Intro
 
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)