We meet each Sunday, in person, at Fulwell Community Centre at 10:30am and 5:00pm, just five minutes walk from Seaburn Metro Station (only 5 minutes Metro Ride from the main University Campus). We would love to see you there!

Our priorities for students

If you are a new student here, undergraduate, postgraduate or in the new medical centre, we would love to give you a warm welcome to Sunderland and to our church. We are a small, but growing church plant (since Easter 2019) and have recently been able to welcome a small number of students for the first time. Rest assured, we would be really encouraged if you come and visit us, and you would receive a friendly welcome. We recognise that these can be very formative years for your worldview and practices, and as you stand on the brink of this new chapter you may be experiencing a range of emotions. However, amidst all the changes and uncertainties, we can remember that our chief purpose remains the same: to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. The worship of God is the reason why God made us, and as we participate in this we experience the greatest blessing we can ever have- fellowship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although this may seem such a high calling for a student in Sunderland, the amazing truth is that God fully equips us for this: ever since creation God has been revealing and communicating Himself to us and has done so most fully in Jesus Christ.

Priority of Worship

But how is Christ communicated to us? The answer is very simple but profound, and does not change whatever stage of life we are in: through the Holy Spirit working alongside the word, the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper- visible words to us) and prayer. Hence, it is these elements that make up our worship service. It is for this reason we believe the best place for students to be is alongside other believers as we worship God on Sunday, ‘drinking at the same well’ as we hear Christ preached and as we, by faith, feed on Him together. We have two services, at 10:30am and 5:00pm, and would love to encourage you to come along to both, to make full use of these gifts that God has given us.

Worshiping together is also a wonderful expression of our unity in Christ. Have you ever thought that when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, there were a whole mix of people- young and old- who crossed together? In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that these people, who ‘were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea… all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink… Christ.’ It is the same today, we partake of that same food, Christ, and we do so in a way that marks us out as one multi-generational people of God: ‘The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.’ (1 Corinthians 10:16b-17)

Priority of Hospitality

As part of the body of Christ, we have the wonderful privilege of being able to serve each other. As a church we place a high priority on hospitality. This extends from having someone to talk to when you’re feeling lonely, opening up our homes for meals and providing for each other’s needs. Christ provides for us through His people- the Church. Did you know the Bible has a whole book to encourage us in hospitality? 3 John! Being most of the time in the student bubble, we realise what a help and comfort it can be to return (albeit for a few brief hours over a meal) to ‘normal’ family life; and also to learn through observing older Christians. What does a godly marriage look like? How should we raise our children? What does it look like to glorify God in the home? We hope that as we share with each other, we can learn and grow together.

We would also love to help you find ways to serve others and so fulfil the law of Christ to love one another. It is so easy in this consumer age to simply be a taker or think that it is not something for me. The wonderful thing about hospitality is that it is something that we can all be involved in. Isn’t it incredible Christ commends even the small things, such as giving the thirsty a glass of water. He remembers because as we give small acts of kindness to the church, we show that we care about the people Christ delights in.

Priority of Growing

It is our prayer that during your time in Sunderland, you may be more and more transformed into the image of Christ. We believe this starts with our minds being transformed with the knowledge of God. Theology is not simply academic, but is the science of living unto God. Our minister, Nathan, served on the board of a local seminary in Newcastle, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which has a venture called ‘School of Theology’. This meets on a Saturday morning once a month in our parent church, All Saints Presbyterian Church, Newcastle, just a short ride on the Metro. We would love to invite you along. It seeks to give an overview of Systematic Theology (our core doctrines), Biblical Theology (an understanding of how the Bible holds together), and Practical Theology (how we should live as Christians). It is also a great opportunity in a small church to be able to meet with and fellowship with other Christians, including other students from Newcastle.

However, we recognise that at times that we grow at different rates and sometimes struggle with the old sinful nature. We want to be a church that can hold you accountable. This may not seem the most appealing prospect, but isn’t it great that when we were younger we had loving parents who picked us up when we fell over. If you join our church, we want you to know that our minister, Nathan, and his fellow elders, take seriously their responsibility to shepherd the flock and present you perfect when Jesus comes back. This means that he is always willing to talk with you over things that are troubling you, graciously correct you when you go astray, and is constantly praying for you. This care is one of the strengths of being a smaller church, and a privilege we hope you will enjoy.

In closing, we want you to be encouraged by the promises of God. Psalm 112 lays out what the man of God will look like, his growth in standing, uprightness, generosity, compassion and faith. This is the stage in life when we can really transform into the men and women that God would have us be: taking responsibility, growing in discipline and so proclaiming the Gospel in our dying world. It may be daunting but we can have faith that we will be transformed, for Christ has died and defeated the power of sin and Satan, and so given to us His Spirit to help us, all possible because of His perfect obedience. Our hope is in the work of Christ, and he has given us all we need in His church to receive from Him.

Our advice to new students in summary… be part of a church!