Barnoldswick Gospel Mission - Introduction

Welcome card

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History

The Gospel Mission was formed in 1931, having its roots in Methodism. It began with cottage meetings but was soon able to rent meeting rooms. In 1959 it moved to its present site near Hollins Road in Valley Gardens.

Most of the early members of the church are now with the Lord but the church has welcomed new members from a variety of backgrounds who under God have directed the fellowship to be a Bible-centred, caring congregation keen to reach their community with the truth and love of Christ.

In August 2002, we began to hold Family Church at the Barnoldswick Civic Hall since our own building was unable to accommodate the increased number of people attending this service.

Church Leaders

The Gospel Mission has a leadership composed of Elders (of whom the Pastor is one) and Deacons. The Elders are responsible for the spiritual life of the church whilst the Deacons are responsible for the daily running of the church. The Elders meet weekly for prayer; the Deacons meet monthly for business and all the Officers meet together annually for a time of vision building and extended prayer.

Major policy decisions and appointments are made by the church membership who meet four times a year. Membership is given to those who profess faith in Christ and show evidence of it in their lives. Those applying for membership are interviewed by two Elders whose recommendation is voted on by the membership.

General Information

Photo of the current church building Barnoldswick Gospel Mission is affiliated to the FIEC and is also a member of The Evangelical Alliance UK. The Mission is situated in Barnoldswick, on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, close to the Yorkshire dales. The church was established in 1931 and we moved into our current building in 1959. See side panel for further details of church history.

Our Pastor, Rev. Paul Standley, joined us in 1994. The Gospel Mission has a leadership composed of Elders (of whom the Pastor is one) and Deacons. See side panel for further details of church leadership. There are 45 full members on the membership roll, with regular attendances of 70 to 80 on a Sunday morning and 20 to 25 on a Sunday evening.

As well as bearing witness to our Lord Jesus Christ in the local community, the church also supports missionaries and missionary organisations around the world. (See side panel.)

Our welcome card gives a flavour of what our church is like.

Photographs

We have some photographs of our church and some photographs of CAMEO, if you would like to view these. The Youth area of the website also carries some photographs. (See side panel.)

Barnoldswick: The Town

Barnoldswick is a town of some 13,000 residents and is referred to locally as Barlick. It is a thriving community with many local employers including Rolls Royce and Silentnight Beds. It has a large stock of housing; the older stone built houses are well maintained and new houses can be found on the outskirts. Barnoldswick is on the edge of the Dales National Park and is also near the Lancashire hill country and the Forest of Bowland. The Lake District is only 50 miles away.

For over 70 years the Gospel Mission has sought to maintain its Gospel Witness to this community. We are keen to see this witness strengthened, and people come to Christ and grow as his followers.

What We Believe

As a church we seek to follow Christ by coming under the authority of Scripture in our beliefs and conduct. In particular we hold to the basis of faith of the FIEC which can be found on their website. There is also a message on our website outlining the gospel: The Gospel in a Nutshell.