Grassington Congregational Church
Our church is a place for you to find rest, renewed hope, courage and inspiration ...
Grassington Congregational Church
Ministry of the Church: Word, Sacrament & Pastoral Care
"Our leader .. must be above reproach, faithful to his one wife, sober, temperate, courteous, hospitable, and a good teacher; he must (be).. forbearing, avoiding quarrels, and no lover of money."
List of Ministers
1812-1818 John Calvert1822-1825 Robert Aspinall
1825-1829 Richard Harper
1830-1833 John Williams
1842-1844 Mr Dalton
1845-1847 Mr Tyson
1848-1852 James Morish
1887-1888 James Bishop Robertson
1922-1929 B A Millard
1929-1943 Gilbert H Leeson
1943-1947 Thomas Arthur Bairstow
1948-1951 F K Mitchell
1952-1958 J Stewart Tomlinson
1961-1964 William Speck
1965-1975 George William Curry
1978-1986 Angela MV Robinson (Pedlar)
1988-1997 Rachel Nicholls
1997-2003 Graham Adams
2003-present Peter R Thomas
Current Deacons
Christine Chisholm (Church Secretary)Pat Brand, Alyson Gill, Mary Flather
Helen Kerr, Pat & Terry Haycock
Jean Slater (Treasurer)
1 Timothy 3
Deacons must also have a good character and be sincere; they must not drink too much wine or be greedy for money; they should hold to the revealed truth of the faith with a clear conscience .. Their wives also must be of good character and must not gossip; they must be sober and honest in everything. A deacon must have only one wife, and be able to manage his children and family well.
Current Minister - Revd Peter Thomas
Originally from South Wales,
Peter joined the church as its minister in 2003. He also
works for NISCU (the Northern Inter-Schools Christian Union)
which is dedicated to providing high quality, relevant
Christian education to children through assemblies, clubs
and lessons at both primary and secondary schools throughout
the South Craven area.
Peter is married to Kathryn, has
two children and lives in Grassington. He works with the
Deacons who are responsible for pastoral care of the
congregation and for day-to-day management of church affairs
(finance, administration, repairs and maintenance etc).
The Diaconate
Deacons are appointed by the
Church Meeting to oversee implementation of its decisions,
to support the Minister, to undertake key administrative
roles (ie Church Secretary & Treasurer) and to exercise
specific expertise (eg property maintenance, spiritual
leadership, and pastoral counselling). For a more
comprehensive description of the role of the diaconate click
here.
"The Priesthood of all Believers"
The church believes that all its members have direct, free
and unencumbered access to God through study, prayer and
contemplation. Sunday services are without ritual or
formality - their purpose is to thank God for revelations
received, to pray for those in need, to listen to the Word
of God as expressed in the Bible (and to discern its correct
context and interpretation), to express joy in
Christian community through music and song, and to
demonstrate unity and commitment to God's purposes through
the sacrament of communion.
Ministers in the Church are ordained to a ministry of word
and sacrament. They use their learning to lead worship,
educate and inform, they officiate at the sacraments of
baptism and communion, and they provide spiritual leadership
within the community.
The Church Meeting
Belief in the "Priesthood of all Believers" inevitably
results in the adoption of a democratic form of church
government. At Grassington Congregation Church this
takes the form of the monthly Church Meeting whose decisions
are binding on the whole congregation (including the
Minister and the Deacons). For a list of the Church Rules,
including those relating to the Church Meeting, click
here.
The Membership Covenant of Grassington Congregational
Church (1811)
“We who by nature were sinners ready to perish, having by the good Spirit and abundant grace of God been led to see our dreadful state by nature as fallen in Adam and far from God; and having, we trust, tasted of the grace of God in converting, promised and communicated Mercy; we do sincerely, unfeignedly, and without reserve, desire to give up ourselves to the Lord and to each other; to walk together in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, to watch over one another in love, to exhort with diligence, rebuke with meakness and without partiality, and to pray for and seek the edification of each other in all things pertaining to life and godliness.”
“We profess ourselves to be of that persuasion which is generally called Calvinistic, tho' we call no man Lord or Master in what we profess, but receive the whole word of God as the rule of our faith and the test of our experience. The Assembly's Catechism comes the nearest to our sentiments of any published opinions, as having a tendency to humble the sinner, exalt the Saviour, and promote holiness in heart and life.”
“With respect to our church government, we call ourselves Independents or Congregationalists, readily receiving the advice of any other similar society if we see that we need the same, but not to he under the jurisdiction of any other person or society whatever.”