OUR VISION
Throughout Scripture, God often uses the image of a river to represent life with Him and His renewing work in the world.
In Ezekiel 47, we see water flowing from the temple, growing into a mighty river that brings healing and renewal wherever it goes. This river symbolises God's presence, the Holy Spirit, and the power of the gospel bringing heaven to earth.
God has placed our church in Hampton Wick beside the Thames River in Southwest London—an invitation to be part of the renewal He is bringing. We long to see His Kingdom come here in England, across Europe, and throughout the world.
To see Southwest London become Fully Alive in Christ.
VISION
MISSION
We are a family of disciples, making disciples, carrying God’s presence to the world.
VALUES
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We want to see people move from apathy and insecurity to becoming presence filled disciples. We seek God before anything else, believing that transformed lives and fruitful mission begin in His presence. Through prayer, worship, freedom, and holy expectancy, we make room for the Holy Spirit to form us into people who are fully alive in Christ.
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We long to see people move from an isolation and individualism to be a part of the family of God rooted in Scripture and shaped by the gospel. A family that practices radical hospitality where people from all walks of life are met with mercy, breaking down barriers with love, and gathering around tables turning the ordinary into the sacred.
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Because Jesus has given us life, we joyfully join His mission. We serve with humility, love boldly, take faithful risks, and live with intentional urgency so that the world might encounter the life of Christ through us.
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God is still writing stories of redemption. As we follow Jesus, we expect Him to renew lives, restore communities, and bring beauty where there was brokenness. The scripture calls us to go and tell what the Lord has done. We celebrate His work, cultivate creativity, and anticipate His Kingdom transforming Southwest London until it is fully alive in Christ.
Beliefs
Church on the Thames is a part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the London Baptist Association. We are a church that believes in the authority of the Christian scriptures for all of life and practice.
We invite you to explore our beliefs and join us in our pursuit of becoming fully alive in Christ.
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We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons in one essence: The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of all things, visible and invisible. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, present everywhere, and he is morally perfect.
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We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
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Jesus of Nazareth is God incarnate, fully human, and fully divine. He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. He is the Messiah promised to Israel for the salvation of those from every nation, tribe, people, and language. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died, and was buried. He rose on the third day, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God.
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The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is sent to indwell, guide, teach, and empower the believer; and convict the world of sin. It is the will of God that every believer should live by and be filled with the Holy Spirit, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. The gifts of the Spirit are available to all believers today. He gifts us to accomplish Christ’s purposes in the world through Christ’s Church.
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Humanity is created in the image of God, and every human has inherent dignity and worth. However, when Adam and Eve, the first humans, sinned against God, they fractured humanity’s perfect union with God. Fallen humans are sinners by nature and by choice and are alienated from God, and only through the saving work of Jesus Christ can they be reunited with God, both now and in eternity.
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Salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. All those who repent and confess Christ, his life, death, and resurrection, are saved. At salvation, followers of Jesus are united to Christ and each other through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, who assures them of their right standing before God and empowers them to progressively experience the redemption of their humanity in light of Christ’s perfect example.
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All followers of Jesus comprise the universal church, of which Jesus Christ is the head. The universal church exists in many unique, local expressions. The church exists to worship God, equip believers, and to carry forward the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to do everything Jesus commanded. The church is to practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the two ordinances given by Jesus.
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At a time appointed by God and known only to him, Jesus Christ will bodily return to the earth and establish his eternal kingdom. He will make all things new, reconciling creation to himself. He will judge the living and the dead, assigning eternal salvation to believers and final judgment to unbelievers. The imminent coming of Christ should inspire godly living and commitment to the mission of the Gospel.
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The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the final authority for followers of Jesus. Though written by human authors, it is divinely inspired and reveals everything humanity must know for salvation. It is composed of 66 documents, which have been recognized as divinely inspired and authoritative since the time of their writing. The Bible is the standard against which every moral or religious claim must be measured.
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Living in the way of Jesus calls us to embrace his vision of faithfulness in sexuality. This involves abstaining from sexual relationships outside the covenant of marriage, avoiding pornography and inappropriate relationships, and pursuing holiness by God's grace. We believe that God created humans as male and female in his image. Marriage, as ordained by God, is a lifelong, covenantal union between one man and one woman, reflecting Christ's relationship with the Church. Sexual intimacy is intended exclusively for this marriage covenant, and indulging any sexual desire outside this bond is against God's creational intent. We are committed to understanding and addressing the heart issues related to LGBTQI+ experiences. We are committed to leading out in Christ's love, compassion, and justice while rejecting all forms of hatred and abuse.
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I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen. -
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten not made,
one in being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen. -
Written by the original founding members of Hampton Wick Baptist Church:
We the foundation members of this Church, gratefully accepting by repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ the gift of salvation, covenant with God our Father and with one another to be a gathered Church for the worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel, and the observance of the Sacraments of Believers’ Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We now pledge to Him, in the strength He will supply:
our faithful attendance at the means of grace,
our faithful giving to the work of the Lord at home and overseas,
our practice of unity in the Spirit, and love for one another,
our united endeavours for the increase of our Saviour’s Kingdom.
AMEN