Home/Our Vision
Our Story, our Vision and our Inspiration....
Our birth
It's all 'new' for us because Wellspring Church was formed, informally, in 2013 from the coming-together of the Methodist and Baptist Churches in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, formalised at a special gathering in Sept. 2014 at which the two churches came together as a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) to form a new church.
This has been a very courageous move by members of the two churches, for many of the people have had long associations with their original, separate, church. To give that up, to embrace new ways of doing things isn't easy, whatever age you are.
We are linked to Churches Together for Derbyshire, and have strong links to our local 'Churches Together in Wirksworth & District' group.
Our Story, our Vision and our Inspiration....
Our birth
It's all 'new' for us because Wellspring Church was formed, informally, in 2013 from the coming-together of the Methodist and Baptist Churches in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, formalised at a special gathering in Sept. 2014 at which the two churches came together as a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) to form a new church.
This has been a very courageous move by members of the two churches, for many of the people have had long associations with their original, separate, church. To give that up, to embrace new ways of doing things isn't easy, whatever age you are.
We are linked to Churches Together for Derbyshire, and have strong links to our local 'Churches Together in Wirksworth & District' group.
Our Story
"Where you are now depends on where you came from".
That wise statement prompts us to tell our story, the story of the Baptists and Methodists in Wirksworth.
Their coming-together in 2014 was the latest chapter in a noble story of faith and faithfulness.
Jenny Few has written an account of the early stages of the Baptist movement in the town; view it by clicking here. In 2015 she added a final chapter to the story which charts the move from two churches into one. It can be accessed here.
The Methodist building, which Wellspring now occupies and has our 'Wellspring' sign above the front door, was originally the Adam Bede Memorial Chapel. It has stood here in one form or another for many decades, going back to the 19th century. More details of its history will be added here in due course.
"Where you are now depends on where you came from".
That wise statement prompts us to tell our story, the story of the Baptists and Methodists in Wirksworth.
Their coming-together in 2014 was the latest chapter in a noble story of faith and faithfulness.
Jenny Few has written an account of the early stages of the Baptist movement in the town; view it by clicking here. In 2015 she added a final chapter to the story which charts the move from two churches into one. It can be accessed here.
The Methodist building, which Wellspring now occupies and has our 'Wellspring' sign above the front door, was originally the Adam Bede Memorial Chapel. It has stood here in one form or another for many decades, going back to the 19th century. More details of its history will be added here in due course.
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Our Vision - 2014
In September 2013 we felt a 'push' from God, calling us to be quite clear about our ecumenical vision. So we produced an initial 'Statement' (click here) which encapsulated where we were at that time. It helps to tell our story and may well be an inspiration to other churches thinking of changes to their structure.
Subsequenly we refined our Vision and placed it under six key headings (2014) :
WORSHIP
'Praise, prayer and teaching will be happening in a variety of ways with different groups – and not always on Sundays.'
CARING
'The minister will not only look after church members, but will be in contact with a wide range of people, sharing this ministry with others in the church who have a gift for caring.'
COMMUNITY
'The next minister will live in Wirksworth. Along with other ministers and with lay Christians, he or she will be involved in a lot of what’s happening in the town.'
OUTREACH
'As a growing church, we will be sharing our faith and encouraging people we know to make a commitment to Christ.'
BUILDINGS
'Our premises will be right for the many ways of worshipping God in the 21st century. They will be welcoming - and an asset which the whole town will want to use.'
FINANCE
'We will give sacrificially so that our witness is not hampered by lack of funds.'
In September 2013 we felt a 'push' from God, calling us to be quite clear about our ecumenical vision. So we produced an initial 'Statement' (click here) which encapsulated where we were at that time. It helps to tell our story and may well be an inspiration to other churches thinking of changes to their structure.
Subsequenly we refined our Vision and placed it under six key headings (2014) :
WORSHIP
'Praise, prayer and teaching will be happening in a variety of ways with different groups – and not always on Sundays.'
CARING
'The minister will not only look after church members, but will be in contact with a wide range of people, sharing this ministry with others in the church who have a gift for caring.'
COMMUNITY
'The next minister will live in Wirksworth. Along with other ministers and with lay Christians, he or she will be involved in a lot of what’s happening in the town.'
OUTREACH
'As a growing church, we will be sharing our faith and encouraging people we know to make a commitment to Christ.'
BUILDINGS
'Our premises will be right for the many ways of worshipping God in the 21st century. They will be welcoming - and an asset which the whole town will want to use.'
FINANCE
'We will give sacrificially so that our witness is not hampered by lack of funds.'
Our Vision - 2018
Kevin has been with us now for over a year and this seemed a right time to look back over the past few years and refine our vision. The Trustee team (of which Kevin is part) agreed in September 2018 that our focus should be expressed in the following way :
- We delight to be a worshipping community, acknowledging the living presence of God in whom we find our identity and wholeness.
- We seek to follow the example of Jesus, sharing the love of God in word and action, meeting people where they are, seeing life transformed.
- We aim to be a community of welcome, offering unlimited hospitality and acceptance. Recognising the need for risk-taking we seek to explore new ways of being church that enable people to encounter God in today’s world.
Our Growth
Put briefly - we are 'a work in progress' with a vision of 'doing church differently'.
This website will naturally change because we, as a community of people seeking to serve God in our town, will be changing too over the next months and years; that's the way we see our mission going - a developing and an engaging work.
It has been said of a 'church' that its job is to 'find out what God is doing and join Him in doing that work'.
That's what Wellspring is trying to do.
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Put briefly - we are 'a work in progress' with a vision of 'doing church differently'.
This website will naturally change because we, as a community of people seeking to serve God in our town, will be changing too over the next months and years; that's the way we see our mission going - a developing and an engaging work.
It has been said of a 'church' that its job is to 'find out what God is doing and join Him in doing that work'.
That's what Wellspring is trying to do.
TOP