About Us
Welcome to
Welcome! Whether you’ve just moved to the area, or have lived here all your life, we hope our website helps you to find out everything you want to know about Freedom Church.
There has been a church serving the local community and beyond from our location in Sidley, Bexhill since 1913. We are keen to continue and build upon this great legacy in a way that is contemporary and connects in an authentic, meaningful way with those of all ages around us. Our recent name change to Freedom Church embraces this desire and reflects the heart of Jesus to bring real freedom and wholeness to us all — spiritually, emotionally and physically.
In seeking to join in with God’s wonderful work we are happy to partner with like-minded organisations whose details you will find in the Missions section below. We are also part of a wider church family with network of over 2,000 congregations across the UK. You can read about this below in the Beliefs section.
If there is anything else you need to know please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to meet for a coffee and chat, or why not come and join us one Sunday morning? Either way we look forward to meeting you!
Leadership Team, Freedom Church
Our Beliefs
Freedom Church is a Baptist church in the South Eastern Baptist Association, affiliated to the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
We acknowledge the God who is Three in one: God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Our commitment to Christ is founded on everything we learn of his life and teaching from the ancient eyewitness accounts that have been collected to form the New Testament of the Bible. He is the perfect image, in human form, of God the Father.
Not only do we hold to Jesus’ teaching, we believe — as do all branches of the worldwide Christian church — that Jesus was brought back from death and continues to live. By faith, we have a relationship with him that sustains our Spiritual life. This allows us to live with a sense of freedom that comes from putting aside an imperfect past, lets us live reconciled to God in an imperfect present, and looks forward to a perfect future because Jesus has offered us an eternal life that starts now and continues past our physical death.
Our faith goes far beyond historical records and teaching. We know that with us, now, God the Holy Spirit is actively working inside us on a daily basis, keeping us spiritually aware and working to change us into being increasingly like Jesus.
We adhere to the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith — you can read this in full by clicking ‘Our Statement of Faith’ below. Of course, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Our Statement of Faith
We believe in…
1. The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
2. The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
3. The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God-fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
4. The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
5. The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
6. The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
7. The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
8. The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
9. The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
10. The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers – given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
11. The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
Our building
We’re blessed to have a permanent place to meet, right in the heart of our community.
Our church building in Sidley provides a welcoming space for our church activities, including space for our Sunday services and kids activities. There’s also a café space for a relaxed coffee in the week or after a church service.
We’re proud to offer our venue for use by local businesses and other community organisations. The space is newly-renovated and has all of the necessary facilities. You can find out more and send an enquiry on our Venue Hire page.
Our Team
Freedom Church is led by a dedicated leadership team and our minister, Rev Sally Sago.
The church uncovers and develops the gifts with which God has blessed our congregation; we have several strong preachers and people gifted in leading us in worship and prayer, others who offer pastoral support, and those who help with finances, admin & other practical issues.
We encourage everyone to play an active role in the church, without boundaries of class, gender or ethnic origin.
Rev Sally Sago
Minister
Phil
Trustee, Deacon, Treasurer
Peter
Secretary, Trustee, Deacon
Barry
Trustee, Deacon
Liz
Admin, Trustee, Deacon
Our Church History
We’ve been around in Sidley since 1913!
The land was originally bought by the sons of Charles Spurgeon, a leader of a Victorian mega-church in London. At this time, just a corrugated iron chapel was built – pictured here in 1948, next to the first brick-built hall. In 1958, this was followed by a brick-built chapel, which is still standing as part of the building complex today.
You’ll see from the historic photos that we’ve changed a bit since back then!
Over the decades, the buildings have expanded piecemeal to fit the needs of new generations.
In early 2020, we transitioned as a church from being known as Sidley Baptist Church to our new name: Freedom Church. As much as we’d have loved to celebrate this with a big celebration, the limitations of Covid-19 have meant a rather quieter launch!
Why Freedom?
We looked for a name that would express how we feel about our faith in Christ in a single word. After much discussion, we decided on ‘Freedom’, resulting in the birth of Freedom Church! We love this word ‘Freedom’ because this reflects so well the feelings we have when you become a Christian; Jesus offers freedom from sin and a relationship with God.
Missions we support
‘Mission’ means different things to different people. At Freedom Church we believe that it refers to any activity that God has commanded us to do that involves working with the wider community, whether that be in Sidley, the UK or overseas.
We have close relationships with the following organisations: (click an organisation name to expand)
Christians Against Poverty
Freedom Church is in partnership with Christians Against Poverty via CAP Centre Bexhill and houses its Bexhill offices.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a national debt counselling charity working through a network of centres based in local churches. CAP offers hope and a solution to anyone in debt through its unique, in-depth service. It offers Debt Advice and Coaching free of charge.
The charity operates through a growing network of UK centres, all opened in partnership with a local church. CAP began in 1996 when John Kirkby, armed with a £10 donation, started to help people in his local community who were trapped in debt.
The charity is now a fast-paced, growing organisation whose vision is to answer the national problem of debt in the UK by having at least one Debt Centre operating in every major town and city by the year 2015.
Debt counselling
CAP aims to show God’s love in action by providing sustainable poverty relief through debt counselling, advice and practical help. Its unique ‘hands on’ approach empowers people to help themselves out of poverty and be released from the fear, oppression and worry generated by overwhelming debts. CAP provides sustainable poverty relief as the service teaches clients vital budgeting skills that will last a lifetime.
Questions
- Is Christians Against Poverty just for Christians?
No, CAP helps anyone regardless of their religious beliefs. CAP aims to ensure that nobody receives less than favourable treatment on the grounds of race, nationality, religion, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.
- Does it cost anything?
No. The service is completely free. However, CAP always offers people the opportunity to give donations to the charity so we can help more families. This is completely voluntary and is not required from clients.
- Do creditors cooperate with CAP?
Yes. CAP has a great reputation within the financial industry which means that companies are happy to work with them because they have seen the results of CAP’s involvement and they know that CAP offers fair repayments based on what clients can afford.
If you are struggling with debt, you can phone CAP’s freephone number 0800 328 0006 to book an appointment with Ros, the Centre Manager.
To find out more, you can visit the Bexhill CAP Centre website here.
The Pelham
The Pelham is an exciting project that our church launched and nurtured into independence! A large but dilapidated pub/hotel was purchased and transformed into a local hub to use for community benefit and to show God’s love for the community.
The Pelham aims to enrich lives in practical and diverse ways for our community in Sidley, through connection, encouragement and opportunities in an era of isolation and great challenge.
You can find out more at The Pelham website here.
Acts 435
Acts 435 is a revolutionary website that allows people to give money directly to others at their specific point of need.
A single mother or father may need £110 to get their car back on the road or an elderly person living in your area may have a gas bill they just can’t meet, Acts 435 can help.
100% of what is donated via Acts 435 goes directly to those in need. You can find out more by watching this Youtube video.
Street Pastors
Street Pastors is an inter-denominational Church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, to listen and to dialogue.
It was pioneered in London in January 2003 by Rev Les Isaac, Director of the Ascension Trust, and has seen some remarkable results, including drops in crime in areas where teams have been working. There are now over 100 teams around the United Kingdom.
Each city project is set up by Ascension Trust and run by a local coordinator, with support from Ascension Trust and local churches and community groups. Each project also partners with the local Police, Council and other statutory agencies.
Freedom Church has been actively involved with Street Pastors for some time — to find out more, contact the church office.
Running Space
Running Space is a novel initiative, aimed at improving mental health and preventing suicide by organising community running and sharing sessions.
Running Space was a finalist in the BBC Unsung Hero of the Year 2019. Their website shows the clip from this TV broadcast, explaining Running Space’s activities and some of its members.
International Interests
Below are some of those that we support as a church, either financially or through prayer and other support.
Richard & Margareta Mayhew
Former members of our church, Richard and Margareta are now serving in Nazareth, where Richard is the CEO of the Nazareth Trust, which runs a major hospital and training school for nurses.
Serving in the hometown of Jesus since 1861, the Nazareth Trust is one of the most established and prominent Christian organisations in Israel. Every year they engage with over 250,000 people – patients and their families, students, international volunteers, pilgrims and tourists, as well as their valued staff.
The Nazareth Trust is unique in its position in the Middle East, aiming to reach out to the local population and to the wider world, irrespective of faith, political persuasion or tradition, through healthcare, through education, through proclamation and through service.
You can find out more via this video on Youtube.
BMS World Mission
As a Baptist Church we are also members of BMS World Mission. This is a Christian mission organisation, working in around 34 countries on four continents. BMS believes in holistic mission, an approach that stays true to the Christian call to evangelisation without neglecting the duty to take care of the physical needs of the poor.
BMS works through long, medium and short-term workers, teams and volunteers, as well as a large number of supported national partner workers around the world, providing people, funding, training and expertise in the core areas of our work:
- Church planting
- Development
- Disaster relief
- Education
- Health
- Media and advocacy
As one of the world’s oldest Protestant mission organisations (founded in 1792 by William Carey, the father of modern mission) BMS has long-standing relationships with partner organisations, umbrella mission agencies and local church unions in the countries in which it works. This, along with a long-term approach, ethical policies and supreme cultural sensitivity, has made BMS one of the most trusted names in mission worldwide.
What’s On
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