About us
We are an open, welcoming group of people who meet to discover together more about God and what faith means in the modern world. We hope you would soon feel at home with us, whether you call in for a special service or come more regularly. Our main Sunday service starts at 10.30 pm. Our minister is Rev. John Goddard (see below).
We try to be a church which welcomes and serves everyone in the name of Jesus Christ. We want to help everyone to grasp how all-embracing the love of Christ is.
As Christians, we worship one God who shows himself to us in three ways:
- God is the creator of the universe and we wonder at the universe still being revealed to us.
- The character of God is shown in Jesus of Nazareth who lived in Palestine in the first century. Jesus was put to death on a cross because he confronted the forces of evil and the authorities of his time in the name of God. Shortly after his death he appeared to his friends alive. His readiness to give himself unsparingly in the service of others and his willingness to sacrifice his life demonstrates God’s love for us. Through his resurrection God offers love, forgiveness and a new life to everyone.
- God is with us in spirit today, living and active in the human community, inspiring us, challenging us, guiding us, if we will let him.
As part of the world-wide Christian church, Baptists form one of the largest families of faith, with many different strands and theological viewpoints. For Baptists, the concept of a family is important. The church is not so much a particular place or building, but rather a family of believers, committed to Christ, to one another and to the service of God in the world. Each church family appoints and pays for its own minister, and manages and funds its own activities.
Saffron Walden Baptist Church belongs to the Baptist Union of Great Britain and a wider understanding of Baptists can be found on their website:
We are one of the more than 170 churches in the Eastern Baptist Association and have close links with our local Baptist village churches in Ashdon, Great Sampford and Thaxted. We also work closely with other Christian groups in Saffron Walden through Churches Together.
John and Karen Goddard
John, our minister, and his wife Karen moved to Saffron Walden in 2013, together with their then teenage sons Sean and Liam (now university students). They have been married 25 years, having met whilst students at the University of Nottingham.
John previously led churches in Oxfordshire and Cumbria. He grew up in a Methodist family and became a local preacher when he was just 16. John loves to help others explore the Bible, and encounter the Christlike God revealed there. Issues of peace, justice and equality are important to both John and Karen and they are both committed to seeing the wider church become more fully inclusive.
Karen works locally as a PA and Office Manager, and coordinates our Explorers group on Sunday mornings – for children aged 4 to 10.
Since moving to Saffron Walden Karen and John have enjoyed becoming a part of the town’s community. They both volunteer at our local classical music concert venue, Saffron Hall, whilst Karen also volunteers at our community cinema Saffron Screen. They feel it is good to be in a town where the churches work together in friendship rather than competition, and John is involved in helping to coordinate the activities of Churches Together in Saffron Walden.
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