About Us

Beliefs

Hetton IM Church is an independent evangelical church located in Hetton-le-Hole.

We are a church family made up of people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. We love and trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, and we believe that the Bible is God’s Word to all mankind and to us personally. Our aim is to listen, to understand, and to respond to God’s Word and to follow what it teaches.

The word ‘Evangelical’ means that we identify with Christians who for 2000 years have declared the good news of the love of God in the Lord Jesus and have looked to the Bible for what to believe and how to live.

We thank God for all He has done for us, and we believe His promises; that He is with us now, and that we shall be with Him for ever. For all this we worship Him, and we warmly invite you to come and join us and discover for yourself the joy of knowing Jesus.

Our church belongs to the Independent Methodist Connexion of Churches and we adopt the Connexion’s Statement of Faith.

For more information about the Independent Methodist Connexion log onto the Independent Methodist Churches website.

If you are interested in finding out more, why not e-mail us?

History

A Brief History

Compiled by Shaun Newton 2001
Abridged by Georgina Smith 2004

William Booth founded the ‘East London Christian Mission’ (later re-named the ‘Salvation Army’) in 1865 and by the early 1880’s had ventured north, and a corps was started around in late 1881 / early 1882 in the village.

Differences arose between members of this corps, resulting in the formation of a splinter group, which became knows as the ‘Christ’s Army.’ Having been formed, this new body of believers required a building in which to worship.

Nothing else is known of the Christ’s Army other than the mortgage indenture of 1884 which relates to the property. This is the only title deed until 1892 when the Church, now known as the Christian Lay Church (C.L.C.) registered the property on the Bethany Deed (This was due to the fact that Trust Deed for the Bethany Christian Lay Church became a ‘Model Deed’ for the other Christian Lay Churches).

What was known as the ‘Christ’s Army’ became associated with the Christian Lay Church movement (which originated in Sunderland, in 1877), and eventually joined the Sunderland Circuit of the Christian Lay Churches as a member Church, from which time it became known as Hetton-le-Hole Christian Lay Church.

Initially using the Miners’ Hall, in which to worship, the Christ’s Army acquired land on the Avenue, directly opposite the Miners’ Hall. The Christ’s Army bought the land and as it continued as the Christian Lay Church so it continued to build that property in which to worship. The building work was started at the lower end of the street, which was then known as ‘East Avenue’, with the work commencing first on a schoolroom, then two cottages and finally the main chapel itself. It was not until 1889 that the ‘Church’ was opened, with a service of dedication on Saturday 31st August 1889 at 3.00pm.

It is said that the male members, who were miners by profession, would leave the pit after their shift had finished and would comence work building the church. Their wives duly bringing their food to the building site.

This body of believers known as the ‘Christ’s Army’ were not known by that name for long as they soon adopted the name of the ‘Christian Lay Church’ which was followed in time by ‘Independent Methodist Lay Church’ and then the name by which it is known today, ‘Independent Methodist Church.’

Over the years Hetton Church has been involved with many outreach events in the community and beyond.

In 1968 our choirmaster, George Kirkbride, led the Northern Counties Confederation Choir at Newcastle City hall where Cliff Richard held a gospel concert. Many of our members were involved in this event which was televised by Tyne Tees Television. In 1969 the TV cameras were in the church itself filming The Joybells on the 27th April.

No details available

1931

1949

1931

1950

Mrs. Maddisons 80th Birthday

1950

Senior member 1949

Church Trip

Ralph and Ethel Bolton

T.W.Stout 1960-61

No details available

Cliff Richard 1968

The Joybells 1969

Easter sittings 1970

Ethel McDonald

People

Ministers

David Wakefield

Gill & Shaun are our Ministers

They are accredited with the Independent Methodist Connexion of Churches of which our church is a member.

You will often find Gill or Shaun either in our own pulpit or the pulpit of another church which may be local or afar off.

Church President

Shaun Newton
shaun@hettonimchurch.org

Elders

Shaun Newton
Gill Tweddle

Church Secretary

David Wakefield
Beryl Wakefield berylwakefield@btinternet.com

Deacons

Keith Robinson

David Wakefield

Beryl Wakefield

Ruth Wilson

Paula Wright

Contacts

Church Finances

Gary Pressley & Gill Tweddle
shaunnew@aol.com

Safeguarding Officer

Shaun Newton

Reporter

Georgina Smith

Flowers

Dorothy Rogers

Bible Study

Shaun Newton

Blessing Services

Georgina Smith
melgina@aol.com

Youth Work & Sunday School

Paula Wright
shaunnew@aol.com

Women's Auxillary

Dorothy Rogers

Craft Club

Georgina Smith

School Assemblies

Shaun Newton

Church Membership

What is church Membership?

Membership of a Church, is a Christian’s personal commitment to identify with that local church. Membership is a statement of agreement with the purpose and mission of a church, as well as participating in the life of the church for mutual caring, spiritual growing, and accountability.

Why Church Membership?

Everyone is welcome at Hetton-le-Hole Independent Methodist Church. Whether you are a member or not, you will always be part of our church family, but some feel they need a deeper commitment and through church membership this is offered. We hope God will challenge you to make a deeper step and partner with us further through membership. Membership does have its privileges… and its responsibilities! Commitment through Church membership often paves the way for God to richly bless those who serve Him as a part of the body of Christ.

curated-lifestyle-zGLn-inLTFQ-unsplash (1)

What does Church Membership mean to us?

\

Commitment

Church membership underscores the Biblical principles of commitment and covenant. There are several ways to express commitment mentioned in the Bible. Taking an oath (Nehemiah 10:28), verbal declaration (Joshua 24:15) offering of a sacrifice (Genesis 31:43-52) and a written agreement (Nehemiah 9:38) are all statements of commitment in the Bible.

\

Responsibility

Commitment via church membership fosters the godly qualities of responsibility and ownership toward God’s work. When we feel this is “my church family”, we are concerned about the needs, activities, and people of our church. We see more clearly that the people we worship with are not merely fellow Christians but actually brothers and sisters in the household of God.

\

Relationship

Membership helps to foster a spirit of community within the church, and this helps individuals know that they belong to something special and important. Relationships and community are key aspects in our lives as Christians. When Christians in Acts urged others to become Christians, they recognized that it didn’t mean just joining God, but joining them as well (Acts 2:37-47).

\

Leadership

Church membership provides our church with a practical means of knowing who is committed to the work of God amongst us. It would not be proper for a person to have the privilege of influence without the responsibility of commitment. Those who are in places of influence and leadership must first be tested.

Will I have to become a member?

No! Anyone can attend the church, but while the church will continually encourage deeper levels of commitment, people will not be pressured in any way.

What are the responsibilities of membership?

The responsibilities of membership are:

Worshipping – Worship keeps your soul, and the soul of our church, alive. Our church is set in our community to shine as a lighthouse for Jesus Christ and will shine as long as its members remain faithful in the matter of public worship. When people of God begin to forsake the house of God on the Lord’s Day, God’s work begins to languish and the light begins to fail. When conflicts arise on a Sunday, we need to ask ourselves, does this have to keep me from church?

Learning – Anyone who helps others must first develop a growing faith and be able to articulate it. Participating in Bible study groups and developing the habit of daily Bible study are ways to continue learning about the character of God.

Praying – The highest and deepest benefit you can receive from prayer is knowing that God has heard you. Start the practice of daily prayer at a time that is best for you. The worth of a prayer is not determined by its grammatical correctness, but by its sincerity. The main thing is to speak with God about the things that trouble, delight, or confuse you. Be persistent in your requests, turning your petitions to align with God’s will.

Giving – You are expected to financially support the church. You should give freely and cheerfully without any thought of reward (2 Cor. 9:7). We believe your giving should be systematic and proportionate.

Witnessing – “You will be my witnesses,” said Jesus, “in Jerusalem [that is, at home], in all Judea and Samaria [ the surrounding areas], and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). At the same time that Jesus commissioned His disciples, He set forth your responsibility to spread the Gospel everywhere. This does not mean you have to stand on street corners reading scripture, but you can be effective witness to friends, co-workers, and family members.

Serving – There is a place of service awaiting you somewhere in the church. God has given you a talent to be used.

How do I become a member?

The following outline provides a picture of the process.

Each individual has to have made a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Saviour.
Each prospective member should speak to one of the Elders or Deacons, who will provide them with a copy of the Church Membership Book.
Application would then be made for Church Membership, by the completing of the “Form of Declaration” from the Membership Book.
Interview with the Leadership.
Acceptance by the Church Meeting.
Following a successful probationery period, there will be a Public Affirmation of membership to the Church Family (if so desired).