Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who are you?
A: We're a new church, with an old background. Riverside was
formed in March 2008 when Sleaford Community Church and Sleaford United
Reformed Church united.
Q: What denomination are you?
A: That's a difficult question to give a straight answer to! We
are a part of the United Reformed Church, meeting in the buildings owned
by the URC. We are proud of our URC background and membership.
But we're also a little bit different from many URCs. You are
welcome to have a copy of our constitution if you would like to
understand a bit more, but perhaps the easiest way is for you to come
and see for yourself!
Q: What do you believe?
A: We are an evangelical Christian Church, which means we take
the Bible very seriously as the highest authority for what we believe
and do. To join the membership role of Riverside, you need to
affirm your belief in either the Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith, or
the United Reformed Church Statement of Faith (or both!)
Q: Do you celebrate Holy Communion/the Lord's Supper?
A: Yes. We believe that
Communion, when we share bread
and wine and remember the Last Supper that Jesus shared with His
disciples before good Friday, is a time to remember what Jesus did for
us when He went to the cross. We normally celebrate Communion on
the second Sunday morning of each month.
Q: What about baptism?
A: We offer both infant baptism and believer's baptism by full
immersion. Because parents are asked to make some serious promises
about bringing their child up in the faith of the Christian Church, we
only offer infant baptism where one or both parents, or at least one
Godparent, are a part of our church. We are delighted to welcome
other children in worship with a service of thanksgiving and dedication.
For those old enough to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour,
we offer baptism by full immersion.
Q: Are children welcome at your church?
A: Yes, definitely! Our Sunday morning worship starts
with all ages together, before the children go out to groups where they
can learn more about God in age and ability-appropriate groups.
(Parents are welcome to keep their children in for the whole service if
they prefer to do that.) We have a creche for babies and
pre-school children and other groups for children up to the age of about
14. The oldest group (11-14) normally rejoin the adults for
Communion on the second Sunday of each month, and we have all-age
Communion services at other times of the year. We do not expect
parents to "sit on" children when they are in the main service -
children like to make noises and move, and if yours do, they'll simply
be joining the crowd!
Q: What sort of worship do you have?
A: Again, there is no simple answer to this. Most of our
worship on Sunday mornings is led by our worship group (keyboard,
guitars, flute, cornet and singers), but we also make use of our pipe
organ. Music for Sunday evenings is often provided by a single guitar
or keyboard. There are other forms and patterns of worship during
the week, including a traditional "hymn-prayer sandwich" service the
fourth Thursday afternoon of each month from September 2008.
Q: What about giving money to the church?
A: We expect our regular worshippers to give to meet the cost
of ministry and mission of the Church, but do not require a tithe (10%
of your income.) Our understanding of the Bible is that
everything we have comes from God and should be used for His
purposes, some of which will be used directly through the church, whilst
other parts of your income should support your own favourite charities,
and still other parts to provide a living for you! We encourage
you to use all that you have (money, possession and personal talents) in
a way which pleases and brings glory to God.
Q: Do you work with other churches?
Yes - we are a member of Churches Together in Sleaford and District, and
seek to work closely with all other Christian churches wherever
possible. We have volunteers working in The Source cafe and other
projects of ours who are part of other churches in and around the town.
We join for united acts of worship on several occasions during the year
and value the insight we gain from Christian brothers and sisters of
other traditions.
Q: Where can I find out more?
A: Why not come to Riverside and see for yourself what we are like, or
use our Contact page by clicking on
this link to
send us a message? We look forward to meeting you.
