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SilverRoadBaptist
Norwich church seeks repentance for past hurts 

As part of their journey to discern the future for their church, Silver Road Baptist Church is issuing a heartfelt and open invitation to all those that have been hurt in the past by actions of the church, to join them for a service of Repentance by the Church and Reconciliation.

In October Silver Road Baptist Church, in North Norwich, began the first of two seasons of Prayer and Fasting, one before Christmas and one after.  It is part of their journey to seek God concerning the future of the church including reaching out into the Mousehold community where it is situated, and follows the retirement of their former minister, Ian Charles, in April.

They are truly grateful to those who have been faithfully committing these things to prayer over the past 9 weeks. There is a clear sense that God is answering the prayers through small yet unexpected encouragements for which the church is so thankful.

However, the church has also received from several different sources Scriptures and clear words which they believe have come from God. These have all focused in some way on the past journey of Silver Road Baptist Church, particularly over the last 50 years.

David Adams, former minister of Witard Road Baptist Church, who has been the Moderator at Silver Road Baptist Church since April 2016, said: “In any organisation and especially in church life where relationships are a key factor, it is inevitable that things do not always run smoothly! People disagree, relationships get damaged sometimes very severely, and people move on without any true Scriptural resolution of the situation.

“This results in the life and witness of the Church suffering enormously and allows past history to negatively affect future potential because God has been offended by the breakdown. This has happened at Silver Road.”.

He continues: “The current leadership together with the church membership have therefore unanimously agreed that we must deal with the past in order to move forward with confidence.

“On Sunday 8th January 2017 at 11am we are inviting by letter, and all other means possible, any person who over the years has been hurt by the actions of Silver Road Baptist Church to attend a time of Repentance by the Church and Reconciliation.  This will conclude with sharing Communion together.

“We will definitely NOT be rehearsing past events and no expectation will be placed on those who attend. It is for the Church to repent and ask for forgiveness from those who were hurt by it.

“Through Network Norwich and Norfolk we sincerely extend this invitation to those who may have been so treated and they can be assured of a genuine welcome on the 8th January”.

For further details of this service please contact Ian Fifield, Church Secretary of Silver Road Baptist Church by email on fifieldian@gmail.com.
 
 


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