At Branches we are Christians seeking to become the kind of church described in the Bible, where the teaching, worship and prayer is focused on God and fellowship involves love, friendship and care for one another and the community we serve.
We know that God is in the business of changing lives for the better and He does this when we enter into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Why we are called Branches ......
Before launching the Church we spent time seeking God through prayer and fasting during which God clearly spoke these words
Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
Our commission is as Jesus said ......
"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20
Our Vision ......
To carry out the commission in our local community and work alongside other churches in Littleborough, Rochdale, the UK and abroad. In simple terms we want to:
Welcome people and invite them to have a relationship with God
Encourage, equip and help one another to grow as disciples of Jesus
Care for, love and serve others in the power of the Holy Spirit
Strategy
Each January the Elders share the strategy for the coming year.
This includes how we will carry out evangelism, care for each other and deepen our relationship with God
Strategy slides
Strategy explanation
Our Core Beliefs
There is only one God.
God is a Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus died on a cross and rose again, so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Bible is the only true word of God.
Our Doctrine
Our Doctrine is deliberately only one page long and will always be secondary to the Bible; we are required to have one by the Charity Commision and it outlines our core beliefs.
Members of the fellowship accept the revelation of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, given in the Scriptures in the Old and new Testaments. They assert the following doctrines which they regard as crucial to the understanding of the faith and which should issue in mutual love, practical service and evangelistic action:
The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgement.
The divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and their consequent
entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The universal sinfulness of fallen man, making him subject to God's judgement.
The substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sole and all
sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and its eternal consequences.
The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His ascension into
Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
Salvation as the gift of God, brought to man by grace and received by
personal faith and union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the
Holy Spirit, who empowers the believer to use spiritual gifts for the carrying out of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The priesthood of all believers, who form the universal church, which is
the Body of Christ and which is committed to the proclamation of the Gospel under the authority of Christ,
who is the Head of the church.
The expectation of the personal, visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our History
Branches started in 1988, by Christians who wanted to worship at a church where the Bible was held as the true, infallible Word of God.
We spent the next six months seeking God, culiminating in prayer and fasting. God gave us the verse from John 15:5
We began meeting in a home Sundays and midweek and to build relationships, we went to evening services at other churches as a group.
After about nine months we outgrew the living room and moved into the Bateman Centre, Birch Hill Hospital, where we stayed for 12 years.
In 2003, when, due to hospital reorganisation the Bateman Centre closed, we moved to Wardle Community Centre. By 2005 praise God, we had too many folks for the Community Centre and moved to Kentmere School.
Finally in 2008 we were offered a place in Great Howarth College. This has enabled us to do more activities in the Sunday School classes and has a kitchen we can use to cook meals and space to expand our kids klubs and outreach.
We praise God that in all our 'homes' we have seen people saved and moving on in God.
Jesus said, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.' John 15:5 (NIV)
This verse is our basis:
We have to remain in Jesus We can do nothing without Him
We should be bearing fruit We are a part(branch) of the wider church
Where is Wardle?
Wardle is in the Pennines; about 4 miles north of Rochdale, England. (see our MAP page for the exact location).
We work with churches in Rochdale and nearby Littleborough and Leaders from various Christian churches speak at our meetings.
What is it like?
Wardle's population is ~9,000 with 1,800 under 16 and 1,400 over 60.
The village centre has a church(made into flats), a chapel, two pubs, a Post Office, Chinese Chippy, Newsagents, Bakery and Dentist. There is a small junior school in the centre and on the east is Wardle High School. Birch Hill hospital is opposite the school and Birch View Estate is next to it.
Housing is mixed, with small stone cottages,modern housing estates and detached houses. Great Howarth is a Council Estate at the bottom of the village and has flats and pre-fab bungalows.
We're blessed by beautiful scenery and at the top of the village is Watergrove reservoir, created by flooding a village of the same name.
