Bell Farm Christian Centre

BELL FARM CHRISTIAN CENTRE
Values and Ethos
 

OBJECTIVES

Bell Farm Christian Centre is a Christian Church and its main objectives are set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

These are:

To advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs appearing in the Schedule hereto, in London Borough of Hillingdon and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world, as the Directors of the Charity (herein called the ‘Trustees’) may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the Charity.

To relieve persons who are in conditions of need or hardship or who are aged or sick and to relieve the distress caused thereby in the said location and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Trustees may from time-to-time think fit.

MISSION STATEMENT

In addition to the above objectives, the Mission Statement of Bell Farm Christian Centre is as follows:

Bell Farm Christian Centre exists to witness to God's love as revealed in His

Son Jesus and to serve our community in His love and power.

 

Matthew Ch. 28 v. 18

"All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey everything I have commanded and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."

 

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

As a Church we will be:

1. A Serving Church. Serving one another, our community and the wider world. Matthew Ch. 25 v. 31 - 46.

2. A Witnessing Church. Making known the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew Ch. 28 v. 19 & 20.

3. A Worshipping Church. Worshipping God with our whole lives.Romans Ch. 12 v. 1.

4. A Praying Church. Offering prayers for all people. Ephesians Ch. 6 v. 18. 1 Timothy Ch. 2 v. 8.

5. A Giving Church. Giving to those in need and to promote the Kingdom of God. 2 Corinthians Ch. 9 v. 6 - 15.

6. A Teaching Church. Teaching the Word of God and the doctrines of the Christian Faith.1 Timothy Ch. 4 v. 13

7. A Caring Church. Showing the love of Christ by bearing one another’s' burdens, encouraging one another and building up one another. Hebrews Ch.10 v. 19 - 26.

In all we do we will seek to be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Acts 1 v. 8

 

Acts 4 v. 17 -21

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all

people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see

visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and

women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy. I will

show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and

fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to

blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

 

STATEMENT OF BELIEF

The Statement of Belief of Bell Farm Christian Centre as contained in the Memorandum and Articles of Association is as follows:

The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgement.

The divine inspiration of Holy Scripture and its consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation:

The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and from its eternal consequences.

The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.

The priesthood of all believers who form the universal church, the body of which Christ is the Head and which is committed by his command to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world.

The expectation of the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.

 

GENERAL

It will be a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) for certain posts in the Organisation to be filled by Christians committed to our Values and Ethos in every respect. For example, these may include posts:

With significant leadership content

Central to maintaining the Christian Values and Ethos

Demanding key spiritual commitment

Demonstrating Christian outreach

Developing the Organisation’s Christian Values and Ethos

Bell Farm Christian Centre provides a number of services and activities for the wider community as a way of expressing the love of God to all people. The Organisation believes that God loves all people with a deep everlasting love and that as the people of God, his Church should express that love in word and deed, therefore, all our works, services and activities are an expression of the love of God.

It is also the belief of the Organisation that all need to come to a personal faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that he had come to give abundant life and eternal life. It is the belief of the Organisation that no one can enjoy that life without coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Consequently, the Organisation exists to bring people to a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ so that they might enjoy that abundant life.

It is hoped, therefore, that through all the work, activities and services of the Organisation that, not only will the Love of God be expressed, but that many people will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Saviour. It is the expectation, therefore, that all staff and volunteers will actively work to not only express the love of God through word and deed, but also help to bring individuals to salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Organisation expects employees in posts not having a genuine occupational requirement (GOR), to act in good faith and loyalty to our aims and mission. All employees and volunteers are expected to promote and sustain our mission in their work and relationships with other staff, volunteers, outside agencies and organisations and the local community.

 

ETHOS

The Ethos of Bell Farm Christian Centre is our motivation for our work. It is the reason why we do what we do. It is to work together to extend Jesus’ Kingdom on earth by living out a lifestyle of love, truth, justice, mercy and forgiveness according to the teaching of Jesus. We are inspired by the teaching, life and example of Jesus, through which God’s unconditional love for all people is expressed.

This Ethos is given life through our relationships and the way we work together and behave with one another. It is through these relationships with each other and those whom we seek to serve that we practice our ethos.

Bell Farm Christian Centre operates on the understanding that our activities are an outworking of our faith that our doing derives directly from our being. There is an essential and indissolvable link between the inner and the outer, the private life and the public life of Bell Farm Christian Centre; the link between who we are and what we do cannot be broken.

 

MOTIVATION

The motivation for the work of Bell Farm Christian Centre is the love of God. The love of God has its ultimate expression in the sending of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross for the sins of the world.

Our personal motivation for all that we do is our own personal experience of the love of God, for us as individuals and a consequent desire to share that love, as expressed in the life of Christ, with others, both those who are Christians and those who are not. This motivation comes from our faith in God and our personal experience of knowing the living God.

 

RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are central to the Christian faith: First of all, our relationship with God and secondly our relationship with others; these two are intrinsically linked. The Bible teaches very clearly that we cannot say that we love God and hate our brother and, therefore, our love for God is expressed in our love for one another. These relationships of love are, therefore, central to the ways we live our lives.

 

VALUES

There are 4 values that are fundamental to these relationships:

1. Individual Centred

The Bible teaches that we are all made in the image of God. Bell Farm Christian Centre recognises the importance of dealing with people as individuals whilst at the same time being scrupulously fair and impartial; this is because what we do is less important than who we are. People are more important than profits, relationships are more important than results:

Psalm 139 V. 7 and 13

Isaiah 49 V. 15 and 16

Matthew 10 V. 29-31

Matthew 18 V. 12

1 Corinthians 12 V. 17 and 18

1 Corinthians 12 V. 26 and 27

We believe that God wants us to treat people individually, as each is made in the image of God. In addition, within the body of Christ, each are members of the body of Christ with a particular gift and role to play.

2. Inclusiveness

Bell Farm Christian Centre recognises the value of peoples’ diverse gifts, experience, perspective and contribution. People are, therefore, kept fully informed of developments and their input is invited with regard to all aspects of operations that have a bearing on their working life.

John 15 V. 15

John 6 V. 37

John 10 V. 9

Matthew 11 V. 28

2 Peter 3 V. 19

1 Timothy 2 V. 3 and 4

2 Corinthians 6 V. 1

Galatians 3 V. 28

John 17 V. 20 and 21

Unity of believers is crucial to the work of Bell Farm Christian Centre. John 17 V. 20 and 21 Jesus clearly shows that unity of believers authenticates the work of the Church and in Psalm 133 it is clear that unity is crucial for God’s blessing.

3. Interdependence

Bell Farm Christian Centre recognises the concept of the body as representative of the relationship between all Christians and their interdependence upon one another. All members of the organisation are, therefore, treated with respect as having different functions, but equal value.

1 Corinthians 12 V. 12 and 13

1 Corinthians 12 V. 18, 25 and 26

Ephesians 4 25

1 John 3 V. 7 and 23

Ephesians 4 V. 32

Ephesians 5 V. 21

Hebrews 10 V. 24

4. Integrity

We believe that our mission and purpose to extend the Kingdom of God on earth is indissolvably linked with how we operate internally. The values which we promote as a church should be matched by those which we practice in what we do for others and ourselves. The link between who we are and what we do cannot be broken.

Bell Farm Christian Centre will consistently apply God’s principles and ethics to internal and external activities and relationships. The organisation will seek to do everything to the glory of God, recognising that all the organisation’s actions are under constant, continuous divine scrutiny. It is the aim of the organisation to please God and to achieve his standard. The organisation will base its decisions on the standards set by God rather than those set by our peers.

Psalm 51 V. 6

Matthew 5 V. 13 – 16

Matthew 7 V. 18, 21 and 24

Matthew 5 V. 20

1 John V. 6

James 2 V. 14 and 17

 

KEY PRINCIPLES OF WORKING

In the light of the above, we will ensure:

1. Authenticity

The love and care which we serve others should be authenticated by the same love and care, which we have for each other.

2. Transparency

We believe that we should be open and transparent about our beliefs The love and care which we serve others should be authenticated by the same love and care, which we have for each other.

2. Transparency

We believe that we should be open and transparent about our beliefs and the link between our beliefs and our mission in matters of publicity, fundraising, employment, etc…

3. Accountability

We believe that all we have comes from God and that we should exercise wisdom, integrity and responsibility in using the resources entrusted to us.

4. Christian Distinctiveness

We are committed to maintaining our distinctively Christian ethos by ensuring that Christians, as volunteers and staff, are appointed to those positions, which we have agreed require Christians to fill them.

5. Partnership

We believe in working for the common good, where appropriate, through partnership with other churches, other Christian organisations and other voluntary and statutory agencies. In particular, we seek to encourage, serve and build up other bodies recognising their role within local communities.

6.Discipleship

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to develop and change and realise his or her potential and thereby make a full contribution to the organisation and to the society in general. We believe that we are learners and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and should be encouraged, supported and challenged to become who we should be in Christ.

7. Commitment to Each Other

In working together to deliver the work of the organisation we want to endeavour, at all times, to trust one another, being patient and forbearing with one another.

8. Community

We believe that a healthy community is one in which people feel that they belong. Within the organisation we are committed to this, so that volunteers and staff experience a sense of belonging to and identify with the organisation. We believe that successful delivery of mission happens when people feel that they belong and have a role and where a family atmosphere is fostered.

 

HOW WE WORK AS AN ORGANISATION

The values outlined above will, therefore, significantly affect how we work as an organisation. As an organisation we will, therefore:

1. Love

Love one another and express this love by practical means, which will include going the extra mile in supporting and helping one another.

2. Worship

We will worship God individually and worship God together.

3. Prayer

We are dependent on God for Him to supply all our needs and to ensure the work that we do is fruitful and, therefore, we will pray together. In addition we will pray for one another, as an expression of our interdependence upon one another.

4. Share

We will be open to share with one another, to share our personal needs and listen to the needs of others, so that we might care and pray for one another. We will ensure that prayer ministry is a regular part of the day-today activities of the Organisation.

5. Value

We will value and respect one another. Treating everyone’s contribution to the work of the organisation as different, but of equal value.

6. The Bible

The Bible is the authoritative Word of God, clearly stating how we should behave towards God, towards one another and in all we do. The organisation will always follow the teaching of Scripture with regard to behaviour and moral standard. Consequently, if at any time the organisation as a whole or individual members of staff or volunteers were to deviate from the clear teaching of Scripture then this behaviour should be challenged. It is quite acceptable and welcomed, within the organisation for any staff member or volunteer to raise their concerns, should they feel that the organisation is contravening the clear teaching of Scripture.

7. Vision

The Scripture teaches very clearly that Christ is the Head of the Church and what we do should flow from His clear leading, as Head of his Church. Bell Farm Christian Centre is a Christian Church that recognises Christ as its Head and the Church will always seek to do His will. We would, therefore, seek God for vision and receive this vision from God. We will seek the Holy Spirit’s direction in all aspects of what we do.

 

  • Bell Farm Christian Centre
  • South Road
  • West Drayton
  • Middlesex
  • UB7 9LW

01895 444406
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