A church for all
The best way to get to know us is to come along and join us, but we know that when you go somewhere for the first time, it can help to know a little about what to expect, so here you will find some of the basics.
Our welcome
Here at Stoneygate Baptist, we seek to be a broad and inclusive church, and our aim is to extend a full and warm welcome to everyone, whatever their background, beliefs, sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity, age, health or abilities. We gather for worship and friendship, and we encourage everyone to participate in and contribute to church life as fully as they are able. Everyone is invited to share in communion, and baptism and church membership are open to anyone who professes faith in Christ. We welcome all couples wanting to talk about marriage, and all families who wish to bring children into Christian community through infant dedication. We're not perfect and we don’t have all the answers, so we know we will make mistakes and we won’t always agree with one another, but we are committed to listening and learning and loving. If that sounds like the sort of community you would like to be a part of, we would love to welcome you.
To help people know that we are a place of welcome, in March 2020 we voted to register with Inclusive Church, uniting with their vision which says that: We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.
As of April 2023, the church is registered to marry both opposite sex and same sex couples. You can read more about our journey to equal marriage here.
Our services
Sunday services start at 10:30 and last about an hour. They are normally led by our minister, with members of the congregation providing music and readings. You can expect a mix of hymns and songs, with the words printed in books and projected onto a screen. We always have prayers and a reading from scripture, as well as a thought provoking sermon and usually some space for reflection. We celebrate communion together on the first Sunday of the month, and all are invited to take part. Sometimes we worship Cafe Church style, sharing breakfast and taking the opportunity for more discussion and creativity. When you arrive, you will be offered a copy of our newsheet so you can find out more about our activities, and after the service, you will be invited to stay for refreshments so you can get to know people.
Our building
The church is over one hundred years old, but we have worked to make it as accessible as possible. We have a ramp to improve access at the front of the building, as well as step free access at the side of the building. Inside, the front half of the main church space has chairs laid out in rows, while the back half has chairs around tables, and all of the furniture can be moved to suit access needs. The sanctuary also has a hearing aid loop and sound system installed. At the back of the sanctuary, we have a kitchenette so that refreshments can be served with ease, as well the 'Prayground' with books and activities as a space to play and explore faith. We also have an all gender accessible toilet, including a baby changing unit and a toddler toilet seat.
Our beliefs
We seek to be a community that encourages thoughtful engagement and embraces a diversity of understandings, and so our constitution states quite simply that we are agreed that:
The Christian Church consists of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Saviour of [people] and have consecrated themselves to his service under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit [and that] the sacraments of the church are believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
As a Baptist church in membership of Baptists Together, we also hold to the Declaration of Principle of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, which says that:
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.
Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day'.
It is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.
You can learn more about the wider Baptist family by visiting the Baptists Together website, and you can discover some of our recent teaching by visiting our blog.
Our minister
Rev Leigh Greenwood joined us in September 2018, moving to Leicester with her husband and young son, since which time they have been joined by a daughter. She was previously minister-in-training with Revive Baptist Church in Leeds, and has a Bachelor of Divinity from the University of London and a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Durham. She is passionate about the church being a place of welcome and inclusion and has a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing. She also has a keen interest in the links between theology and popular culture and is an enthusiastic convert to the contemplative and imaginative styles of Ignatian Spirituality. Alongside her role at SBC, Leigh is Baptist chaplain at the Chaplaincy to the University of Leicester, co-convenor of the South Leicester Christian Partnership, and a co-opted member of the Baptist Ministers' Fellowship committee.