A ready-made set of friends.

When you join a Church you will receive a real welcome from people who won’t try to make use of you or impose their beliefs, but will respect you as a human being regardless of what you personally believe, and whatever your lifestyle may be. Christians believe that all people are loved equally by God whoever they are or whatever they do. In every Church you will find a wide mix of people – different ages, races and occupations. Almost certainly you will find some who will share an affinity with you. Many Churches also offer a range of stimulating social activities for different age groups too.

An opportunity to make a difference in your community.

If you become a member of a Church and settle happily, there may come a time when you wish to offer some of your time and talents to help serve others. This may be helping out in a crèche, helping in some way with a homeless project or maybe with young people. It does not have to be an “earth shattering” contribution, as small tasks and little acts of kindness are of immense value as well as the greater ones.

A place where people try to help one another.

Whilst the Church cannot offer direct and intensive help for anyone in difficulties, people will listen with patience and kindness to anyone who has a problem. You may be offered prayer, if you would like it and if appropriate someone would try to point you in the direction of services in the outside community, who may be in a position to offer professional and substantial help.

A real sense of purpose and meaning to life.

Christianity is about the whole person and not just there to offer spiritual help and guidance, vital though that is. Jesus Christ gave help to people with physical diseases, and even took an intimate interest in the day to day affairs of their personal lives in a way that was loving and non-judgemental. He cares about all our needs and encourages us, his Church, to do the same for each other.

A promise of eternal life, however incredible that may seem.

This is the most staggering thing of all about becoming a Christian. Jesus Christ claimed to be God in human form. The Bible says that he created the heavens and the earth and all that is in the universe. When he was born 2000 years ago he inspired thousands of people during his ministry. In the 3 short years before he was cruelly executed on a cross, he gave birth to a living faith which has many millions of adherents today. This was because he rose from the dead, thereby conquering sin, or wrongdoing, and also physical death.

As well as all the immense good that he did, he also promised eternal life to anyone who believed in him. Surely this is a claim worth investigating, because if it is true, as Christians passionately believe, it helps to put all of our personal suffering and the terrible evils of the world into perspective. The prospect of living with God forever in perfect conditions is an astounding concept and the offer is open to all, whoever you are or whatever you have done.

Above all Christianity is about benefitting the human race; that is you, me and every person who has ever lived. All it requires is for us to accept that at the outset and realise that when we give ourselves to Jesus Christ, we gain immeasurably by having God run things for us, even though this means losing direct control over our own lives. So what we lose actually becomes a massive gain in the long run. Jesus said “I have come that you might have life and life in abundance”. God is life and we can either grasp that with both hands or just go on living for ourselves. When we do accept him, we find ultimately that life without Jesus is just so limited. So with all the life, light, healing and joy that Jesus can bring us, surely it is a trade-off well worth the making.

One final thing; if you are looking for challenge in your life then you have come to the right place. Being a Christian is not easy, far from it. As Christians we are called on to live a holy and righteous life. We will, at times, be called on to suffer as an integral part of our faith. This may be by being honest in a situation that costs us by being ostracised as a result. It may be by working long hours to help others in need. Or it may be through fighting injustice in its myriad forms.

The good news is that we do not have to do this alone, for Jesus Christ is all powerful, all compassionate and all forgiving when we fail. In his supreme love and power he helps us to face difficulties with courage and dignity and embrace an element of the overwhelming suffering that he himself endured on our behalf on the Cross.

If you would like to read in more detail about the Christian faith generally just click on the “What Christians Believe” page. Or if you feel you would like to begin a friendship with Jesus now, please go to the "Meet with Jesus" page.