The term "members" in its use here embraces formal members of the church, including the church officers, and those who for one reason or another are not able to become formal members but are nevertheless committed to the church. On this page learn something about our view of leadership in the church and meet a few individuals who are members of our regular congregation.

In late 2003 the church called Jim Waterworth to join us as full-time elder or pastor or minister -the label is unimportant. His ministry with us began officially on 1 November.

Jim became a Christian as a teenager in Birkenhead. He attended the Faith Mission Bible College in Edinburgh and later qualified as a social worker. He has worked in the field of child protection for many years.

Jim's heart has always been in Christian work and he has had a busy preaching ministry. For sixteen years he was "teaching elder" at Irby Evangelical Church on the Wirral.

Jim and his wife Gladys have three grown-up children and a grandson.

The other elders are Ian Williams, Peter Bradley and Ray Tibbs:

Ian Williams
Ian joined the church in 1981. He served as a deacon for some years before becoming an elder in 1994.

He is married to Pauline and they have three grown-up children. His "day job" is as a Quality Manager of a pharmaceuticals company.

Ian became a Christian just after leaving university in 1970, as a result of the prayers of Christian friends. He has completed the Evangelical Movement of Wales theological training course.

Peter Bradley
Peter joined the church when he moved to Chester in 1974. After first serving as a deacon he became an elder in 1982.

He and his wife Pat, like Ian and Pauline, have three grown-up children. Since coming to Chester he has taught physics, and more recently IT, in a local secondary school.

Peter became a Christian as a teenager in Liverpool.

Ray Tibbs

Ray became a Christian in 1968 at the teacher training college (now the University). After 23 years in leadership of Baptist churches in other parts of the country, he moved back to the city in 2003 with his wife, Margaret. They had met at the college and took up teaching posts in London. They have 3 grown up children. Ray is now involved in producing bible teaching material for children. (Read more about Ray below.)

One of our young people - Samuel Corner

My name is Samuel Corner. I am 8 years old and I have been going to Upton Baptist church since I was born. I go to Acresfield junior school where I have lots of friends. I attend Tuesday club at our church every Tuesday in school term from 6.15 to 7.30. Every summer I also enjoy going to our holiday bible club which is the last week in August.

More about Ray Tibbs

"I first came to Chester as a student at the teacher training college (now the University). I had been brought up to go to church and so I made friends with others who were religious. But as I came to know them, I realised we were different. I began to see that my church going was only an interest, almost a hobby, while theirs was a clearly a life commitment. Their commitment was not to a group of people, but to a person, Jesus Christ. They were not committed to preserving his memory or trying to follow his example but to living their lives in company with him.

They took me to a local church and for the first time I heard that my religion would not get me into heaven. That hope could only rest on perfection and my wrong doing disqualified me. I discovered that only Jesus is perfect but a transaction had taken place by which his perfection was made over to me. I learned about the significance of his crucifixion, where he took the punishment from God that I deserved for my wrong doing. By turning away from my self reliance and accepting the forgiveness God was extending to me, my future was assured. But the future started straight away. If I expected to live with him in heaven, I had to start living with him on earth.

A definite crisis point came while walking around the walls at midnight, after talking with my friends. I knew without a doubt that this was all true and I had to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. From then on, something changed in me. I found myself wanting to read the bible, to pray and to plan my life in a completely different way all because of him – Jesus. I completed my teacher training and having become engaged to a fellow student who shared the same faith, we found jobs in London. By then I knew that teaching would not be my life long career. My primary concern was to help others discover the same truth about Jesus I had found for myself. We had become increasingly involved in a Baptist church in London and after 8 years, that church commended me to take up leadership of a Baptist church in a different part of the country. After almost 10 years there, we moved back to the same area of London and I took part in the leadership of another Baptist church. After about 13 years, a further move brought us back to Chester, and now I share in the leadership of this church.

I first attended Upton Baptist Church as a student when it was Grosvenor Park Baptist Church. So, in the providence of God, I now find myself helping in the same church that was so helpful to me all those years ago."

Two of our deacons - Colin Dyke and Peter Siddorn

Colin is our Church Secretary. He became a Christian in 1975 through the witness of two Christian friends. He could see that there was something different in the lives of these friends that gave them a peace that he knew nothing about.

On Good Friday 1975 Colin picked up the equivalent of the "Good News" paper in the digs where he was living and was struck by the articles which told of the difference that knowing Jesus Christ as a personal saviour made to peoples lives.

One article that Colin turned to again and again was one that explained that Jesus had died on the cross for sinful people and that we all needed to confess our sin before God.

Colin says: "After thinking these things over for a while I went to my room and prayed, asking God to forgive my sins and come into my life as Lord and Saviour. In the weeks that followed I wasn’t sure if anything had happened in my life but I did search out an old copy of the New Testament and began to read it regularly."

It was about six weeks later that I plucked up the courage to go to a Bible study at a local Church. I was surprised and very warmed by the love and friendship shown to me by the Christians there and I have belong to the same Church ever since.’

Colin and his wife Barbara have two grown up children and Colin works as a Care Support Worker in a local old people’s home.

If you would like to receive a copy of the "Good News" paper please contact Colin by email.

Peter's role as a deacon in the church is to take primary responsibility for the church site and building. He and his wife met while they were studying veterinary science at Liverpool University. They now run a farm on the outskirts of Chester. It was in 1975, during his studies at Liverpool, that Peter became a Christian.

Having been brought up to attend the local anglican church Peter was challenged by the Christians he met at uni. It was obvious that they had more than a head knowledge of the Bible. They claimed to know Jesus Christ personally.

Over several months of attending the university Christian Union, Peter realised that he needed to ask God to forgive the sins of his past, and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into his life as both Saviour and Lord.

Peter has never regretted making that step of faith and today is still seeking to know God better and discover new lessons to be learnt and applied from His Word, the Bible.

How does being a Christian affect Peter's everyday life as a farmer?
Peter says "It's wonderful to know peace with God in your heart and have the assurance that He is in control of your life and all that happens. An example of how this is worked out in my life is that ultimately I can entrust the well-being of all my animals into his care. As a farmer I have a responsibility to look after my animals as best I can. That might mean getting up in the middle of the night to a cow which I think is about to calve, or to nurse a sick animal back to health. Whatever it might be God calls me to be the best farmer I can and the best steward of the land He has given me to use while here on this earth."

Church officers - elders and deacons
We believe that the offices sanctioned by the New Testament are elders (also described, according to their specific function, as bishops, overseers, pastors and teachers) and deacons.

The function of the elders is to exercise shepherd-like oversight of the church. They have responsibility for the pastoral care, leadership and teaching of the members of the congregation. Our understanding of the New Testament is that the elders are subject to one another and that none has superior authority. We are committed to a shared ministry of leadership.

The task of the deacons is to relieve the elders of the burden of responsibility for the material, as opposed to spiritual, affairs of the church and to support the elders in every way possible. Their duties are not less spiritual because they are mainly concerned with the material affairs of the church. At the moment there are five deacons.