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 two grandchildren.

The other elders are Ian Williams, Ray Tibbs and Dave Stott:

Elder: 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.

Elder: 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.)

Elder : Dave Stott
Dave is married to Rebecca and has two teenage step-sons, Thomas and Sam, and a daughter, Phoebe. He was brought up in a Christian home near Ormskirk, Lancashire. He served a Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship and also studied Mechanical Engineering at Bradford University.

He was converted at the age of 22 during his time at university after realising the truth of the gospel and the hopelessness of life without God.

Dave worked in Knowsley, Liverpool, as an engineer for a company who made special machines for the automotive industry. He has worked in design, proposals engineering and project management. Through his work, Dave gained skills in organisation, team building, general management and leadership.
At previous churches Dave has worked extensively with young people as well as leading many youth camps.

Before coming to Upton Baptist Church, he carried out two years full time training with Grace Baptist Church, Southport, during which he also completed the FIEC ‘Prepared for Service’ course on which he was the course rep.

When time allows Dave loves being in the outdoors, especially in the mountains, whether walking, biking or camping.

Deacon (Church Secretary): Colin Dyke
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 been part of 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.

Deacon (Church Treasurer): John Hocking
John’s role in the church is Treasurer and as such, he is responsible for overall management of the church finances, including budgeting and making payments to the various missionaries and organisations we support, as well as dealing with day to day expenses.

John was brought up as a Roman Catholic and attended church regularly, until his teenage years, when he became indifferent to organised religion.  One evening, whilst out in Chester city centre, John was invited to a coffee bar where he met people who attended church, not out of duty, but because they had a living and vibrant relationship with God. John was challenged by this and realising the importance of a personal living relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, made a commitment himself at the age of 20 and has never regretted following Christ ever since.

As a husband, father and Christian businessman, John is able to testify of God’s involvement in his life on a daily basis, adding a whole new purpose and meaning to life on earth which was never there previously and a promise and assurance of eternal life with God in heaven when he dies.

Deacon: Peter Siddorn
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."

Deacon: Gavin Weir
"I've been part of Upton Baptist Church from its establishment.

In my early teenage years I came into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. My family were involved with a local church, but I realised that I needed to make a personal response to the love of God and to receive forgiveness from Him. I realised that God had done everything through Jesus Christ and that I could do nothing to earn forgiveness.

I'm grateful to God for my marriage to Ruth and for our daughter and son [now grown up]. I've been active in the work of the Church over the years, particularly with outreach, and I was made a deacon in the 1970s. My retirement from full time work a few years ago has given opportunity to extend my involvement.

Throughout my life and activity I've been conscious of God leading me, and working things out for me."

Deacon: Ian Thompson
Ian came to the church in 2003, and continues to enjoy the teaching, fellowship, and support that characterises Upton Baptist. He became a Christian in his early teens after hearing the gospel several thousand times since his earliest years, but it was only at that point that the Lord showed him he needed to personally turn to Him for forgiveness.

He is married to Liz (a paediatric consultant) and they have two bright and cheery daughters, Rachel and Emily.  His professional background is IT / management, but he is currently splitting his time between minding Rachel and Emily, a part-time BA theology course from WEST, and potentially other part time employment.

Within the church Ian serves as a deacon focusing on the communication and IT equipment, helping with Friday Club, and various other activities.

Any spare time is taken up with walking their two Labradors, photography, hill walking, mountain biking and off-road running.

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."