Welcome to Westgate Evangelical Chapel
It has been rightly said that GOD'S WORK DONE IN GOD'S WAY WILL NEVER LACK GOD'S RESOURCES. WESTGATE IS LIVING PROOF OF THAT.The church's very existence is proof that God meets the needs of the people who want to do His work. I hope that is enough of a teaser to get you asking how,and why. We'd love to tell you more.
The church at Westgate has maintained a Christian witness in Pembroke since the early 19th century, but things changed dramatically in June 2006 when it was reconstituted as an Independent Evangelical Church.
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You may have no interest in the Christian message
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You may have a general curiosity or have hit this site unintentionally
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You may already have faith in Jesus Christ
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You may be new in the area and looking for Christian friendship
Whatever your personal situation we welcome you in the name of Jesus Christ. We want wants to be known as a community that is ‘Loving God and serving others’. In other words we want to share the good news that God can forgive and change anyone, and that He has planned a wonderful future for this world, and for all who love Him.
If you wish to listen to any of the sermons that are preached on Sunday mornings and evenings you will find them on the website under weekly sermons (Past sermons can be found in the Recordings section as well as some suggestions for further reading and study). Alternatively if you would like some free helpful literature do not hesitate to be in contact with us.
Recordings
God's Word is shared with the congregation here at Westgate each Sunday Morning and Evening Service.
As with every place that God's Word is preached, the Preacher and Congregation wish the whole world could hear and gain from that preaching.
Well, now that we live in a technological age, we can provide recordings of God's preached Word so as many as possible can benefit.
Over quite a few years, each Sunday Sermon and Special Service has been recorded. The odd dated recording is missing due to the inevitable human error, but there are many to listen to.
thought of the Week 2014-02-09
Thought for the Week Feb 9
The Bible’s probably “true”. At least that’s what the Daily Mail told its readers last week when it reported that that a small fragment of ancient pottery supports the theory that ancient Israelite kings like David and Solomon really did exist.
The fragment, which dates from second half of the 10th Century BC, was discovered last year south of the Temple Mount and seemingly displays the most ancient Hebrew engraving to emerge to date from that particular part of Jerusalem. The inscription is eight letters long and was inscribed on a large clay pitcher that was used for storing cheap wine for soldiers and slave labourers working in the area. “We are dealing here with real kings, and the kingdom of David and Solomon was a real fact” said Gershon Galil from the department of Jewish History at Haifa University.
Now I have long been persuaded that the stories we read in the Bible are based on fact, but it is always good to be able to add another string to your bow. Having said that though we should never forget that that Bible wants us to do more than trust its historical reliability. The Bible takes history seriously because it believes God has revealed Himself in and through actual historical events. And if you undermine the historical credibility of the Bible you will inevitably undermine the foundations of Christianity itself. Christianity then, is neither a philosophy nor a myth. It is a world view that has been shaped by real people and recordable historical events.
The well known Christian scholar NT Wright summed it up well in a thought- provoking article in which he reflected on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. If it wasn’t such a huge claim, he suggested, everyone would have concluded long ago that this was the best way to interpret the evidence we have of what happened that first Easter Sunday.
“If some other account explained the rise of Christianity as naturally, completely and satisfyingly as does the early Christians’ belief, while leaving normal worldviews intact, it would be accepted without demur” he said. And he continued, all other explanations are far less convincing than the claim that that “Jesus really did rise from the dead on Easter morning, leaving an empty tomb behind him.
Men have always wondered why we are here. Human beings instinctively ask what life is all about. The Bible offers us a exciting answer to questions like this for it tells us that we were created by a loving God who wants to enjoy our company and wants us to serve His lofty purposes. No historical document can prove that of course, no matter how reliable it may be. The Bible can, and does encourage us to check it out for ourselves. But that means we need to be willing to take God at His word and step out in faith and do what He says. I wonder why so few of us are willing to do so, given all that would mean if it were true.