About Us

Sanderstead United Reformed Church

WHAT WE BELIEVE

God created the world and human beings in God’s image. God gives God’s own self to the world in Jesus of Nazareth whose death and resurrection bring us new life, love and forgiveness. God also gives the Holy Spirit to renew our lives, to refresh and encourage. We need to open our hearts and our lives and allow that Spirit to work in us.

The word of God is contained in the Bible. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can understand what we read here and how we can apply it in our everyday lives.

WHAT WE ARE PART OF
There are some 2,000 local churches of the United Reformed Church. We stand in the main stream of Christian belief together with the Church of England, Catholic and other Free Churches. We are made up of a growing number of people from all religious backgrounds or none at all who find themselves at home together. We hope you will find an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance in the Sanderstead United Reformed Church. It is a church where different theologies can be reconciled and held together.
THE WIDER CHURCH
Together with the URC churches at East Croydon, Purley, South Croydon, South Norwood, and with South Croydon United Church (URC/Methodist), we form a local group within the URC named "Croydon Borough Community of United Reformed Churches".

Our church is part of Churches Together in Sanderstead, a group which was set up in 1990. It consists of seven local churches who have committed themselves to work more closely together in worship, in exploration of faith and in outreach to the local community.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

As part of our 75th Anniversary Celebrations we established links with three international projects, these being:-
"Shuktara" for abandoned young adults in Calcutta,
The Joshua Orphan Centre in Malawi
A Christian/Muslim school in Bethlehem .

LOCAL PROJECTS

ABBEYFIELD

Our church assists in the management of a local Abbeyfield house in which the residents live as a family together with a housekeeper to cook and generally look after their well being.

CROYDON NIGHT WATCH
The church is involved, together with other local churches with "Croydon Nightwatch", providing three volunteers every Wednesday evening to distribute sandwiches and soup to those in need who congregate in Queens Gardens. Other people from within the church and other organisations provide the sandwiches

CROYDON CHURCHES FLOATING SHELTER
During the winter months, Croydon Churches provide accommodation for up to fourteen men and women who would otherwise have nowhere to sleep. In November and December, seven Churches each provide accommodation on one night of the week, and in January to March a further seven Churches take over. The guests are given a hot evening meal, a mattress and duvet on the floor for the night and a breakfast of cereal and toast before they leave - with a packed lunch.