Who and What are We?

LIBERTY! is a company of people whose lives have been radically changed by God.
We meet Sundays to praise and worship the Lord, in the liberty of the Spirit.

Our doctrine is evangelical/charismatic/Pentecostal.

Central to our ethos is the fact that Jesus is Head of the Church. Although this is a theological statement, we want it to be a statement of function. This means that we look to him to lead us with regard to who does what, and when and how.

We started meeting following a dream Barrie received in the early hours of 21st September 2008. Sorry – we know it sounds awfully wacky! The dream was of the cave of Adullam – you can read all about it in the book THERE’S MUST BE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS! described elsewhere on this site.

Anyway, we try to be obedient to the call, and so –

1. We praise and worship him, because he is who he is – Almighty God.

2. We praise and worship him for all he’s done, not least changing our lives forever.

3. There is no membership course in order to join, and you do not have to apply, or sign anything. People are ‘members’ if they come regularly (self explanatory), share the vision (don’t complain about our style, direction, etc.), and look to help with the work (use their gifting, take part in meetings, evangelise, visit the sick, or whatever their call).

4. We don’t plan our meetings unless we believe the Lord is telling us to, for example, if we’re meeting to baptise someone, or lay hands on people ‘being sent out from us’, or having a recognised ministry come to speak to us. Otherwise, they are ‘open’.

5. We want each person to know and fulfil their calling in God. You do not need to have done a course, be part of a leadership team, be accredited, or similar. Jesus directs as to who does what – his anointing is his appointing. So we help one another find our calling, encourage each other to move in that calling, and make room for each other. But we’re not stupid, and it does not mean that ‘anything goes’.

6. We are a young church, but we are a growing church, and have had some powerful prophesies over us. We currently meet in our home, and our sitting room can accommodate 35 people + guitar and keyboard. When we fill the room, we will find a small hall. When we fill the hall, the Lord will show us what to do.

We have no titles. There is no ‘Pastor Jim’ or ‘Apostle Mick’ or ‘Bishop Herbert’ and there is no career structure for those with such aspirations. Barrie is ‘Barrie’, Wendy is ‘Wendy’, Jamie is ‘Jamie’, Colin is ‘Colin’, the other Barry is ‘Barry’ and so on.

There is no preaching plan, except in as much as we would expect a recognised ministry to be given space when the Lord brings such a person to us. The norm is to have ‘open ministry’.

Leaders lead, but the whole church hears, which means that we seek the Lord together with regard to church decisions. As we grow, we want to maintain these principles and so, for example, we will not want to have 95% of people sitting in rows waiting for 5% to ‘do the ministry’ out front. The Lord decides who does what, and the church will continually be ‘weighing’ these things.

This may seem too unrealistic and unworkable, but it is what we believe was the situation generally in the Church in the Book of Acts. When the Lord instituted Church at Pentecost, he did it His way. Some people may feel we have got it wrong, but we want, by the grace of God, and without an exclusive spirit, to do it His way and to really see Jesus directing his Church.

Where and When do We Meet?

We meet at our home, which is about 7 miles north of the centre of Norwich, on Sundays. The address is Crossways, Pound Hill, Frettenham NR12 7AD. We are currently around 15 meeting on a Sunday morning at 10am for 10.30am. There are refreshments at the end of the meeting, accompanied by fun, laughter, prayer, and general sharing. Our total number is probably between 20 and 30. Very occasionally we meet at another address, so if you are visiting or new, phone Barrie on his mobile before coming – 07786 381344. It is rare for us not to meet, but wise to check.

People are welcome at our home any time, but you must take us as you find us. If we are busy, we will try and make time for you if we can, or arrange a time when we can give our full attention to your needs.

We hope to see you one day soon,

Barrie & Wendy