Where can I park?
The church has its own car park on site. If the car park is full there is 2 hour (daytime) parking in Deepdene Close opposite the church, and in surrounding roads. Further up Deepdene Close you can park on the single yellow lines on Sundays.
Where is the closest bus stop?
The number 33 stops on the Tilehurst Road at the top of Brunswick Hill – a 5 to 10 minute walk to the church.
The numbers 15, 16 and 17 stop near Reading West Station on the Oxford Road – a 5 to 10 minute walk to the church.
What time should I arrive?
The Sunday services start at 10:30am. If you arrive 15 minutes before you’ll have time to find a seat and chat to people.
What should I wear?
There is no dress code – just wear what you feel comfortable in.
Do I need to bring anything?
Just yourself and a humble heart which is ready to learn!
Do I need to bring any money?
No. There is no collection during the service, and all refreshments after the service are free. If you want to donate money to the church you can put cash in the offering box at the back of the church, or you can give online via our giving page, or you can contact our treasurer to set up a standing order.
Is your church a Fair-trade church?
Yes; we use Fair-trade tea, coffee and sugar.
We are eco-friendly too.
We aim to reduce the use of plastic; have solar panels and we use toilet paper, kitchen roll and paper towels made from recycled paper.
Is there disabled access?
Yes. And there is a toilet for the disabled.
Do you have provision for the hard of hearing or partially sighted?
We have a hearing loop.
We have some large print Bibles. We can print song words if needed, and we print the Bible passage out (in multiple languages) for personal use.
Do you still have any Covid measures in place?
We ensure the windows are partially open and there are hand gel and masks available for those who want them. Communion is taken in a Covid-sensitive way.
Do I have to do anything in the service?
No. We sometimes have interactive services where the congregation are encouraged to discuss with the person next to them or pray out loud but there is absolutely no pressure to do this if you don’t want to.
How long will the service be?
Our Sunday services start at 10:30am and typically finish around 12:00pm. All-age services (the first Sunday of each month) are shorter and we aim for them to be no longer than an hour.
Can I bring my children?
Yes, children, babies and teenagers are very welcome.
We have a creche for babies, and L-Zone for primary school age children and T-Zone for secondary school age children to go to during the sermon part of the service.
What do you offer for children?
Lots of things! Lizzie is our Youth and Children’s Worker and she organises events and groups suitable for children age 0-18. Have a look at our Youth and Children’s page for more info. All the leaders and helpers of our children’s work are DBS checked.
I’m not sure if I’m a Christian. Can I still come?
Of course! Church is a great place to learn more about Christianity. People who are not Christians are very welcome. We’d love you to discover God’s love for yourself – and become a Christian – but there is never any pressure put on anyone.
How many people normally come on a Sunday morning?
Around 100-150 people.
Are you part of a particular denomination?
No. Many years ago the church was a Brethren church. But now we would describe ourselves as an Independent Evangelical church. The word evangelical comes from the Greek word euangelion meaning ‘gospel’ or ‘good news’. So we are a church committed to the Christian message of good news that God loves humanity so much he sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world as the Saviour to take the punishment we deserve on himself so we can be forgiven and accepted by God.
How are you different from other churches in Reading?
In many ways we are the same but our style of worship may be different.
We are a warm and friendly faith-family. We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and aim to preach and teach it in a culturally relevant way. We are grace-loving and non-judging. We are open and honest about our faults and failings and view church as a hospital rather than a hotel. We are broken and struggle in many ways and welcome fellow strugglers. We don’t have all the answers and we sometimes have doubts yet we keep trusting God because he loves us enough to send us his precious Son to be punished in our place.
What version of the Bible do you use?
The Anglicised 2011 NIV (New International Version).
Can I borrow a Bible?
Yes of course. You can keep it if you want.
What kind of songs do you sing?
A mixture of ancient and modern, traditional and contemporary. As long as the words of the song agree with the Bible, we’ll sing it! The worship leaders typically choose which songs we sing.
Who is your pastor?
Jamie Cater. Jamie is married with two children. He supports Luton Town Football Club and enjoys reading, long-boarding, cycling and running. He has been in Christian ministry for 15 years and trained at London Theological Seminary. Before going into the ministry he did a degree in Product Design and worked in R&D designing insulated shipping systems.
What is an elder?
An elder is the leader of the church. Argyle currently has five elders, one of whom is Jamie, the pastor. He is the only paid elder. Together the elders are the church leadership team. The requirements of being an elder can be found in the Bible in 1 Timothy 3:1-6 and Titus 1:6-9.
What do you believe?
We believe that we need Jesus to have forgiveness, life to the full, and a relationship with God. We also need each other as we live the Christian life together. Read more about what we believe.
How can I give to the church?
You can give by cash – there is an offering box at the back of the church.
Or you can give online.
Or you can give via standing order. Please get in touch for our bank details.
Can I talk to someone about becoming a Christian?
We would be happy to talk with you and answer any questions you might have. Get in touch and Pastor Jamie or one of the elders will chat with you.
Can I be baptised?
Yes, if you have repented (turned away from) your sin and trusted in (accepted) Jesus. We believe baptism is for believers, i.e. all those who believe that they are sinful but that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment sinners deserve. We don’t baptise infants.
What is communion and can I take it?
Communion is a symbolic meal to remember Jesus’s death on the cross. It is a time of solemn reflection, as well as rejoicing, on Jesus’s great love in sacrificing himself so we can be saved from judgement, hell and punishment.
We eat some bread and drink some wine (red grape juice). The bread reminds us of Jesus’s body – given that we might have spiritual life and a relationship with God. The wine reminds us of Jesus’s blood – spilled so that we can be forgiven by God and accepted by Him.
Communion is often included in our Sunday morning meetings and all followers of Jesus are welcome to take part but there is no pressure to do so.
Is the communion bread gluten free?
Most of it is regular white bread and we do also have some gluten free bread on a separate plate.
Is the communion wine alcoholic?
No. It is red grape juice. We deliberately don’t have alcoholic wine to enable former alcoholics to partake of communion without being tempted to go back to excessive drinking.
How are women involved in your services?
They pray, sing, lead worship and lead our services.
We believe the Bible teaches that women are permitted to be church leaders, but not elders. So we have female ministry leaders and trustees but only male elders.
And we would not allow a woman to preach in a Sunday service, but they do teach children and other women.
What do you believe about the spiritual gifts?
The spiritual gifts are gifts the Holy Spirit gives to the church (i.e. God’s people) because he is generous & cares for the church. There are 5 places in the New Testament which specifically mention gifts the Spirit gives: 1 Cor. 12:8-10 & 28-30; Rom. 12:6-8; Eph. 4:11 and 1 Pet. 4:11. The purpose of these gifts is to equip the church, serve others, love people and contribute to the common good.
What happens after the service?
We have a cafe area where we serve tea and coffee and we spend time chatting to each other. It’s a good opportunity to look out for each other and support one another.
What do you offer during the week?
We have various different activities and groups during the week, to find out more see our calendar.
Are there any groups to get to know people?
Not specifically but the Wednesday morning and Sunday evening prayer meetings are a good way to get to know each other better, as are the life groups (mid-week informal get-togethers for Bible study and prayer).
How do I become a member of Argyle Community Church?
Membership operates on an informal basis at Argyle. What this means is that if you have been coming regularly to church for 6 months or more, if you are a committed Christian and if you agree with our Basis of Faith and Members Guide, then we count you as a church member.