Who We Are
Our identity. Grace Church is made up of ordinary people who believe that the message of Jesus Christ as revealed in the bible, is good news for the communities of the Isle of Wight. We are an independant evangelical church, which means we are not tied to any particular denomination, but neither are we a sect or cult. Rather, we are committed to the historic teachings of the Christian faith, as revealed in the bible.
Our mission. Our mission is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to do this as we Engage with the communities around us, Evangelise by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with interested enquirers, Establish Christians in the faith, helping them to develop deep roots and fruitful lives, and Equip Christians to be able to help make more disciples themselves.
Why Grace? 'Grace' is a hugely significant bible word that means 'undeserved kindness'! It expresses the central message of the bible, that before we paid God even the slightest attention, he loved us and sent his son the Lord Jesus to be our rescuer, by dying on a cross in our place.
This message of God's extravagant 'grace', means that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can have forgiveness for the past, God with us in the present, and an eternal future to come. Its a staggering message, the reason we're here, and one that we'd love to help you discover more about!
Our People. The church is served by Elders and Deacons. The Elders are responsible for the Spiritual Leadership of the church, supported by a team of Deacons who serve in the practical and administrative area's. The church also employs Pastors (or Ministers) who are full time elders and have particular responsiblity for bible teaching within the church.
Steve Bell is the current Lead Pastor, and was brought up in Surrey, where he placed his trust in Jesus at the tender age of ten! He was previously involved in the leadership of both established churches and a new church plant, before coming to take up the pastorate of what is now Grace Church in 2006. Steve is married to Esther and they have four children. He loves to relax with good coffee, indie music, a crime drama, walks in the country and holidaying in the mountains whenever possible! Steve is convinced that the Word of God grows the Church of God, and so he loves to preach and teach Jesus in the scriptures.
Oliver (or Oli) Tucker, is the current Associate Pastor, he joined Grace Church in 2017. He is married to Becca and is father to Henry, Iris, Stanley and Wilbur. Formerly an investment manager in London, Oli can bore you silly on the subject of hedge funds and markets should you so wish, otherwise he likes to run socially and would one day like to complete a marathon (an achievement for anyone, especially a diabetic). Having grown up on the South Coast he loves to be by the beach as much as he can. Once upon a time Oli worked in a computer shop, so when he is not on duty as Dad, he loves a curry, a film, and to tinker with tech he knows enough to break but not always well enough to fix. Oli Trained for ministry at Oak Hill College and loves sharing in life and ministry on the Isle of Wight.
To find out more about what makes us 'tick' as a family of God's people, why not check out the 'what we’re About' page here.