Baptism makes a difference

Every family has its own way of doing things. Some of those ways may seem strange to people outside that family; but to the family itself, they are an important part of who they are and how they operate.

The Christian family is no different. One of its ‘strange’ ways is baptism. From the very beginning of the church, this was the way that a person marked their new birth into the Christian family.

If you have recently become a Christian. You know Jesus has forgiven all the things you have done wrong and that you have started a new life with him. Baptism is now about completing that process and nailing your colours to the mast as the Bible tells us to.
If you have been a Christian for some time – perhaps even for many years – but, for some reason or other, have never got round to being baptised. Perhaps you were never told about it or were in a church that does not practise baptism in the way that the Bible talks about it.

So, before we go any further, let’s review your faith journey. How did you come to this point? If you are studying this in a group or with another person, why not briefly share? – where it all began for you and the journey that brought you to read this today.

Whatever your background and history, we want to help you examine the Bible's teachings about baptism and determine your next step.

The word baptism is exclusively a religious word in our society today – although that is not how it started life! It comes from a Greek word (the New Testament part of the Bible was written in Greek) that meant to dip or submerge.

We have lots of equivalent words today in the English language for baptise: words like dip, dunk, plunge, immerse. None of these sounds religious in the way baptise does. But remember: the word baptism wouldn’t have sounded religious to the people of those days. In the Bible, baptism is about dipping, plunging, immersing a Christian in water – This ordinary word sums up some rather extra-ordinary things that God has planned for you through Jesus!

The Bible is very clear that baptism is only for people who have repented of their sins, put their faith in Jesus and are resolved to live a completely new life with him. If these things are in place, then it does not matter how old we are, how bad we have been, what struggles we might still have.

What we do need to note is that there are no examples in the Bible of people getting baptised who had not been born again. It was never offered to –

people who were still searching for faith in Jesus
people who thought that a religious ritual would save them
people who were not prepared to change and leave their old life behind
people who were not old enough to understand what they were doing for themselves (i.e. young children)

Baptism, then, is for those who have come to believe in Jesus and are resolved to live under his direction.

The interesting thing to note is that baptism happened every single time that someone put their faith in Jesus and was born again. It was not seen as –

an optional extra
a stage for advanced Christians
something to think about for the future

Baptism was the normal, next (and fairly immediate!) step for everyone who became a Christian. No one was exempted from it - and no one asked to be! In fact, baptism was so normal that people who had become Christians would even ask to be baptised as soon as they came to believe in Jesus:

Hello thanks for visiting RCF.
My name is Debbie, welcome.

If you have a question, please ask, whether you are joining us online or face to face.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

Welcome to Runnymede Christian Fellowship, an Egham Church

Runnymede Christian Fellowship is a church based in Egham but serving a much larger geographical area. Those who call us home come from Egham, Virginia Water, Staines, Englefield Green, Egham Hythe, Pooley Green, Maidenhead, Heathrow, Slough, Ashford, Thorpe, Windsor, Woking and beyond.

Our church is a community of believers who regularly meet to share life and show God's love. We do this by encouraging and serving each other and the community. We believe in the power of prayer and are always happy to pray for you.

Church - What to expect

Our Sunday service is available to stream online at 11:00 a.m. You can join us on Livestream or via Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or X (Twitter).

The Sunday Service is now held at Strodes College, Strodes College Lane in Egham open to all, so if you would like to join us, please feel free to do so. If you have any questions, please call us on 01784 637010.

We run a physical Sunday School most weeks. If you would like your children to receive a weekly Sunday School teaching pack that you can do from home, please email us at admin@e-runnymede.co.uk so that we can send you the materials.

Church on Sunday at Strodes College, Egham

Our Sunday service starts at 11:00 a.m. and typically lasts about 90 minutes.

We start each service with lively worship with songs from around the world, followed by inspired Bible-based teaching. All our sermons are recorded and are available as a podcast after the service.

We have a monthly cycle of Sunday services, with our Communion Service being on the first Sunday of each month and an All-Age All-Nation Service on the second Sunday of each month. Our other Sunday services include Spirit-focused and teaching services.

We have consciously adopted being a blended church that is both for those online and face-to-face. You are welcome to join us on Livestream or via Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, or X (Twitter), or you can catch up and watch the recordings later.

Joining us in person

Visiting a new and unfamiliar church for the first time can be intimidating, but we want to ensure you feel welcome and enjoy your time with us. A friendly face will be waiting to meet you at the entrance and welcome you.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for coffee and prayer. Our Sunday Service starts at 11:00 a.m. and typically runs for about 90 minutes, normally followed by tea and coffee.

Driving and Car Parking

Our Sunday Morning Service is now held at Strodes College, Strodes College Lane, Egham, TW20 9DR, which has plenty of Parking. Click on the link for directions to RCF.

We have plenty of parking spaces right outside the building. Spaces are reserved near the entrance for anyone with mobility problems (for those with a blue badge). Please let us know if you need to use one of these spaces, have any special needs, or require any assistance.

The car parking area is a public area, so please ensure that your children are under your control and that, for their safety, they do not run around in the car park.

Visiting with children?

Everyone is welcome at RCF. We encourage everyone, young and old, to join the service. We have Sunday School, which starts after worship and runs during the sermon for 30 to 40 minutes for children aged 4 to 12. On the second Sunday of each month, we have a shorter All-Aged All Nations Service, where the children stay for the worship and the sermon.

After Church

We chat over coffee and biscuits after church on the first, third and fourth Sundays. If you want to get more acquainted, why not join us for a Sunday lunch with some of our members? The meal is on us! Please contact us and let us know. We would love to share a meal and get to know you better!

welcome 3

Any Questions?

If you have any questions, please review our FAQ page. Here, you’ll find answers to many common questions. If you still have questions or concerns, please contact us; we’d love to hear from you.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO RCF!!

To contact us or see a map, click here.

Our midweek Ministry base at Virginia Lodge, Egham
Virginia Lodge Ariel