11 Ford’s Lane,
Bramhall,
Stockport,
SK7 1DQ
About FLEC
A community of intentional disciples of Jesus, equipped and sent as his witnesses locally and globally.
Our Values
Bible-focus
The Gospel for everyone
Diverse Community
Relational Disciple-Making
Spirit-led Mission
Partnership
Dependent Prayer
Since we believe that God’s Word is our authority, every Sunday, you’ll hear us talk on a passage of Scripture. We also often preach through books of the Bible believing our lives should be shaped by God’s Word more than our opinions or cultural trends.
It’s our conviction that the gospel is not just the way we become Christians, it’s the way we keep growing as Christians. We don’t simply want to learn more about the Bible but through God’s Word and his Spirit to delight ever-increasingly in Jesus which in turn fuels our obedience to him.
We believe Jesus’ death creates a diverse family with people from every kind of background. We want to be a place where people experience welcome, acceptance and love regardless of their past or present circumstances. Our desire is to be a safe place where love is tangibly expressed and God-given differences celebrated.
We believe the heart of church is not simply to put on programmes and run activities but to grow people as followers of Jesus (discipleship) who help others to follow Jesus. We believe Sundays and formal teaching times are an important but insufficient means of discipleship. We also need real, honest relationships where we spur each on to follow Jesus together.
We believe God has called us to reach out to our local community and to the nations with the gospel. Led by the Spirit, we seek to be good news to our neighbourhood by active involvement in the community and to share good news through our verbal witness. We also seek to reach the nations through sending out missionaries and supporting global mission work generously.
We believe the gospel calls us to work for God’s kingdom, not simply to build our own church. Therefore, we seek to build relationships and partner with other local churches and organisations. We are actively engaged in the Bramhall & Woodford Churches Together network and are a member of the North West Gospel Partnership.
Since only the Holy Spirit can change hearts, we express our dependence on him in prayer. We want to have a culture where God is our first resort not our last resort in all that we face.
Our Story
Fords Lane Church (FLEC) is a warm, diverse, multi-generational church which loves the Bible, loves people and invites you to encounter the living God in our midst.
Our history goes back to the 19th century. The original Gospel Hall was built in 1884 but this was outgrown and a new church building built in the 1960s. Over the years, the church has continually sought to be a blessing to the community while staying faithful to the core beliefs of the gospel. It has sent out many missionaries throughout the world, raised up leaders across the generations and continues to see lives impacted through the preaching and teaching of God’s word in our community.
In the early 2000s, FLEC appointed its first paid pastor, Jonathan Dawson, and in 2022, Chris Thornton became its second pastor moving to Bramhall with his family from Hong Kong.
Our Beliefs
The Bible
God
Humans
Sin
The Gospel
Salvation
The Future
Statement of Faith
is God’s Word and our authority for knowing God and living life. It leads us to understand God’s heart and plan for our lives and our world.
is a Triune community of love – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Though he is entirely self-sufficient, he desires to overflow his love to his creation and draw us into relationship with himself. He is the creator, sustainer, saviour and judge of the world. We were made to centre our lives on and worship him.
are gloriously made in the image of God, made for relationship with him and like a mirror, to reflect his ways and his work in our lives. We are, however, broken mirrors having turned away from him and sought to live life apart from God. Our greatest need is reconciliation with God.
is not just doing bad things. It is a heart disposition of self-reliance rather than relying on God. This flows into our behaviour where we live for self rather than living for him. Sin breaks our relationship with God, with ourselves, others and our world around us.
is not good advice about what we do to get in God’s good books, but the good news of what Jesus has done for us through his life, death and resurrection. Not by our good works, but only by trusting and relying on his work, can we be made right with God, forgiven of our sin and given a new identity and future in him.
is a process of being freed from the penalty (judgement), the power and the presence of sin in our lives. It starts when we turn to Jesus, to save us from our sin as Saviour, and to be in the driving seat of our lives as our Lord. It leads to the restoration of our relationship with God, which overflows into restoring our relationships with each other and ultimately when Jesus returns, the restoration of the whole universe under him.
Jesus will one day return and those who trust in him will together enjoy a renewed creation in restored bodies with him forever. Those who refuse to trust in him in this life will experience being separated from God and all his goodness forever. This is what the Bible calls hell.
For our full statement of faith, please click HERE
Partnership
We believe the gospel calls us to work for God’s kingdom, not simply to build our own church. Therefore, we seek to build relationships and partner with other local churches and organisations. We are actively engaged in the Bramhall & Woodford Churches Together network and are a member of the Northwest Gospel Partnership.
Meet the Team
Ford’s Lane is led by a group of elders, servant leaders who seek to lead the church towards loving Christ and others more.
Chris Thornton
Pastor
Chris and his wife Fiona moved to Bramhall in 2022 from Hong Kong where they had lived for 11 years. They have 2 young children and when not chasing them around, he loves playing the guitar, sport, reading, and meeting people from other cultures.
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Donald Webb
Elder
Donald is married to Dorothy and they have three grown up children. Originally from Scotland, they moved to Bramhall in 2009. He works in consultancy and enjoys being part of the music group at Ford’s Lane playing the keyboard.
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Paul Harper
Elder
Paul has been part of Ford’s Lane for over 20 years, alongside Sue, his wife, and his (now adult) children. He enjoys running, walking, teaching, cycling, preaching and reading (but not necessarily in that order).
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Terence Ayebare
Elder
Terence became a Christian in Uganda, where he was born and raised. He now lives in Bramhall with his wife Clare and their two sons. He teaches mathematics, sings opera, and loves a long walk in the outdoors.
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Neil Wilson
Elder
Neil is married to Daphne with an adult daughter. They joined the church in 1976 after moving from Liverpool. Neil is retired from paid employment; he has served in the church in various roles over the years and is currently the church Treasurer.
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Phil Parsons
Elder
Raised in Surrey, Phil retired from engineering in the motor industry in 2019, moving from the Midlands to Disley and Ford’s Lane church. Three grown up children in the Northwest and five grandchildren bring joy as a Grandad, though now a widower having lost his wife Nina to cancer in 2021. He enjoys walking, cars, listening to music and playing keyboard.
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Reagan Mwebaze
Ministry Trainee
Reagan moved to the UK from Uganda in 2021 to serve with the Message Trust for a year. He now is studying Theology at the Nazarene Theological College and works with our youth. He loves playing the guitar, singing, meeting new people and food.
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We would love to hear from you.
If you’d like to know more about the church or the Christian faith, please do get in touch.
Speak to us
Ford's Lane Evangelical Church
You’ll find us on Ford’s Lane, a few minutes walk from the village centre of Bramhall. Parking is mostly on street (but on one side not to inconvenience our neighbours).
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