Come on in, we'd love to meet you. 
Who are we?
Ryde Baptist Church consists of a wide range of people from different backgrounds. Whatever your age or height, whether or not you wear glasses, you are assured of a very warm welcome.
When to arrive:
If it's your first visit then it's probably best to turn up around 10.20 am. If you are driving then you'll be pleased to hear that there is plenty of free parking in the Co-op car park behind the church, which is in the George Street Centre. For directions to reach us please see the Find Us page. There will be someone on the door to welcome you.
There are lots of toilets downstairs, and a coat rack. There's another coat rack for longer coats and an accesible toilet upstairs. Our service is held upstairs and there's a lift operated by one of our members.
What to wear:
This is easy. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. We are an informal church and accept people as they are. There is no need to dress up to try and be someone that you're not. Whether you come as a suited businessman or a freaked-out goth that is fine with us.
What to expect:
For some people going anywhere for the first time can be a bit of a nerve-racking experience. To help avoid any worries here's a quick summary of what you can expect at Ryde Baptist Church. First of all we aren't super-spiritual beings, we all had a 'first day' at church, you'll find we are a friendly bunch, if you don't understand something please, just ask. You can sit anywhere and the person leading will say what we are doing at each point in the service. We start our meeting at 10.30am with a few notices keeping us informed of diary dates etc, then we spend about 15 minutes worshipping God. Our worship time consists of songs accompanied by a keyboard, sometimes with guitars and drums. The words of the songs are on a screen and also in large print folders available by the door. Not everyone knows all the songs, so nobody will look at you if you don't sing. There is also a short prayer and a children's talk followed by another song.
The floor is carpeted and colouring materials are available for children during the service. We also provide a creche for little ones who may go out at any point. Everyone participates in the 
worship but, about 11am, the children go to their own group. We then have a talk from the bible that is relevant and meaningful to our modern lives. We finish our meeting before midday, with free tea and coffee downstairs. You will probably find that several people come up and chat to you during this time. Many people stay for about 30 minutes after the service ends.
Our aim is that whether you are just looking into Christianity for the first time or have been a Christian for many years that you should be encouraged and inspired by the morning. We hope that everyone will draw closer to God.
If you're an evening person you might like to come to Cafe Church. This is less formal and we sit round the tables in the cafe downstairs.
Will I be asked for money?
An offering bag is handed round during the meeting. Several people give to the church by standing order. This means they don't put money in the bag either. Nobody will notice if you just let it pass by.
What we believe:
We are a Christian church and believe that all can have a good relationship with God. We believe this relationship with God is possible because of Jesus (God's only son) who invites
us to follow him. We have friendly relationships with other local churches from both traditional and modern backgrounds. If you are interested in exploring the Christian faith then please come along on a Sunday or contact us.
Is it just Sundays?
Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives pleasing to him. We're not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we desire to make a positive difference in everything we do. That's why The George Street Centre is open every day. Drop into our cafe, which is open 10:00 - 2:00 weekdays and until noon on Saturdays, for a chat. To further encourage us we have midweek house groups (a house group is simply a meeting of maybe 10 people in someone's house). Small groups are a great way to get to know others in the church and to be real with each other about everyday living.
For those with disabilities:
We aim to be an all-inclusive church and our premises are accessible for those with disabilities. If you wish to discuss specific needs please contact us.
