Our Story
Pastor Rob came to the U.K. as a missionary with his family in 1997 to assist Pastor Brian Brodersen at Calvary Chapel Westminster, teaching three home Bible studies per week in different parts of London. Eventually, it seemed time to start an offshoot church, and the Twickenham home group began Sunday services at the ETNA centre in April 2001.
Since then, the church has moved facilities to the Whitton School, Whitton Methodist Church, and finally Meadhurst Primary School in Ashford Common. Having left the Twickenham area we don’t emphasise the “Twickenham” part of the name so much, but we’re still in the “TW” postcode. Over the years our church has developed a strong sense of community. We have also made a habit of involving ourselves with para-church and charity organisations, primarily Creation Fest U.K., Mission For Vision, and Calvary Global Network in U.K. and other parts of the world.
A “family” photo from the ETNA centre days
Our Beliefs
Faith
We are about faith in Jesus Christ:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
“Whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
Love
We are about love, because God is love (1 John 4:8). So we want to fulfil the great commandments:
“‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Without love our words are like clanging cymbals, our abilities are nothing, and we profit nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Hope
We are about hope, looking for the fulfillment of God’s promises to come in the future.
“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” (Romans 8:23-25)
Hope enables us to persevere in our faith to the very end.
Faith, love, and hope are expressed through action.
Jesus said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” (Luke 2:49)
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
We want to stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24), remembering that faith without works is dead (James 2:20).
We pursue faith, love, and hope as the disciples did in Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
The doctrine of the apostles is learned through the consistent, systematic exposition of the word of God, in both Old and New Testaments.
We experience fellowship, sharing in the life of God through the Holy Spirit, as we endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). We love one another.
As we break bread (communion) we depend on the grace of God to enable us in our inability and undeserving.
We pray together, praising, worshipping and thanking God, asking for His will to be done for us and others.
Our Team
Pastor
Rob Dingman joined the Calvary Chapel movement in the 1970s. He played in Christian outreach bands that started ministry in the U.S.A., and eventually began to do more work in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Japan. After doing outreach to help plant a Calvary in Siegen, Germany, he and his wife, Joanie, moved there to assist Pastor Nick Long. In 1997 he moved to UK to assist at Calvary Chapel Westminster. Since planting Calvary Chapel Twickenham Rob has helped plant other churches, taught at conferences and Bible colleges, and written books and blogs.
Worship Team
Joanie Dingman has been active in all aspects of music ministry, singing, playing, and writing songs. John Bolaji also leads, sings, plays keyboards and cajon. Holly Dingman is our third leader, with a background in theology and worship from the School of Worship, Costa Mesa, CA. Rob Dingman plays bass. Katie Dingman plays cello. And our worship team would not be complete without our ever-faithful sound man, William Farmer.
Elder
Gil Alon
Deaconess
Alexandra Fernandes