Who are we?

The Elim Christian Centre in Southampton began over 80 years ago and has been working in the Freemantle community since that time. It is one of hundreds of Churches networked within the Elim Pentecostal Church organisation in Britain.

Locally, we work with other churches through Churches Together In Shirley and Southampton Christian Network. We are also a member church of the Evangelical Alliance, a nationwide organisation. 

Elim is the name of an oasis that is mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 15:27 - "Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees"). It described a place of refreshment and shelter in the wilderness. We recognise that life can sometimes become a wilderness in this day and age too. We aim for our churches to be an oasis in the 21st Century.

Pentecostal people believe that the power and presence of God is as real and relevant today as it was in Bible days. God has not changed. We believe that God longs to transform lives, heal bodies and give new direction. Many people have already found this to be true. There are over 93 million Pentecostal people throughout the world. It is the fastest growing section of the Christian Church.

Church - the Bible never speaks of the Church as being a building. The Church is always referred to as a group of Christian people. Because of this, we place little emphasis on ornate buildings, ceremony or religious ritual. Instead we seek to engender a loving and caring atmosphere in which every person can experience God through worship that is both enthusiastic and relevant.

The fundamental truths of the Elim Pentecostal Church are summarised below: 

The Bible: We believe the Bible, as originally given, to be without error, the fully inspired and infallible Word of God and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Trinity: We believe that the Godhead exists co-equally and co-eternally in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and that these three are one God, sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.

The Saviour: We believe in the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His real and complete humanity, in His sinless life, in His authoritative teaching, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His blood shed, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and in His second advent to receive His Church.

The Holy Spirit: We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son and the necessity of His work in conviction of sin, repentance, regeneration and sanctification, and that the believer is also promised an enduement of power as the gift of Christ through the baptism in the Holy Spirit with signs following. Through this enduement the believer is empowered for fuller participation in the ministry of the Church, it's worship, evangelism and service.

Mankind: We believe in the universal sinfulness of all men since the Fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation.

Salvation: We believe in the necessity for salvation, of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by which the sinner is pardoned and accepted as righteous in God's sight. This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit and a holy life.

The Church: We believe in the spiritual unity and the priesthood of all believers in Christ and that these comprise the universal Church, the body of Christ.

The Ministry: We believe in the ministries that Christ has set in His Church, namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and in the present operation of the manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament.

The Ordinances: We believe in the baptism of believers in water in obedience to the command of Christ and the commemoration of Christ's death by the observance of the Lord's Supper until His return.

The Commission: We believe that the Gospel embraces the needs of the whole man and that the Church is therefore commissioned to preach the gospel to the world and to fulfil a ministry of healing and deliverance to the spiritual and physical needs of mankind.

The Coming King: We believe in the personal, physical and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign in power and glory.

The Future State: We believe in the resurrection of the dead and in the final judgement of the world, the eternal conscious bliss of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.

We believe that Jesus is:

SAVIOUR - that He died for the sins of the world and through Him we can have personal forgiveness and come into a living relationship with Him.

HEALER - that we can come to Him and experience healing for our bodies, the circumstances of our lives and those events in our lives that have left negative scars upon us.

BAPTISER - that is in the Holy Spirit, whose infilling enables us not only to live effectively but also serve God effectively.

COMING KING - we hold on to the promise that Jesus said He would come back. It is a truism but important none the less, we are closer to that event now than ever before.