Minister, Deacons & Officers

Please find below an introduction to our Minister , Deacons and Officers.

		Rev Jon Keyworth - Minister Our minister is Revd Jon Keyworth. Jon began his ministry at New Road in September 2019, following 5 years as minister in Heywood, Greater Manchester. He is married, with two young children, and a pretty excitable dog. Jon has a heart for social justice, enabling others to use their skills to their full potential, and fostering an inclusive church community. He is a trustee of The Mint House, the Southern Counties Baptist Association, and is on the Governing Body of Regent's Park College, Oxford. He is a keen runner and mountain walker, and is missing the northern hills!

Our deacons and officers are appointed by the church membership to offer servant leadership. Our treasurer and deacons are:

Robert Blyth - Treasurer		Paul Fiddes - Deacon
Robert studied chemistry at Oxford in the 1970s, met his wife there, then switched direction and qualified as an accountant. He worked in the UK, Switzerland and France, mostly auditing financial institutions and their IT systems. After a brief pause to sample retirement, he was elected as treasurer from January 2022. When time permits, he enjoys playing his flute.		Paul S. Fiddes is married to Marion, is a Baptist minister, and is Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford. He has written books of theology and a novel set in Oxford (A Unicorn Dies). He has been on the staff of Regent’s Park College, Oxford, for 50 years and served for 18 years as Principal. He first came to New Road Baptist Church as an undergraduate in 1965, and is glad now to be serving as a deacon of the church.
Hugh Whittaker - Deacon		Myra Blyth - Deacon
		Myra studied theology at oxford in the 70’s and entered ministry after graduation. In additional to a local pastorate in Sutton she has served in ecumenical appointments nationally and internationally. From 2000-2004 she served as Deputy General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and thereafter moved into academia as chaplain and tutor in theology at Regent Park College 2004- 2019. Myra met her husband Robert as an undergraduate, through their love of music, and that continues to be a shared joy. Now in her third term of service as a deacon, which is a real privilege as well as a challenge!
		Phil Raven - Deacon
		Phil has been at New Road since his early 20’s. He is a civil engineer, married with 3 teenage/grown up children. A triathlete and keen runner, seen recently racing in dinosaur fancy dress! Phil is on the finance and fabric committee helping to manage the maintenance of our premises and helps lead our sound/av team.
Our other church officers are:
Marion Fiddes/Becky Raven/Myra Blyth - Church Secretariat
Sharon Poongaran - Assistant Church Treasurer

If you need to contact the Church then please visit the Contact Us page.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

This church welcomes you!

Who are we?

All ages, different backgrounds
A mix; visitors, new church members, some with lifetime experience
An informal church, accepting people as they are

Coming to a 10.30am Sunday service

For directions please see the directions page
Aim to turn up around 10.25 a.m. (but sometimes we’re late too!)
You’ll be met at the door by a friendly face
We are a friendly bunch, if you’re unsure of something, please ask!
Feel free to be who you are, not someone you aren’t!

What to expect

Our aim: whether you’re looking at Christianity for the first time or have been a Christian for many years,
we want you to be encouraged and inspired by a morning with us.
We hope we will all draw closer to God as a result.

Here’s a quick summary:

We start at 10.30am with a few notices of coming events, followed by silent reflection
The service lasts until about 11.30am
Our worship blends Bible reading and prayer with traditional hymns and modern songs
Everyone can participate in the worship
The average size of our congregation on a Sunday morning is around 30 people
At 11am young people go to their own group. The church implements a strong Safeguarding policy
We have a talk from the bible that is relevant and meaningful to our lives
We share in communion together as part of the service (first and third Sundays); all are welcome to participate
After our service tea and coffee are served; some services are followed by a lunch

What we believe

We are a Christian church and believe all can have relationship with God.
We believe this can happen because of Jesus, who invites us to follow him.

Is it just Sundays?

Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives that show it. We’re not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we want to make a positive difference in everything we do.

For those with disabilities

We aim to be an all-inclusive church and to meet the needs of all who use our building.
Our premises are accessible for those with disabilities. We have a loop for the hearing impaired.
For disabled parking or for other specific needs please contact the church office

Celebrating Marriage

If you would like to be wedded through a Christian marriage service, please contact our minister for a conversation. The church is registered both for the marriage of a man and a woman, and for same-sex marriage.