Here's a short summary of the essentials that make us who we are: -

• We are a Christian community who love God; love people and love life!
• We serve and worship in the Millbrook area of Southampton, Hampshire, England.
• We are evangelical, pentecostal and Bible believing.
• We come together for Sunday celebrations and for mid-week small groups called 'cells'.
• We are in fellowship with the Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland.
• In short we're a great bunch of people ... so come visit us some time!

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What We Believe

These are the things that shape and support the way we do life.

We do life well because: -

We believe that the Bible is God's Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives.

We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.

We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.

We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the 'new birth' we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.

We believe that in order to live the holy and fruitful lives that God intends for us, we need to be baptised in water and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts, including speaking in tongues which is the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

We believe that God has individually equipped us so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives which is to worship God, fulfil our role in the Church and serve the community in which we live.

We believe that God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and prosperous lives in order to help others more effectively.

We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.

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Key Values

These are the principles that we try to maintain as we conduct our ministry and as we relate to others. They represent our community's fundamental guiding principles. They are the most basic indicators of what we hold to be really important.

Here are the 'key values' that we consider essential to the character and purpose of MCC: -

• A growing personal relationship with Jesus
• A bible based ministry that speaks to today's world and today's needs.
• A loving church family where all are welcome.
• A passion for sharing the good news of Jesus with others.
• A lifestyle of power and anointing in the Holy Spirit.
• A pursuit of service with excellence in all that we do.

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History

Here is a short summary of Millbrook Christian Centre's history: -

• The church was birthed out of the Pentecostal move of God in the early part of the 1900's - tremendous revival meetings where held all around Great Britain with accompanying miracles, signs and wonders.
• At its start in 1945 in the Oddfellows Hall, St.Mary Street, Southampton; the congregation was known as Southampton Pentecostal Mission.
• In October 1947 a new building, constructed by member's voluntary labour, was opened at 79 Millbrook Road, Southampton. This was the church's home for the next 20 years.
• After the establishment of Millbrook Park Estate, a small Christian work (lead initially by Brian Parnell) was opened on the present site in 1960. The SPM was invited to take over this work and so on the 7th May 1967 the church moved to its new home in Millbrook.

For a fuller history of MCC with some pics etc. use the link below. We have also placed a link to the late Don Cox's excellent article and audio on the history of the Pentecostal work in Southampton: -

A fuller Milbrook Christian Centre history

A history of Pentecost in Southampton.

Audio history of MCC Part 1 Part 2

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Leaders

Mark & Ann Starbuck

Mark and Ann joined us in January 2002 from Johannesburg, South Africa. They have been pastoring with Assemblies of God there for 25 years. Both have musical talents and have in the past used this to support themselves. Mark took over as Senior Pastor in April 2003.

Colin & Maxine Benton

Colin and Maxine are originally from Slough, Berks, until a burden for the South of England drew them to Winchester where they pioneered a church. Because of Colin's vision for the south he started Southern Light Ministries, which was based at Millbrook Christian Centre, Southampton, and became an Associate Pastor. In January 2001 he was invited to become Senior Pastor and in April 2003 handed over to Mark Starbuck

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AOG

Who are the Assemblies of God?

They are part of the fast-growing group of Christians known as Pentecostals who today number well over 500 million world-wide.

Assemblies of God is a classical Pentecostal fellowship of evangelical churches which place a distinct emphasis on the need for the Holy Spirit's empowerment in their worship, work and witness. This emphasis, expressed both in doctrine and practice, has resulted in a growth realising some 50 million adherents in more than 50 nations of the world.

Mission Statement

The purpose of Assemblies of God is to give every man, woman and child the opportunity of understanding the gospel and to provide a church where they can grow in ministry for the glory of God.

A short history

The motivating factor for the formation of Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland was the need for fellowship and co-operation between emerging Pentecostal churches. The first meeting was held on 1st February 1924 in Aston, Birmingham, under the chairmanship of John Nelson Parr of Manchester. The founders of the Fellowship combined the desire for inter-church support and co-operation together with a clear recognition of the right of each church to govern its own affairs.

The first conference of Assemblies of God was held in May 1924 at London when an Management Board was elected, the work of sending missionaries considered,the decision taken to publish a magazine and a Statement of Fundamental Truths drawn up.

The Fellowship grew rapidly, helped notably by the remarkable campaigns conducted all over the country by men like Stephen Jeffreys. The leaders of the fellowship were mature men whose names still hold high esteem, many of them, not only in this country but world-wide, including Donald Gee, Howard and John Carter, and Harold Horton whose books have become classics on Pentecostal doctrine.

The AOG today

Throughout Britain you will find Assemblies of God churches who are filled with vibrant, contemporary Christians who love the Lord Jesus Christ and express that love in lively praise and worship and in caring relationships. These congregations are Bible loving, evangelical and Pentecostal. They are committed to bringing other people to a relationship with Jesus Christ (Matt 28:18-20) and seek to display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives (Gal 5:22-23). They believe in the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and have a commitment to fulfilling their destiny in God.

For more information on Assemblies of God please visit their website.

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