History
Our Roots
We are a relatively new church but have roots stretching back much longer.
All Saints began with our planting church, Durham Presbyterian Church (DPC), which is an outgrowth of the historic Reformed faith as it took form under Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). Dr Lloyd-Jones was himself born into, and later ordained by, the Presbyterian Church of Wales and was heavily influenced by the writings of the Puritans and related figures such as Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758). Lloyd-Jones mentored the young Brian Norton at Westminster Chapel in London, and his associates such as Banner of Truth founder Iain H. Murray provided encouragement for the establishment of DPC in the 1980s. DPC became one of the five charter members of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW).
By the early 2000s, Revd Norton and the saints at DPC were praying expectantly for the opportunity to plant a church in Gateshead. The elders determined to begin an exploratory Bible study to that purpose in the summer of 2007. Over the next year the Lord steadily grew the Bible study, and in March 2008 the Schweitzer family moved to Gateshead. Upon the completion of his support raising through Mission to the World and his ordination in the Presbyterian Church in America (with parallel licence in the EPCEW), Revd Dr Schweitzer was installed as the church planting minister of the work in January 2009.
From Gateshead to Newcastle
Gateshead Presbyterian Church (GPC) began public worship services on 8 February, 2009. GPC soon joined with DPC in helping Dr Kevin Bidwell begin a Bible study in 2010 that would later become Sheffield Presbyterian Church (formally constituted as a mission’s work in 2011). A theological seminary; Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary (WPTS), began in September 2013. GPC was officially recognised as a particular congregation of the EPCEW on 29 November, 2014. After nearly two years of Bible study meetings, a service to mark the start of Hexham Presbyterian Church under church planting minister Rev Josh Rieger was held 1 February, 2015. In spring 2019 we were able to give thanks to God as we sent out a core group to begin a church plant in the city of Sunderland under the leadership of Revd Nathan Hilton.
After many years of meeting in Gateshead, we were prayerfully led to our current home, All Saints Church on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle, located just above the quayside near the Tyne Bridge. In the summer of 2019, we signed a 150-year lease for the building with Newcastle Council and construction and renovation work began immediately.
The first services there were the installation of our then Minister for Pastoral Care, Revd Benjamin Wontrop on Saturday 12th October 2019, followed by our thanksgiving and dedication services on Sunday the 13th October 2019. We give thanks to God for His goodness to us so far and prayerfully rely on Him as we look to proclaim His truth to the people of the North East and worship Him with all the saints here.
