Our Story

The River Church seeks to be
A Gospel Community for Newcastle & the North East.
Rooted in the Word and Flowing with the Spirit.

From small beginnings…

In the summer of 2020, 7 adults and 2 children moved to start The River Church Newcastle from Nottingham. God had clearly spoken and asked us to move, he had broken our hearts for Newcastle and the North East so we were sent by Grace Church Nottingham to start a new church for Newcastle as part of the Grace Connection family of churches. Since then we have grown to be a community which reflects and is full of people from Newcastle and Gateshead, who are passionate about God, His Spirit and His Word.

We aim to be a community where you can find meaningful relationships, be challenged, laugh a lot and be encouraged to become more like Jesus and understand his Bible better. If you are in Newcastle for 1 week, 10 years or a lifetime, we believe that God has placed you here for a reason and wants to connect with you. God is living and active in your life, in ways that you might already see or maybe you want to see more? Come along and be part of the adventure of seeking out what God has in store for each one of us.

We have a mix of young adults, families, retirees, singles and couples in our church. We hope when you visit, you will be able to find people who you can connect with and are authentically themselves.

Find images of our journey so far below

Visit us
A man serving food from a pot in a kitchen with two other people around.
Rick preaching in casual attire speaking in a room with stained glass windows, wood paneling, and a table with communion on.
Two toddlers smiling and playing in a room with adults in the background, one holding a guitar and another reading from a song book during worship.
Two people talking in a room with stained glass windows and paper decorations, one holding a sheet of paper, and a music stand nearby.
Group of people socializing and eating at a kitchen table.
Woman smiling, wearing glasses, next to a man in a conversation, with an artistic backdrop of flying umbrellas and whimsical buildings.
Two people wearing bright blue shirts and colorful pants posing playfully indoors.
Group of people standing in a church, singing or praying. A woman is holding a baby. Some hold song books.
Two people standing on a beach, one smiling at the camera and wearing glasses, the other looking to the side and smiling. David has just been baptised.
Two smiling people wearing glasses sitting indoors
Two people in a church setting, one seated and one standing, near a banner for The River Church. A table with a loaf of bread and a carton of juice is in the foreground.
Rick reading from the bible at a podium in a room with stained glass windows.
People gathered inside a church with stained glass windows, some standing and raising their hands in worship.
Two people in conversation in an indoor setting, one holding a glass.

Grace Connection

The River Church Newcastle is part of Grace Connection - a family of churches including Grace Church Nottingham, King's Church Birmingham, Light Church Leicester and Revelation Church Manchester in the UK, as well as Grace Church Larnaca in Cyprus and Geshem Church a multi-location church in Blantyre, Malawi.