Revd Harry Pritchard (Pastor)
Harry has been Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church since March 2016, and was previously Pastor of Coverdale Baptist Church in Manchester. He is married to Mandy.
“To the outsider my life before I became a committed Christian was okay – I had a good job as a chartered accountant, a good salary, a sports car, a nice girlfriend, a great social life, and was looking to buy a house. But that was all on the outside, for inwardly, no matter how much I “succeeded” there was this void, this vacuum, an emptiness within that I could never seem to fill. I could not get satisfaction even though I tried, and I tried, and I tried, as the old Rolling Stones song goes. I never seemed to find satisfaction within until I found Jesus, or to be more precise, until Jesus found me! I was one of those lost sheep that Jesus the Good Shepherd is always looking for. Now I can truly say, yes, Jesus was telling the truth when He said: “The thief comes to steal, and kill and destroy, but I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10 v 10). Jesus truly satisfies and it’s not just a ‘flash in the pan’ experience for this has lasted over 40 years. If He has been faithful with this promise, I certainly believe He will be faithful to His other promises, especially, when He says: “…whoever believes in me has eternal life” (John 3 v 36).“
Graham Steel (looking after the computer side, etc)
Graham is married to Dylys. They moved from Stoke-on-Trent to Macclesfield and joined Bethel Baptist Church in 2001. Graham is in full time employment as a Software Engineer. At Bethel he looks after Data Protection, the web site, the sermon podcasts, and has previously served the church as an Elder.
“I was invited to a church youth group as a child, initially attracted by the midweek social activities, but I found the Sunday morning Bible classes surprisingly engaging. At the age of 11 I went on a youth camp, and it was there that the Gospel really made sense to me for the first time, I realised that going to Sunday School did not make me a Christian, and I accepted Christ at that camp. Whilst I have never felt called to full time Christian ministry, I know full well that Christians are supposed to be servants of Christ, and not just people who go to church on a Sunday. As a Software Engineer, I love technology, and my dream is to use technology to serve the local church, and to help proclaim the Gospel message to others.“
Katherine Peters (Children and Families worker)
Katherine joined Bethel in October 2020 (in the middle of Covid-19). She works part time for the church, and part time for a local nursery.
Hi, my name is Katherine Peters and I am very excited to have joined Bethel Church as your Children and Families’ Worker.
I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to the Lord after a Billy Graham Mission England Conference. From that point on I knew that I wanted to follow God throughout my life. In 2016 I wanted to help more children find out more about Jesus and I became a Children and Families’ Worker at Wick Hampton Baptist Church.
I love using active and creative methods to help children find out more about God. I am really interested in hearing your ideas about how we can make Church really amazing for the children in Macclesfield.