Caton Baptist Church

24/10/2026

Meet the pastor...

I'm Alan, (Pastor at Caton Baptist Church)

A little bit about me...

I've been married to Laura for 26 years and we have 3 big kids (and a Cavapoo too)

I found my faith in Jesus when I was a teenager living in the tropical South in Reading- I saw God at work in my life and those around me, and I wanted to tell as many young people that I could about the impact Jesus could make in their lives! So I became a Youth Worker until God told me to go back to university to study and train as a pastor. Now I love to tell those who are young and old all about God.

I've served in churches in Scotland and been here in the North West at Caton Baptist Church for 13 years!

I love seeing people finding real hope and peace as they discover Jesus for themselves!

My weakness is having a garage full of motorbikes! I have to convince my wife most days that 3 bikes is not enough and I do ride them all!

I would love to tell you some of the amazing things God has done over the years and continues to do and mostly to meet with you. If you would like to come to church, we meet at 10.30am and 6.30pm every Sunday.

I'll be looking out for you!

21/10/2026

Midweek encouragement

Joseph — When Doing the Right Thing Is Difficult

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24

We often tell the Christmas story from Mary's perspective, but what about Joseph?

Imagine discovering that the woman you love is expecting a baby, and you know you are not the father.

Joseph must have been confused, hurt and unsure about what to do next. He had plans for his future with Mary, but suddenly everything he thought he knew was turned upside down.

Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. He didn't want Mary to be disgraced, so he decided to divorce her quietly.
Something beautiful happens here, even in his pain and confusion, Joseph still wanted to act with compassion.

He didn't have all the answers. He couldn't make sense of what was happening, but he was still concerned about how his actions would affect Mary.

Sometimes doing the right thing isn't straightforward. It can mean choosing kindness when we're hurting, showing restraint when we feel angry, or treating someone with dignity when we don't understand their circumstances.

Then, as Joseph considered what to do, an angel appeared to him in a dream.
The angel explained that the child Mary was carrying had been conceived through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because her child would be the Saviour who would save His people from their sins.

When Joseph woke up, he faced a choice.
Would he cling to the future he had planned, or would he trust God with a future he couldn't yet understand?

Joseph chose obedience.
He accepted a responsibility he hadn't anticipated. He stepped into a story much bigger than himself, becoming the earthly father who would protect, provide for and raise Jesus.

Most of us know what it feels like when life takes an unexpected turn.
We make plans for our families, our relationships, our careers and our futures. We imagine how things will unfold, and we feel secure when life follows the path we've planned out.

Sometimes circumstances change and then we find ourselves asking, “Lord, what am I supposed to do now?”
Joseph couldn't see the whole Christmas story. He didn't know all the challenges that lay ahead, from the journey to Bethlehem to an escape to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod.

Unlike Mary, Joseph doesn't have any of his spoken words recorded in the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth. However, his actions speak volumes.

His faith was expressed not through grand speeches, but through ordinary acts of responsibility and love for his family.

In a world that often celebrates the visible and the impressive, (if you don’t know what I mean log on to any social media platform) Joseph reminds us that some of the most important acts of faith happen quietly.
As we continue our journey towards Christmas, perhaps Joseph's example teaches us to think not just what we believe about Jesus, but how our faith shapes the way we treat those around us and respond to life's unexpected turns.

15/10/2026

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AT CBC!

Everyone is welcome to come listen & support our friends from the Ukraine.

Please come along & invite your friends! 🇺🇦

14/10/2026

Midweek encouragement

Mary — The Cost of Saying Yes

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Luke 1:38

Have you ever said yes to something without fully understanding what that yes would cost you?

Sometimes saying yes is exciting. Sometimes it's frightening. And sometimes, it's both.

For Mary, saying yes to God would change everything.

She was a teenage girl with a future ahead of her. She was engaged to Joseph, and was planning what their life together might look like. Then Gabriel appeared with an extraordinary message - she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, the Son of God.

God favoured Mary, but that didn't mean her journey would be easy.

She would face questions she couldn't answer, circumstances others might misunderstand, and the challenge of explaining something that seemed impossible.

Her reputation could be put at risk. Her relationship with Joseph was suddenly under threat. Her carefully planned future was starting to look very different.

And yet, after asking how this could happen, Mary responded:

“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary said yes without knowing everything that yes would mean.

Her faith wasn't based on knowing how everything would work out. It was based on trusting the God who had called her.

We often celebrate Mary's willingness to say yes, without pausing to consider the courage behind those words.

Her yes would take her on a journey she could never have imagined. It would lead her to Bethlehem, to a stable where her baby would be born, and eventually to the foot of a cross where she would witness the suffering of her son.

Mary's story reminds us that being obedient to God doesn't mean being protected from every difficulty.

Sometimes doing what is right is costly. Sometimes following God's leading means stepping away from what feels safe.

And sometimes the hardest part of saying yes is that we cannot explain to others why we are doing it.

We want people to understand. We want reassurance that we've made the right decision. We want to know that our sacrifice will be worth it.

But faith doesn't always give us those assurances in advance.

Mary's yes became part of the story through which God brought His greatest gift into the world.

One ordinary girl. One extraordinary invitation. One courageous yes. And a story that would change the world forever.

10/10/2026

🎁 Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2026 🎁

See below how you can get involved 👇🏻

07/10/2026

Midweek encouragement

Zechariah — When Heaven Seems Silent

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.” — Luke 1:13

The journey begins…

When we think about the Christmas story, our minds usually go straight to Bethlehem — Mary, Joseph, the manger and baby Jesus.

But the story begins much earlier.

It begins with an elderly couple called Zechariah and Elizabeth.

They had prayed for a child for many years, but the answer had never come. They had grown old and, humanly speaking, it seemed that their opportunity had passed. Then one ordinary day, while Zechariah was carrying out his duties in the temple, something extraordinary happened.

An angel appeared.

Zechariah was terrified, but the angel said to him,

“Do not be afraid… your prayer has been heard.”

Imagine hearing those words after years of silence and waiting.

Perhaps Zechariah had stopped thinking there would be an answer. Perhaps he had wondered whether God had forgotten him.

But God had not forgotten.

Zechariah reminds us that God can be working even when we cannot see or hear Him.

There had been years of silence.

But heaven had not been inactive.

God was preparing the way for John the Baptist — the one who would go before Jesus and prepare people for His coming.

Zechariah couldn't see the bigger picture.

Neither could Elizabeth.

Neither could Mary.

But God could.

And that is often how faith works.

We see one small part of the story.

God sees the whole story.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a season of waiting. We pray, but nothing seems to change. We ask God for an answer, but heaven seems silent.

We wonder:

“Has God heard me?”

“Has He forgotten?”

“Why hasn't anything happened yet?”

Zechariah's story gives us a beautiful reminder

Silence doesn't mean God is absent.

God may be silent without being distant.

He may be working in circumstances we cannot see.

And sometimes the answer comes much later than we expected, but exactly when God knows it needs to come.

As we begin our journey towards Christmas, perhaps there is something you have been waiting for.

A prayer you've prayed many times.

A situation you wish God would change.

A relationship that needs healing.

Or perhaps, like Zechariah, you have simply grown tired of hoping.

Christmas reminds us that God is a God who comes to us. He came into our world. He came into the darkness.

He came when noone was expecting Him.

And He still comes into our lives today.

So if you're waiting, don't think that God has forgotten you.

Heaven may seem silent, but God is not absent.

PSALM 130 I Will Wait For You (Lyrics) ~ Shane & ShaneOrder HYMNS ...

30/09/2026

Midweek encouragement

I took a trip to Costco last week and, to be honest, I was amazed to see Christmas already in full swing especially as it’s still only September, yet there were Christmas trees, decorations and festive displays everywhere I looked.

Then I went to IKEA, and it was exactly the same. Every room they had created seemed to have a beautifully decorated Christmas tree standing in the corner, with presents tucked underneath. The kitchens were dressed and ready for Christmas baking, and the dining tables were beautifully set, as though guests could arrive at any moment. Everything was prepared for Christmas.

“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” — Mark 1:3

As we see the shops come alive with everything geared towards Christmas the months leading up to it can become so full with shopping, presents, food, parties, services, family and endless things to organise, that we can often arrive at Christmas Day having prepared everything except our hearts.

The Christmas story begins with God coming near. Jesus didn't come into a perfect, peaceful world. He came into an ordinary, complicated, messy world, bringing hope right into the middle of it.

Perhaps this week is an invitation to make room.

Make room in your day for a few quiet moments with God.

Make room in your thoughts to remember what Christmas is really about.

Make room in your heart for Jesus.

We don't need to have everything sorted before we come to Him. We simply need to make space. Life seems to be getting busier. Working, shopping, visiting, looking after children or other family members. Keeping in contact with friends, travel, maintaining a house, running errands and the list could go on.

You may be wondering why I am joining in the Christmas chat when it is still a few months away but as we begin our journey towards Christmas let us think, what could I put down not just at Christmas but this week so that we have more room for Jesus?

As we step into the final part of this year and as we focus our thoughts over the coming weeks as Christmas approaches, slow down and make room for God. In the busyness, be reminded of His presence. In the noise, ask that the voice of God would break through. That we would arrive at Christmas with prepared hearts ready to celebrate the greatest gift ever given, the gift of Jesus.

Official Live Video for "Make Room" by Community Music.Listen to T...

15/09/2026

Midweek encouragement

“Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
Psalm 139:12

There is something beautiful about a moonlit night. This photo was taken a couple of years ago looking out over Lake Garda, Italy.

The world becomes quieter. The noise fades. The mountains are spectacular against the sky, and the moon casts a path of light across the water.

Looking at this picture reminds me that God does not need everything around us to be bright in order for His light to reach us.

Sometimes life feels like this scene — beautiful, but dark.

We may not be able to see very far ahead. We may not know what tomorrow will bring. There can be unanswered prayers, difficult circumstances, tiredness, or things happening around us that we simply cannot understand.

But God sees what we cannot.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalm 119:105

God promises a lamp for our feet, not a floodlight showing us the whole journey.

Sometimes He gives us just enough light for the next step.

And perhaps that's all we need.

The moonlight in this photograph stretches across the water like a pathway. It doesn't illuminate everything — but it is enough to remind us that there is light in the darkness.

God may not reveal the whole path ahead of you today.
He may simply be saying:

“Trust Me with the next step.”

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

What a promise.

We don't have to create our own light.
We don't have to have all the answers.
We don't have to know exactly where the path leads.

We just need to keep our eyes on Jesus.

And when the night feels particularly dark, we are reminded

The darkness has never been dark to God.

He is there in the quiet.
He is there in the uncertainty.
He is there when you feel weary.
He is there when you cannot see what comes next.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” Psalm 27:1

10/09/2026

Something unusual is going to be turning up at Caton Baptist tomorrow afternoon! It's a prayer trailer and it will be in the car park from 1pm-5pm. If you'd like to pray just pop in and feel free or if you'd like prayer for something send us a message or come along. Hope to see you there. All welcome.

23/08/2026

Coming up at CBC…