About Us
Bread of Life Community Church
Welcome to the About Us Page at Bread of Life Community Church in Clacton-on-Sea, a home where faith and fellowship meet. Led by Bible Expositor Stephen Clayden. In this section, we warmly invite you to discover everything that binds our church together, from our guiding vision and fundamental Statement of Faith to the dedicated Leadership Team, enriching Sunday School program, meaningful Affiliations and community outreach efforts unite us in our mission to live and share the teachings of Jesus Christ.
At Bread of Life Community Church, we are devoted to living out the love and teachings of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our community life. Join us on this journey to explore the pillars that uphold our church and the values that inspire us to grow and serve together.
Our Vision
Our vision at Bread of Life Community Church, is to passionately preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. Upholding the unaltered truths of the Bible during these times of scarcity. We strive to return to the early church's Jewish roots, setting us apart from contemporary progressive Christianity.
Statement of Faith
Explore our views on God, Jesus, the Bible, humanity, and essential aspects of our faith. Firmly rooted in Scripture, the core beliefs of Bread of Life Community Church deeply influence our decisions and actions, guiding us in our journey.
Leadership Team
Meet the passionate individuals at Bread of Life Community Church who unite their unique talents to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! Our Leadership Team is essential, each contributing distinct skills to our mission of preaching the Gospel and making disciples.
Sunday School
Our Sunday School at Bread of Life Community Church is dedicated to laying a solid foundation for life from an early age. We nurture young minds with biblical truths, fostering growth of His Word in a supportive, engaging environment.
Affiliations
At Bread of Life Community Church, we value our partnerships and the sense of community they foster. We are affiliated with a vibrant network of churches that share our commitment to spreading the Gospel and serving together in faith.
Meet the Pastor
Stephen Clayden
I was born in the early 80s in the Essex town of Rayleigh. As a boy, I attended St Nicholas Church Rawreth with my Grandparents and I also attended the neighbouring Church of England School. During my teenage years, I didn’t spend much time in church fellowship despite always identifying as a Christian. At the age of 15, my family and I moved to the South of France and this is where I received the bulk of my education. I was pretty fluent in French before moving to France, however after 6 months to a year I was completely fluent. It was during my time in France (around 1999) when I first ever heard the true Gospel from two American evangelists by the name of John and Barbara from Bradenton Florida. They were also living in the South of France at the time and took an instant interest in our family and we became close friends. John and Barbara returned to Florida in 2000 and weren’t to see our family again. Instead of seeking God, I continued in my ungodly lifestyle of binge drinking and partying, as was very common in the 90s. In late 2003 I returned to the UK to join the British Army. My ungodly way of life was taken to another level while in service. It was after leaving the military in 2007 when I had my first true encounter with God, after finally reading the Bible for myself. Because of my Church of England upbringing, I had always had some level of faith, despite my out-of-control lifestyle. However, it wasn’t until studying God’s Word directly that I understood I did not have a relationship with God and the reason for the lack of relationship with Him was my sin. The first passage which truly had an impact on me was
1 John 1:5-10: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
I did not know until reading this scripture that I needed a Saviour and needed to be born again, despite having been told this back in 1999 by the Marrs. It finally registered. I took immediate action and gave my life to Jesus there and then. My parents Lynn and Tony and my sister Natalie were all miraculously saved and born again around the same time.
Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
We realised as a family that it was John and Barbara who must have prayed extensively for us all, after having invested so much time in witnessing to us. Many unsuccessful attempts were made to contact them to tell them that our family were now saved and that we had accepted the very Gospel which they shared with us all those years ago. We all began attending Rayleigh Baptist Church where I was baptised in 2008.
Despite now becoming a child of God, I still struggled to adapt back to civilian life after the Army. My walk with God wasn’t what it should have been and was very inconsistent – sometimes good, sometimes bad. It took me a good 4-5 years to fully surrender the sinful habits which kept me from experiencing God in the fullest and reaching my full potential. I often compare this to the story from Numbers 32, of the three tribes: Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, who didn’t want to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. They had been set free from Egypt, but they just wanted to settle for the land on the wrong side of the Jordan River.
Once I made a decision to stop messing about and to start putting God first, that’s when I experienced true transformation. I spent a good two years in solid prayer and Bible study and just generally getting myself right with God. It was during these two years that I became involved in various ministry work.
In 2015 I met my wife Andrea from Canada. She had moved to the UK to be a teacher only 3 months before we met. I was very glad I spent those two years investing in my relationship with God and building a firm foundation before I even began to think about getting into a relationship with one of His own daughters. We got engaged in 2016 and we were married in April 2017. At this point, I became heavily involved in teaching, bible expository work, and evangelism. In 2020 we moved from Southend to Clacton where we now lead Bread of Life CC. In 2023 we had our first child, Miriam and now have another baby on the way.
Since moving to Clacton I was finally able to trace Barbara (one of the people who first told our family the gospel many years ago) in Bradenton Florida. Sadly, John had passed away in 2015. Barbara was of course thrilled to hear that we had all been saved for many years and were also working in ministry. I was recently speaking in Florida and I was able to drive down to Bradenton to be reunited with Barbara after 23 years, which brought my testimony full circle in a very special way. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do next.
Luke 13:6-9: “He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”