Staff and Leadership

Please find below an introduction to our church leaders and members of staff.


Johnny Holland (Pastor)		Rafael Escossia (Youth & Family)
Meet Johnny. He is married to Evonne and together they are proud parents to Harry and Sam. As pastor Johnny loves to be a companion to people who are on a journey of responding to Jesus’ invitation to follow him. What this looks like is conversing and praying with people and bringing the Word of God (the Bible). Not fixing problems but pointing to way markers and tell-tale signs of God’s presence and activity in their lives. Johnny loves spending time with his family and enjoying walks in the mountains. He is a keen reader and loves to cook!		Rafa is not as serious as he looks like. He is passionate for the Bible and has a great heart for sharing the good news with those around him. Rafa is the Youth and Family leader at SBC and is enjoying the opportunity to serve in this way. He is married to Dani and they have two little toddlers, the twins Amelie and Dylan. They all love travelling, camping and even hiking.


Hazel-Ann Pigott (Church Administrator)		Everyone
Hazel Pigott serves as the Administrator at Swords Baptist Church. She has been doing this job for about 15 years with a break of a few years when her boys were very small. She is married to Neville and they have been blessed with two 'great lads' Noah and Toby. She loves that her job gives her the chance to be in regular contact with so many of the family at SBC, organising rotas, putting on events, writing newsletters and so much more. Hazel feels very privileged that her job has so much meaning and that's where she gets most of her job satisfaction as she rarely gets to the end of her to do list. She looks forward to meeting you if you come and visit SBC which she hopes you do after you browse the website.		We believe everyone in the church has a role to play by using their gifts to serve the church. In Ephesians 4:11 & 12 we find the apostle Paul pointing out that Jesus gifted His church "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up" We want to see all people in the church helped and encouraged to discover, develop and exercise their gifts to minister "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God" (v. 13)


Jesse Northcutt (Overseer)		Pat O'Reily (Overseer)
Jesse, one of the overseers at Swords Baptist Church, is married to Joyce. They are parents to six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Originally from the USA, Jesse and Joyce serve with a mission organization which seeks to establish and nurture churches like Swords Baptist throughout Ireland and Europe. Jesse loves to spend time with people in our community through volunteer involvement in a local charity shop. He also enjoys connecting with people in the local gym and playing golf as a member of Swords Golf Club where he also serves as secretary of the committee. Along with drinking lots of great coffee he likes to read and write on his blog as an inspiration and encouragement to others. Several of Jesse and Joyce’s children and grandchildren live here in Ireland and they love to spend time with them whenever they can.

Emmanuel Agada (Overseer)

If you need to contact the Church then please visit the Contact Us page.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at The Riasc Centre Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:45 am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:45 am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of corporate worship and singing, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 15 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a passage from the Bible. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song.

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What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 12 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Kidzone Juniors (Junior, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class )
Kidzone Middle (3rd and 4th Class)
Kidzone Seniors (5th and 6th Class)
Impact Xtra (Secondary School age students)

Children stay with their parent or guardian at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshiping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Johnny Holland
Lead Pastor

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes