Our Church Family
Church Life
Our church life is based around the core activities of:
- Bible-based worship on Sundays
- Prayer and Bible study in our midweek meetings
- Midweek activities for young people of a range of ages.
We also seek to share the good news about Jesus Christ with others through open-air preaching and outreach events.
We recognise that we are just a small part of God’s worldwide church and we support several missionary organisations and individuals in the UK and overseas.
YP@C: Young People @ Castlefields
Our Junior, Senior and Student YP@C groups meet regularly for exciting indoor and outdoor activities, friendship, fun and Bible teaching!
In all these activities we aim to make known the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ in ways which are relevant and faithful to the Bible. For more information please email us at info@castlefieldschurch.org.uk
The Church is committed to showing God’s love and care at all times; in the safeguarding of children we aim to be above reproach. All of our children’s workers are DBS checked or work under the immediate supervision of those who are. Our Safeguarding Policy sets out in more detail the Church’s responsibilities.
Leadership Team
Our Elders
Richard Carvell is from Derby and became a Christian when he was 18. He has been a member of Castlefields Church for over 30 years and has been an Elder for over 12 years. Richard worked for many years as a Programme Manager, but at the beginning of 2024, he moved into a new role as our Pastor / full-time Elder. He enjoys learning languages, reading, hiking, and football. He is married to Hannah and they have five children.
David Fielding is married to Anne and became a Christian around age 17 through the preaching of Dr Eric Gurr in Leicester. David was a member of Castlefields from 1979 to 81, before becoming our Pastor / full-time Elder in late 2007. David is a Fellow of The Insurance Institute and spent 35 years working in Commercial Insurance Underwriting and Management. He trained for Pastoral ministry at the London Reformed Baptist Seminary. David enjoys spending time with his children & grandchildren, gardening and anything to do with railways – especially steam trains!
Peter Fry was brought up in Southampton and became a Christian not long before doing his National Service in the RAF. Following his studies, he joined Rolls-Royce to work in R&D for 34 years. He has been a member at Castlefields Church for over 45 years and an Elder for more than 25 years. He is married to Stella and they have four children and ten grandchildren.
Lee Rowcroft has been a Christian since the age of 19 and has been a member at Castlefields for over 10 years. He has been an elder since 2021. Lee works in education and enjoys golf, painting and looking after an allotment with his wife, Judith.
David Sherwood experienced the blessing of growing up in a Christian home, and since childhood has trusted in Christ to save him. He first joined the membership of Castlefields Church in 1993, but moved away for some years; he has been a continuous member since returning to Derby in 2003 and was appointed an elder in April 2021. He works in engineering for a major local employer. David and his wife Carianne love country walks and camping holidays (making their DIY projects go even more slowly). David also enjoys cycling.
Our Deacons
Martin Linkens is married to Nicki and became a Christian in his late teens. He has been a member of Castlefields since 1995. He has served as a deacon for most of that time. Martin works as a Design Engineer. In his spare time, he enjoys DIY, car & motorbike restoration and cycling.
Lynn Steward became a Christian when he was 19 years old. He has been a member at Castlefields since 2013. He joined our team of deacons in April 2022. He works in engineering for a major local employer. He enjoys gardening, computer programming, History, and spending time with his children, grandchildren and wife, Alison.
Pete Young became a Christian when he was 19 years old. He has been a member at Castlefields since September 2007. He joined our team of deacons in April 2022. Pete works as an Aerospace Engineer. He enjoys reading, good coffee and cycling, as well as spending time with his children and wife, Ruth.
Meet A Christian
Read or listen to the personal stories of some members of our church family.
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Meet A Christian: Bob & Lisa
I (Bob) went to a good school as a young… Read More
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Meet A Christian: Ruth
Hello, my name is Ruth. I’m married to Pete, am… Read More
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Meet A Christian: Nicki
Nicki shares her story of how she became a Christian.… Read More
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Meet A Christian: Amanda
I am not from a Christian background, but God blessed… Read More
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Meet A Christian: Sarah
I hadn’t had a ‘big’ change yet, therefore surely, I… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Lee
Being brought up in a Christian family, I listened to… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Roger
I was born into a very dangerous environment. What? Were… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Mark*
*Name changed for security reasons. What was your life like… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Pete
I’m not sure what you think about Christianity or even… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Barnabas*
*Name changed for security reasons. What was your life like… Read More
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Meet a Christian: Ben
What was your life like before you were a Christian?… Read More
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Meet a Christian: David
I was born and grew up in Leicester and in… Read More
Our Church History
The church started in the 1870s when Christian railwaymen went street preaching in this area of Derby. People became Christians and began to meet together as a church. Premises were rented, and the church was known in the early years as ‘The Derby Town Mission’. In the church, you will see a plaque to an ‘Isaac Newton’ – not to be confused with the Isaac Newton! Under his tireless leadership, the whole work grew and the church was able to purchase the current building on Traffic Street. The work has continued through times of both hardship and blessing right to the present day. It is now known as Castlefields Church after the local area of Derby.
