OUR MISSION STATEMENT

To fulfil our mission, we commit ourselves to:

  • Meet regularly as a church family for worship, prayer and fellowship
  • Offer opportunities for spiritual growth through preparation for baptism and church membership, Bible study, Junior Church and house groups
  • Offer pastoral support to each other and our community, particularly at times of crisis such as the death of a loved one, or in a period of illness or anxiety
  • Serve the needs of disadvantaged groups locally through acts of sharing food and hospitality such as in the lunch club and floating shelter
  • Serve the needs of the world through offering support, including financial giving, to agencies and charities such as Christian Aid
  • Seek new ways in which to respond to and share God’s love as shown to us in Jesus Christ.

 

OUR WORSHIP

We have a worship service every Sunday at 10.30am. This lasts about an hour and includes hymns and songs, prayers, talks for children and adults and Bible readings. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, even though some parts of the service may be quite formal. The highlights of the year are of course the special services to celebrate the main Christian festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.

 

What to expect on Sunday

When you arrive, a steward will welcome you, give you an order of service and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to sit wherever you like. Children sit with their parents, or together with the Junior Church staff at the front of the church. If any seats need to be reserved for any reason, these will be labelled.

At the start of the service, an Elder brings the Bible to the front and invites everyone to stand as the Minister enters. We usually remain standing for the opening words and the first hymn. The words of the hymns are projected on to the screens. On some Sundays, one of our singing groups: Cast-a-Net or the Ghanaian Choir may take part, or there may be some drama.

On most Sundays, the children leave for their activities, known as Junior Church, after about 15 minutes. The Junior Church is organised into age groups that match school age groups. On the second Sunday, we have a more informal family service when the children stay in the church. A crèche is provided when needed.

On the first Sunday of each month, the service includes Holy Communion. This is a time when Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The service is based on the story of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and involves sharing bread and wine. The Elders will bring the bread and wine to you wherever you are seated. You don’t have to be a member of our church to join in, but if you don’t feel ready to take communion, just let the bread and wine pass.

After the service

If this is your first visit, please sign our Visitor’s Book on the table near the main entrance and make yourself known to the Duty Elder or one of the stewards. You are also invited to take a copy of Network, our newsletter. People generally stay and talk after the service, and you will also see people making their way to the David Sweet Hall (at the end of the main corridor) where refreshments are served after every service. This is an excellent opportunity to meet people. Do stay and join us.

 

Care and support groups

To help look after our congregation, we have Care and Support Groups, each made up of 10-15 people. Every few weeks, each group supports worship on Sunday morning by reading, stewarding, serving refreshments. Groups may also meet at other times for social and other activities. Being part of a group is a really good way to get to know people better, so do ask one of the elders if you would like to join one.

 

Social activities

We organise social events for the whole church, including barbeques, picnics, ‘bring and share’ lunches and our annual church family day. However, we also have groups that meet more frequently for specific activities. For example, every Tuesday afternoon, a group of people meet to play short mat bowls in the church hall.

 

Prayer and Bible Study

Church members commit themselves to pray regularly for each other and people who have particular needs. The Elders pray specifically each month for one of the Care and Support Groups. We also have study groups at different times, for example, during Lent in the period leading up to Easter.

 

 

Work with children

The youngest children are catered for very well through the Hop, Skip and Jump pre-school, which meets on our premises.  Junior Church staff arrange social activities for the children from time to time (going bowling is very popular) and in the holidays we run games and sports activities for older children.