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December Blog 

The Christmas season is upon us now. The lights are out around the town, the shops are playing Christmas songs, the shops are starting to get even busier with folk stocking up for Christmas and the excitement of the season is filling
the air.
But what does Christmas time mean to you?
As we enter advent and the days leading up to Christmas day, I wonder what emotions we will experience this year.
While writing this report I was also preparing for our first advent service this past Sunday, and it got me thinking about the candles that we light and what they represent.
There are five candles that we light over advent. Perhaps the advent candles don’t really mean much to you, but I want to briefly reflect on their meanings.

The first candle symbolises Hope. In the Old Testament, the people and the prophets waited in Hope for the Messiah’s arrival but today we can stand in the Hope that the Messiah has come and that through Him we have salvation and the Hope of what is to come.
The second candle represents Love and because He first loved us, so we can love others with the same love of Christ. We remember the Father’s love for us as He gave us His son.
The third candle represents Peace. In the world we live in and it’s current state, it is difficult to think of peace during these turbulent times, but God sent peace in to this world, through His son Jesus and He will give us a peace that surpasses all understanding.
The four candle symbolises Joy. Great joy came across the shepherd’s when they heard about the birth of Jesus, the coming of the King filled their hearts and minds and souls with such joy. Does knowing Jesus do the same for us? The joy of the Lord is our strength.
The fifth candle represents light and purity. It is known as Christ’s candle. It also represents victory in Jesus. We remember His birth on Christmas day and ultimately what is to come, through Him entering this world, salvation became available to all who calls on His name.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Let us not take it for granted this Christmas and let it just pass by without reflecting on why we celebrate. The King came into the world for each and every one of us!

Events to look forward to:
11 December – Church Nativity
18 December – Christingle and Carol service
25 December – Christmas day morning service
1 January – An opportunity to celebrate the new year together in praise and worship

Please join me in praying for God’s leading and guiding for us as a Church and for exciting opportunities in the new year.
Yours in faith and love
Matt

Glenys
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.

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 Church Building on Woodford Road for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. 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.

As we are now also live-streaming our service, if you want to avoid being caught on camera - we suggest you sit towards the rear and left hand side of the room. 

We serve tea and coffee after the service ends. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet in the corridor off the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We will 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. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

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

  • Creche (0 months to 3 years). You are welcome to keep your child in the service or take them to the creche at the end of the corridor, but it is currently unsupervised so you must stay with them.
  • Kidz Church (3-11 years)  We work with children in a variety of age appropriate groups and activities.  During the Covid restrictions we have had BBC Kidz TV on our You Tube channel.  Now we are having activities in the church building
  • Young people (11+ years)  As we reopen church following the pandemic we will restart the groups we have had for Young People 

Children stay with their parent or grown-up 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. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

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

Children

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 home 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 Home Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a 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. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Tea Break for Seniors
  • Little Lambs Toddler Group
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.
 

Elders
 

Stephen Burr           
Ruth Meal         
Ted Trim
   
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes
Stephen, Ruth, Ted