CALENDAR

MINISTRIES                                                         LEADERSHIP

Worship

the way we direct our living in praise to God the Creator

As the steeple on the church suggests, our life is always pointed up the way to God.  It is from him that we come, through him that we live, and to him that we offer up our praise.

This Ministry Area, headed up by Jeremy Middleton, is, therefore, the fulcrum of our common life.  Everything flows from this, everything flows back into this.  It is the breathing of the body's life.

[for the most recent report (Feb.2010) on this Ministry Area click here]

A lot of prayer and thought goes into the planning of each service of worship.

We work from the basic conviction that the Lord is the one who gather us all together, and that he means to speak with us.  So our starting point is always the word of God, the passage of Scripture to which we're being directed and the message God wants to impart.

So far as our morning services are concerned, Sheena Headden, in consultation with the preacher, takes it on from there. 

It used to be that the minister did it all, but we recognise the ministry which others have:  Sheena has a real gift in this regard and works hard each week to see how our communal worship can best be built and held together in such a way that we best hear God's voice and know his living presence among us.

All aspects of our morning worship - including the involvement of others in leading the prayers, reading the Scriptures, and giving the children's talk - fall within Sheena's remit.

She's glad of suggestions, values your prayers and is always open to what the Spirit of God is seeking to say and do.

Phil Coad is our resident organist who takes responsibility for ensuring there's someone to play the organ and/or the piano.  He also rehearses some of the choral input, which is often a feature of our morning worship, and, when the 'orchestra' is involved, he rehearses them as well.

Helen Mitchell is our regular pianist and prepares and rehearses with the musicians who form our 'band' most weeks the pieces that they'll be playing.  She also is often involved in rehearsing groups of singers for choral contributions to our worship.

Technology

Michael Duncan

With the use of video projection, a sophisticated sound system, and the services being both broadcast live over the internet and recorded on tape as well, there's a need for a lot of 'techies' every week!  [They're the folk at the back each week, often with their earphones on!]

Michael Duncan heads up this aspect of our worship and ensures there's a team of people ready to do their stuff.  He tries to ensure there's regular training given so that those involved are familiar and comfortable with all the equipment they're using - and so that the technology proves always to be an asset to, rather than a distraction from, our services of worship.

If this is an area of ministry in which you could see yourself involved, there's always room for more on the various teams - contact Michael, he'd be glad to hear from you!

Welcome

John Davis

We're always really conscious of the fact that what people experience is as important as anything they hear.  Which means that the welcome they receive is as much of a powerful message as any sermon preached.

We also realise that this doesn't happen magically.  Derek Peach and John Davis head up this important aspect of our Sunday worship, seeking to use the gifts of those who have a real ministry in making people welcome.

The 'welcome' we see as something in which we all have a part to play, of course:  and we encourage everyone to make a point of warmly greeting others whom they may not know, both as people arrive in the building and afterwards, too, when we meet in the hall for refreshments.

The good news affirms that God has warmly welcomed us all in Christ, quite unconditionally:  and we want everyone to experience that for themselves from the start.

If you have any comments or suggestions, do please contact us and feed them in to Derek and John and their team.

Ann Nicholson

The world is a wonderful place!  Often stunningly beautiful, sometimes quite taking the breath away.  And our worship's directed towards the God who made it all.  The great Creator.

So we like the place where we worship to look really good.  And we have some wonderfully gifted folk who do all the floral arrangements week by week.

We also have a team of willing helpers who, at the end of our Sunday worship, take the flowers out to those whom we're keen to remember, as a reminder of the goodness of God and with the assurance of our love and our prayers.

Ann Nicholson heads up this whole important aspect of our weekly worship together.  And if you'd like to help in one way or another - arranging the flowers, donating some money for one of the Sundays on the calendar, or taking the flowers out at the end of our worship - then please do contact Ann.