Issue #6
Nov - Dec 15
An insight into the life of the Church
in
“Angel Bombing”…..sssssh! it’s a secret
In the Christmas story it was the
Angels who brought good news.
In the weeks leading up to
Christmas we are going to be using
knitted “Christmas Angels” to share
God’s love and to bless our
community.
The Plan is to knit small angels, attached a gift tag with a message of
hope and distribute them during the night so as to be found and be a
blessing to others the following morning.
There are over 12 churches involved in this project, including St Marks
Farnborough, Our Lady Help of Christians and Farnborugh Baptist
Church. Also the three garrison Churches and Churches together in
Aldershot.
All angels will be commissioned at a special commissioning service on
Wednesday 9th December at
7.00pm here at North Camp
Methodist Church and the
distribution will take place early
the following week.
Angel Bombing
Contents
Contacts
A Note from Ken
Family Worker Corner
Church News
Small Groups
Article by Kayleigh
Upcoming Events
Lighter Side
Christmas Worship
Calendar
Front Page
Page 2
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 6
Page 10
Page 12
Page 16
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Lay Pastor
Mr Ken Evans
Office: 01252 512226
Mobile: 07834 178186
Home: 01252 623104
[email protected]
(Ken’s day off is Thursday.)
Secretary to Church Council
Mr Stephen Clay
[email protected]
Family Worker
Mrs Carrie Addison
07462 005333
[email protected]
Church Bookings
Miss Sally Press
01252 514057
Pastoral Care and Concern
Mrs Denise White
01252 542020
Prayer Chain
Mrs Marion Groves
07986 635381
2
Forces Board Lay Worker
Mr David Betts
01252 328959
Hall & Room Bookings
Mrs Debbie Hobbs-Burrage
01252 512226
[email protected]
Church Administrator
Mrs Debbie Hobbs-Burrage
01252 512226
[email protected]
Loving Jesus, serving the community
Many of you will recognise that this is the strapline from our logo. Over recent
weeks I have been reflecting on what this actually means and how do we, as
a church, put our words into action.
Loving Jesus - Let me say here and now “I love Jesus”
Loving Jesus is natural and necessary if we are children of God. It’s natural
because it’s part of our nature as children of God. “If God were your Father,
you would love me, for I came from God” (John 8:42). The children of God
have the natural disposition to love his Son.
Loving Jesus is also necessary because Paul says that if we don’t love Jesus,
we will be cursed: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (1
Corinthians 16:22). Loving Jesus is an essential (not optional) mark of being a
beneficiary of God’s grace. “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ
with love incorruptible” (Ephesians 6:24). If we hold fast to the love of anything
above Jesus, we are not his disciple: “Whoever loves father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
Loving Jesus is not the same as obeying all of Jesus’ commands. Jesus said,
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). That means
that obedience to the commandments is the result of loving Jesus, not the
same as loving Jesus. Love is something invisible and inside. It is the root that
produces the visible fruit of loving others.
Having arrived here - I had a Eureka moment. It is our love of Jesus that will
spur us on to serve (that is “love”) the community of North Camp. Love must
underpin everything that we do, because having experienced the love of
Christ we are compelled to share that love.
I encourage you through Advent to deepen your relationship with Jesus, to
discover or rediscover your first love for your Saviour; then we will be a church
truly equipped to “serve the community”
Ken Evans
Lay Pastor
3
Before you take the Christmas plunge…
The clocks have turned back and somehow we magically moved into the
mysterious time we call the “holiday season.” My Facebook feed has lit up
with posts about Christmas, posts against Christmas and Christmas music has
started playing on the radio. The stores and supermarkets have been stocked
up with crackers, tinsel and mince pies for weeks, and I even saw a shop in
North Camp with a tree lit up in the window.
I really do love this time of year. It has a warmth about it and an essence of
happiness. Carol singing, nativities, gift shopping, twinkling lights and more
food than I possible need. It’s time with friends and family that becomes the
essential instead of the “must do” and food, fun, and fellowship are the norm
rather than the exception.
But this is also the time of year where I see Stress because while all those
things happen, so does all the other normal everyday stuff that goes on all
year-round. We certainly don’t hit the pause button on life so that we can
celebrate; instead the celebration gets piled on the already busy, stressed-out
lives.
For some families, they already feel as if they spend too little time with their
children and when we add in the holidays, and all the other Christmas stuff for
many it is just overwhelming.
What if we then also added that this time of year is a great opportunity for
parents to lead and disciple their kids at home, using this time of year to teach
them about gratitude, serving others, compassion, self-sacrifice, and giving
through things like serving or participating in a food drive or giving up presents
– Is this really realistic?
Be Encouraged - For a brief moment, before you plunge head first into this
crazy that is Christmas season, can I give you this small respite of grace? (I
read this in an online article)
You don’t have to do it all.
You don’t have to do it perfectly.
You don’t have to make all the best choices, provide the best experiences, or
present the best opportunities.
(deep breath)
But, if you can step back and before it all starts simply say, “Jesus, this year,
with our family and our children, show us how to invite you into
our everyday Holiday season. In what we are already doing, show us how
to have You be a part of it. Be present in our presence;”
4
Maybe if you can do that, I’m almost certain that part of the weight will lift from
your shoulders.
The reality is that the holidays will come and go before we know it. You will
have made your memories, Life will happen. Don’t allow stress and shame
steal the joy and opportunity of the season. Realistically, no family can do it all. But
realistically, we can all do something.
If we are unable to do “the big things,” let’s invite Jesus into all the little things
and embrace the celebration for His sake. It will look different for each home
or family, as it should. But in each home, Christ desires to be the reason, the
rest, and the peace no matter what season it is.
Blessing to you all as we can now plunge into the season of Christmas with
hopefully a little more reflection on the Reason for the Season.
Carrie Addison
Family Worker
(There will be some print outs in the welcome area for some simple
ideas to help you with faith in homes at Christmas – please help
yourself)
5
Becoming a Member of North Camp Methodist Church
Many people (over 100) have already committed themselves to being a
member of North Camp Methodist Church (and therefore the wider Christian
Church). However I am aware, through people asking me, that there are more
who have recently come to the church or who have belonged to the church for
a while who now feel they want to be ‘formal’ church members.
Church membership is always a ’response of faith in Jesus’ rather than simply
‘joining a club’ or becoming a member because he/she is ‘about the right age’ !
It is expressed through a public act of Baptism or Confirmation/Membership
The following are ways in which we, no matter what age, can respond to an
experience of God in Jesus Christ:
Baptism
The Methodist Church believes in ONE baptism and therefore I am not
allowed to baptise anyone a second time. So, if for example, you were
baptised as a baby and you now want to go through some ceremony as an
expression of your faith, then probably Confirmation or Christian Renewal is
for you . Baptism can be by full immersion or by ‘sprinkling’ from the font.
Services of Thanksgiving for the birth of a child
Sometimes parents of a baby do not feel able to make the promises of
baptism or they feel that they want their child to make the decision of baptism
for itself. In this case there is a Service of Thanksgiving where we dedicate the
child to God.
Confirmation
This is where the promises made at baptism by Godparents are ‘confirmed’ by
the individual themselves as an expression of their commitment to God. (NB It
is a response of faith rather than what was sometimes the case of being ‘about
the right age’)
Service of Christian Renewal
Sometimes people can have been baptised and confirmed but have come to a
new experience of God and they want to publicly ‘mark’ this is some way.
There is a service of Christian Renewal where this can be done.
6
Church Membership
When someone is baptised/confirmed as an adult in the Methodist Church
they, at the same time become Church Members. Church Membership is open
to any Christian who wishes to ‘nail their colours to the mast’ and express their
sense of belonging to this church (and consequently the worldwide Methodist
and Christian church)
Transfer of Membership
Membership can also be ‘transferred’ so that if you have recently moved here
from another Methodist Church or denomination we can welcome you officially
as a church Member transfer without having to go through baptism or
confirmation. Equally if you move out of this area, your membership can be
transferred to where you are moving
If you have recently joined the church or have been considering baptism/
confirmation/membership for a while, and you would like to now take the next
step, please come and talk to me.
I plan to run some single day membership meetings in February. My hope is
that we can have a real celebration on Easter Sunday (27th March 2016),
which includes baptisms and confirmation and welcoming new members.
Ken Evans
Lay Pastor
7
Where is God Calling you to serve
in the church?
There are many little ways in which you are needed and where
your gifts that God has given you can be used to serve and help
at North Camp Methodist Church.
If any of these area’s of service appeal to your calling then
please speak Ken Evans or a member of the Leadership Team.
Website, Magazine
Worship Band, Prayer Team
Children’s Ministry, Welcome Team
Sunday Stewards, Tea & Coffee Serving Team
Help at Events
Lay Preacher or Worship Leader
8
The Methodist Church is a charitable body that is
able to benefit from Gift Aid donations.
If you pay tax in the UK, then Gift Aid is a simple way to increase the
value of your gift to charity.
Can anybody give through Gift Aid?
Yes, provided that you are a UK Tax Payer.
How can I go about giving through Gift Aid?
Please speak to our Gift Aid Secretary, Bruce, to discuss the procedure.
It is possible to make donations in cash, by cheque and by standing
order. Special giving envelopes are used for collection plate donations
to make it possible to identify who has made the donations and make
the claims. It is all done in complete confidentiality.
How will my donation qualify for Gift Aid?
In order for your donation to qualify, you must:

Be a UK taxpayer

Pay at least as much Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax
as the charity will recover on your donation in the tax year.

Complete a declaration to indicate that you are happy for the
Methodist Church to recover the tax on your donation(s).
How much does the Church gain financially?
A donation of £10.00 under Gift Aid is equivalent to a donation of £12.50
to the church.
9
During Advent we will studying
Stephen Cottrell’s book.
This book offers a fresh and unique
Advent study course and gives us a
new and grown-up perspective on the
Nativity story we first encountered in
school and church Nativity plays.
If you would like more information
please speak to Denny Davies
([email protected]
or 01252 544350)
Tuesday Evenings: 7.30pm
Wednesday Mornings: 10:30am
10
L3D Group
It's a group of two or three people who meet together regularly
and hold each other accountable for living well. The meeting is
structured around a number of questions, which the members
of the group answer as honestly as possible.
A meeting should last about an hour; although it will probably take longer at
first until the group gets into a rhythm. It can meet anywhere - a public venue is
great because it provokes curiosity in people around - coffee bars are ideal!
Meetings are meant to be flexible, at some meetings you may not get through
all the questions.
A typical meeting might go as follows:
15-20 minutes getting a coffee and catching up with one another
30 minutes working through the questions
10 minutes praying for one another
Interested, contact Ken Evans ([email protected])
Food and lots of banter as guys chat about: Ongoing men’s work
around our Church, heroes of the Faith, man lists, food, cars, films and
songs to listen to when you walk the dog (among other tasks), life and
it’s ups and downs…
We meet every Wednesday at 7.30pm
Open to all men, no barriers
Future events - Clay Shoot, Brewery Tour, Karting….
Interested, contact Ken Evans ([email protected])
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Kayleigh is exploring her call to become a Local Preacher. She is
participating in a pilot course that has been developed by the Methodist
Church to replace the existing Faith and Worship Course. The pilot
needs to be completed in two years, although future participant of the
new course will have up to 5 years to complete all the modules!
To help us understand what this course involves Kayleigh has agreed
to let us print one of the submissions she recently made for Module 3.1
Prayer
Praying in heart,
Praying out loud,
Praying alone
And praying in a crowd.
Praying without ceasing
And praying in faith.
Praying is a vital part
Of being a Christian.
Knowing God,
Knowing Jesus
And The Holy Spirit.
Praying in Adoration,
Praying confession,
Praying thanksgiving
And praying for Supplication.
Being in his presence,
Saved by his Grace,
Experiencing his mercy,
And seeing his face.
Praying is a deliberate action
Done by us,
Whether it’s for a few moments
Or a 40 day fast.
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The power of prayer
Enables change,
If according to His will,
Praying has the power
To break chains.
The power to overcome,
The power to intercede,
The power to move mountains,
The power of the Holy Trinity.
The nature and purpose
Of prayer; I believe,
Is an intentional act of service
So God can work in you
And in me.
Correcting in our don’ts,
Blessing in our do's
Sharing love, mercy, grace
And forgiveness too.
Now is the time and it's a need,
To commit prayer to God!
So he can steer us correctly and guide
is on his path,
To move within his people,
To work within his church.
everything, will reward you.”
Christ our Lord gave his life,
God gave his only son,
We receive his Spirit,
Our God is 3 in 1
Listening is just as valuable as talking in
prayer.
Prayer, communion and scripture,
Intentional our actions may be,
Yet, it is by Grace,
With Love
And fellowship
We unite in Victory!
Kayleigh Waldron
It may be better to not under value
the power of prayer, and not just any
prayer, under valuing the power of the
Holy Spirit through your prayers.
Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us
to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays
for us with groanings that cannot be
expressed in words.”
We are instructed/encouraged to put
ourselves in quiet to commit time to
God deliberately
Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go
away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in
private. Then your Father, who sees
Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock
and my redeemer”
It is overwhelming when our prayers
are answered, but it is life altering
when our prayers are answered in a
way we did not expect, GOD does want
us to be happy. But our happiness isn't
His top concern. GOD loves us more
than we could possibly imagine, and
because of this, His top concern is what
is best for us. Often, what's best for us
isn't what makes us happy right now.
Hebrews 4:12 Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a huge crowd of
witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip
off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us
up. And let us run with endurance the
race God has set before us”
What, How and Does
Prayer is important because it grounds
and centres us in this chaos, it helps us
to collect our thoughts reflect at our
day or moments in a day and enables
us to just breathe.
13
Prayer is the communication between
God and oneself through the son and
by the spirit, quite simply it is the surrendering of oneself to the acceptance
of Gods will
The Holy Spirit is the translator to God
through our prayers and the communicator through God by Jesus to us.
We should pray for the will of God,
simply by using the Lord’s Prayer as a
foundation of prayer and elaborating
from this prayer.
God answers our prayers always and
to narrow the answers I recently
learned in a sermon at our home
church there is 5 answers to prayer.
That goes in words to the effect of;

Yes

No

Wait

Do it yourself

And Mind your own business.
I thought I would share this beautiful
piece read By Issac Wimberley in the
video Forever by Kari Jobe and I hope
and pray that it is in God’s will that
these words take root and establish
themselves within you, that upon
reading them the holy spirit is using
your unconsciousness that yearns for a
heavenly touch and intercedes for you
that something within you is changed.
I pray all this for the building of God’s
kingdom,
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In the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
If there are words for Him, then I
don’t have them
If there are words for Him, then I don’t
have them.
You see, my brain has not yet reached
a thought
that could adequately describe the
greatness of my God.
And my lungs have not yet developed
the ability
to release a breath that could breathe
out the greatness of His love.
My voice is so inhibited, restrained by
human limits,
it is hard to even sing sufficient praises
of Him.
You see, if there are words for Him,
then I don’t have them.
My God His grace is remarkable;
His mercies are innumerable;
His strength is impenetrable.
He is audible, accountable, favourable;
He is unsearchable yet knowable;
indefinable yet approachable;
indescribable yet personal.
He is beyond comprehension; further
than imagination;
constant through generations, King of
every nation.
But if there are words for Him, then i
don’t have them
You see my words are few, and to try
to capture
the one true God using my vocabulary
would never do.
But I use words as an expression, an
expression of worship to a Saviour:
A Saviour who is both worthy and deserving of my praise, so I use words.
My heart extols the Lord, blesses His
name forever.
He has won my heart, captured my
mind and has bound the bolt together.
He has defeated me in my rebellion,
conquered me in my sin;
He has welcomed me into His presence, completely abided me in;
Flooding me with mercies in the morning;
Drowning me with grace in the night.
If there are words for Him, then I don’t
have them
But what I do have is Good News!
For my God knew that man-made
words would never do;
For words are just tools we use to
point to the Truth.
So He sent his Son Jesus Christ as the
Word, living proof.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creation;
for by Him all things were created, giving nothingness formation;
and by His Word He sustains in the
power of His name.
He is before all things, and over
all things He reigns.
Holy is his name, so praise Him for His
life,
the way he persevered his strife;
the humble son of God becoming the
perfect sacrifice –
So praise Him for his death; that He
willingly stood in our place;
that He lovingly adored the grave; that
He battled our enemy
and on the third day rose in victory.
He is everything that was promised; praise Him as the risen King;
lift your voice and sing, for one day He
will return for us,
and we will finally be united with our
Saviour for eternity.
It’s not just words that I proclaim,
for my words point at the Word, and
the Word has a Name;
hope has a Name; joy has a Name;
peace has a Name; love has a Name:
and that name is Jesus Christ – praise
His name forever.
Isaac Wimberley Forever Kari Jobe live
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>> The Power of a Praying Grandparent >>
16
There is an exciting programme of #Thrst events lined up that will take us into
the New Year. See the previos page for further details.
If you would like to be involved in helping put these #Th1rst events on there
are a number of opportunities to serve.
Each #Th1rst event is different and will require a different approach but below
is a breakdown of some of the key areas.
Manual Team
We need a team who will be able to arrange the church ready for the evening’s
event. This may happen straight after morning church or at an arranged time
during the afternoon. Tasks may include setting out the chairs, clearing space
on the dais, arranging tables. After the event things need to be put back in
place.
Catering team
We need a team who would be willing to cater for the #Thirst team and our
guests. This could involve a meal for the team on the evening of the event, setting out tables with snacks etc. etc. Preparing tea and coffee and clearing up
afterwards.
Techie Team
We need a team who will liaise with the guest artist to ascertain Audio/visual
requirements ahead of time. Be available for “loading in” and sound checking
in the afternoon of the event. Rigging and dismantling of lights and any other
AV that is used during the event.
Promotions team
We need a team of people who would be prepared to help with the promotion
of #Th1rst. This may involve designing posters and flyers, compiling a mailing
list and building up a data base of contacts both in local churches and beyond.
We also want to look at promoting these events in local media (press and radio).
If you would be interested in any of the above please speak to David Betts
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Why not come along to
North Camp Methodist Church
to share in our Christmas Services
- or any Sunday - we’d love to see you!
Sunday 13th December
11.00am Children and Young Peoples Christmas Celebration
This service will have contributions from our Kingdom Kids as they
help us to focus on the events of Christmas. Something for
everyone, parents, grandparents and friends too.
Thursday 17th December
10.00am Open Church
until
The Church will be open to provide opportunities for prayer and
11.30am meditation in preparation for Christmas. Refreshments available.
Sunday 20th December
6.30pm
Church Carol Service
Carols, Bible Readings for this season. To add to the atmosphere
we will be accompanied with music from a Brass Ensemble, our
Worship Band and Organist; a candle and holder will be provided
to everyone.
Followed by Coffee and Mince pies.
CHRISTMAS EVE (Thursday 24th December)
4.30pm
All-Age Christingle Service
A service for all ages, with Carols, where, with the help of an
orange, some ribbon and other fruity bits, (all provided by the
church) we focus on Christ the Light of the World
11.30pm Holy Communion
Bringing us into Christmas Day, a Communion service.
CHRISTMAS DAY
10.00am Morning Worship for all ages
(Bring your favourite present!)
20
November 2015
1st
Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service (Ken Evans)
11:00am
Contemporary Service (Ken Evans)
3rd
Tue
7.00pm
All Questions Great & Small
(Adrian Plass & Jeff Lucas)
4th
Wed
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
5th
Thu
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
7th
Sat
2.00pm - 4.00pm
Operation Christmas Child
8th
Sun
10.30am
Service of Remembrance
(Dave Betts)
9th
Mon
6.00pm - 8.00pm
Let’s Pray
7.30pm
Leadership Team Meeting
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm
MisterHood
12th Thu
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
14th Sat
10:00am - 1:00pm
Saturday Crafters
15th Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service - (HC)
(Revd Keith Underhill)
11:00am
Contemporary Service (HC)
(Revd Keith Underhill)
2.00pm
Zimbabwean Fellowship
6:30pm
Th1rst - Paul Kerensa
17th Tue
7,30pm - 9.30pm
Faith & Fellowship
18th Wed
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm
MisterHood
11th Wed
21
November 2015 (cont)
19th Thu
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
22nd Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service
11:00am
Contemporary Service
23rd Mon 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Let’s Pray
24th Tue
7.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
25th Wed
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm
MisterHood
26th Thu
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
28th Sat
3.00pm - 5.00pm
Tea & Chat
29th Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service
(Jennie Marlow)
11:00am
Contemporary Service
(Anna Carrington)
7.00pm - 8.30pm
Children’s Team meeting
30th Mon
December 2015
1st
Tue
2nd Wed
7.30pm
Faith & Fellowship
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm
MisterHood
3rd
Thu
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
6th
Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service - (HC)
(Revd Keith Underhill)
11:00am
Contemporary Service (HC)
(Revd Keith Underhill)
2.00pm
Fijian Fellowship
6.00pm - 8.00pm
Let’s Pray
7th
22
Mon
8th
Tue
7,30pm - 9.30pm
Faith & Fellowship
9th
Wed
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10.30am - 12.00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm - 8,30pm
Angel Project Dedication
10th Thurs
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Alpha Course
12th Sat
9.30am - 4.00pm
Alpha Course—Away-day
10:00am - 1:00pm
Saturday Crafters
13th Sun
11:00am
Nativity Service
(Dave Betts)
15th Tues
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Faith & Fellowship
16th Wed
10:30am - 12:00pm
Faith & Fellowship
17th Thu
10.00am - 11.30am
Open Church
19th Sat
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Petite Sisterhood
20th Sun
9::30am
Traditional Service
(Ken Evans)
11:00am
Contemporary Service
(Ken Evans)
2.00pm - 5.00pm
Zimbabwean Fellowship
6:30pm
Carols by Candlelight
(Ken Evans)
21st Mon
6.00pm - 8.00pm
Let’s Pray
24th Thurs
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Christingle
(Ken Evans)
11:30pm - midnight
Christmas Eve Communion
(Revd Alan Costello)
10:00am - 11:00am
Christmas Day Service
(Ken Evans)
25th Fri
23
January 2016
3rd
9::30am
Traditional Service
(Ken Evans)
11:00am
Contemporary Service
(Ken Evans)
10:00am - 1:00pm
Saturday Crafters
10th Sun
10.30am
United Circuit Covenant Service
Revd Steve Wylde
President of Conference
(Church on the Heath)
12th Tues
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Faith & Fellowship
13th Wed
9.30am - 11.00am
Mothers & Toddlers Group
10:30am - 12:00pm
Faith & Fellowship
7.30pm
Leadership Team Meeting
9::30am
Traditional Service
(Ken Evans)
11:00am
Contemporary Service
(Ken Evans)
9th
Sun
Sat
17th Sun
24