St Michael's, Twerton » Headline

We believe in Church

Rich — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:52:31 +0000

Why do we do what we do?

We believe in Church. We believe that, contrary to popular belief, the church is amazing
We believe that when the church looks like Jesus, when it sounds like him, when it feels like him, when it gives off his aroma everything changes. Communities are transformed, people’s lives are restored from the inside out. When the church is alive, people come alive. When the church is alive, communities come alive. If you want to change the world, the best way of doing that, we believe, is to be a part of church. In church people discover love and forgiveness and healing. They discover rhythm, purpose and passion. They discover fulfilment, direction and joy. Church matters.

Church gives people the way to salvation. It gives them the tools needed for personal transformation and renewal. It gives them a worldview that makes sense of the world and which gives direction and purpose to life. It gives them a way to find life.

How does Church do this? It does it by introducing people to God in Jesus. It does it through baptism and breaking bread and worship. It does it through engaging in prayer and disciplines and rituals that help us remember and reconnect ourselves with God’s love, his grace, his forgiveness and his presence. It does this through ministry and generosity and self-sacrifice. It does it by sharing the good news about God’s kingdom and inviting people to rethink their lives around it. It does it by inviting others to seek the kingdom, find it, receive it, and enter it. It does this through giving itself away, feeding people, loving them, forgiving them, bearing with them. It does it through blessing rather than cursing its enemies, and praying for those who persecute it. It does this through taking on the enemy and proclaiming that life, not death, wins after all – that love, not hate, is ultimately victorious. It does this by trusting in God, taking risks, living simply, giving things away and ‘taking up its cross’. It does it by loving the unlovable, forgiving the unforgivable, and believing the unbelievable. It does it by following Jesus and by inviting others to follow Jesus too. Everyone is a disciple. Everyone is a disciplemaker. There is a discipleship invitation everywhere –at home, at work, at the gym, at school, at college, in the hospital.

What does the church do? It prays, it worships, it breaks bread in homes, it devotes itself to the apostle’s teaching, it gives money away to those in need. It makes music to God, and celebrates the sacrifice of Jesus in the breaking of bread. It engages in mission and compassion and outreach. It embraces the poor. It makes space for the broken. It receives the unclean. It teaches and it baptises. It educates and releases. It equips and it appoints. It resources and it anoints. It guides and motivates and trains. It helps people to find their place and their role, their purpose. It prays for healing, sets people free and proclaims the year of the Lord’s favour. It restores the foundations, breaks the curses and restores godly ways of thinking. It runs courses, toddler groups, it provides family meals when someone has a baby. It visits the sick, lends out a van and buys a holiday caravan. It sets up a recording studio, reads with kids at school, walks the streets at midnight, runs a foodbank. It mentors, it enthuses, encourages. It blesses the local schools, it joins in with local community activities, it gets involved, it rolls out the red carpet by picking up litter and hiring out skips. It runs a community café and centre as a home from home, facilitating an art group, a breast feeding group, a knit and natter group, and offering countless people a chance to regain their purpose and their direction. It prays for breakthrough. It set up impact groups that make a difference to local people. It believes in people. It blesses marriages and supports families. It gives thanks for children seeing them as gifts. It supports the grieving and gives hope to the mourning. It takes a day off each week seeing it as a gift from God for the benefit of everyone. It lives life as if God’s Kingdom is at hand and available to all. It believes that Jesus is Lord. It believes that Jesus has won. It believes he is good.

This is what we are like. This is what we do. This is how we do it. This is why we do it. Want to sign up for another year?

Looking forward

Rich — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:32:05 +0000

Christmas means different things to each of us. For us as Christians we enjoy the whole season of celebration and festivity with an added pleasure. For in this season we look forward, not just back, to the day when the Prince of Peace will come and bring with him the reign of God over all creation.

Jesus’ name given to him at his birth was Immanuel – God with us – and it is this hope that gives us such hope and joy.

If you want to come along to services this Christmas you can be sure of a fantastic welcome. Look out for our services times.

Peace be with you.

The life I always wanted

Rich — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:03:31 +0000

What does being a Christian mean to you? What is the most important part of it all? How do you feel you are doing? Does it all make sense? Do you want to know God better? Have you ever thought something ought to change?

Jesus came to offer us a life in his kingdom and as a church it is our main aim to learn how to live this life well. Church people call learning about this life ‘discipleship’. Over the next year discipleship is going to take centre stage in our thinking and living as a community. Some of us have been disciples of Jesus for a while. Others have only just signed up for the journey. None of us feel we’ve got it licked and all of us want to grow in our life with God.

As the summer time comes to an end and we enter a new season together it is our aim to build each other up and see each other grow and mature. Together we are committed to being and making disciples.

Join us, if you want to make this your own goal. Join us is you want to discover the life you always wanted. Join us if you want to sign up as a student of Jesus. It will be worth it.

Ephesians

Rich — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:34:28 +0000

We are really excited to be starting a new series on Sunday mornings through the summer – Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Bursting with energy, praise, love, passion, wisdom and thanks, this letter is one of the high points in the whole New Testament. From start to finish Paul is caught up with a big picture of what God is doing through Jesus and his Church putting things back together again and making all things new. Some have likened it to going on a ride on the London Eye and taking in the view of the city which previously we couldn’t have seen. Sundays at 10.15.

Entering his gates with thanksgiving

Rich — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:44:18 +0000

Our boiler is finally getting fixed and the sun is coming out and so we are all heading back to the main church building for our Sunday services. It’s been a great experience worshipping together in the school and we will continue to enjoy our first Sunday of the month services there. So this Sunday we are walking down the road from the school to the church to celebrate Palm Sunday and it will be good. Entering the ‘gates’ of the church and making sure that the place is filled with prayer for all peoples we will connect again with the story of Jesus’ last week.

It’s been a late Easter and we are ready to celebrate all that Jesus has done for us. Join us for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Come ready to leave behind the old and clothe yourself with the new. Jesus has died. Jesus is risen. Jesus will come again.

Back to school

Rich — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:46:37 +0000

It’s been an interesting month! On the first Sunday in February we launched a new service at our local junior school (St Michael’s) and it went down a bomb. Then the boiler at the main church building broke down for the umpteenth time this winter and was finally given the last rites. So it looks like St Michael’s Church has a new temporary home at St Michael’s School… at least for the time being. Many thanks to Dave Goucher and the rest of the School staff who always make us so welcome. We really appreciate it!

What’s interesting is how just moving building subtly changes other things – changes the way we relate, the way we sing, the places we sit, the way we connect with God, the way we welcome… May God continue to turn this challenge into an opportunity for us all as we journey together through this next month!

Everyone

Rich — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:06:18 +0000

It was a bolt out of the blue. One word. “Everyone” Nothing more, nothing less.

And I knew it was a God thing.

I am excited about our new series on Sundays called “EVERYONE”. I believe that God wants us to know something simple, but deep – that this thing is for EVERYONE, that he is for EVERYONE, that this gospel is for EVERYONE, that God’s love and blessing and presence is for EVERYONE. It sounds simple and sounds as if we already know it. Which we do. It’s just that we don’t always really know it – or live as though we know it. Somehow we have categories of who is in and who is out, who get’s good things and who is left out, who is blessed and who is not. God wants us to get this: It’s for EVERYONE.

Join us as we reflect, rejoice and explore this theme together.

Sundays to Easter

January

02 New Year
09 Everyone an image bearer
16 Everyone missed the mark
23 Everyone forgiven
30 Everyone a son

February

06 Everyone gifted
13 Everyone a disciple
20 Everyone a worshiper
27 Everyone a missionary

March

06 Everyone a priest
13 Everyone together
20 Lent 1
27 Lent 2

April

03 Lent 3
10 Lent 4
17 Palm Sunday
24 Resurrection Sunday

Christmas

Rich — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:31:28 +0000

Christmas
Come and join us celebrate the coming of a new Kingdom
Christmas Eve – Midnight Communion 11pm at the Church
Christmas Morning – Celebration Breakfast 10.15 at the Church

January 2nd – New Year Service 10.15am at the Church

Advent is coming

Rich — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:45:42 +0000

Outside the church there is little talk of ‘Advent’. The only words associated with it are ‘calendars’ and ‘candles’. Apart from that Advent holds little power over our imaginations and lives. It didn’t used to be like this. For centuries the season of Advent was a significant and eagerly anticipated season of reflection, preparation and prayer. Advent is a gift to us and for the next month, as a church community, we are trying to reconnect with this tradition and bring it up to date. On the 5th December we are holding a special Advent service in the evening from 7pm. Join us for an interactive service of worship and reflection which will awaken all the senses and bring Christmas alive. Looking forward to seeing you over this season : )

Funday Sunday Success!

Rich — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:48:06 +0000

It was a great day! The sun shone, the BBQ was perfect, the games were fun, the music was fab, the atmosphere was relaxed, the church looked brilliant, the cakes were amazing and everyone had a great time!. We think about 250 people came and enjoyed it all. Helen was delighted with winning £25 for her contribution to the painting that Mike organised, and Ruth thinks that her team of face painters decorated about 100 children. Tory noted the steady stream of people wanting to have their nails done, and Dave ran out of coconuts in the first hour! So thank you to everyone who made the day such a joyful event – from those who came to set up, to those who helped serve and cook and paint, to those who performed and entertained, to those who danced their socks off, to those who tidied away at the end of it all! Thank you! If you have any photos of the event, let us know or email them in!

Until next year! Richard