Notice Sheet
Heart of the Community News Update
We have now reached the end of the 18/7 prayer challenge. Thank you to everyone who took part in this. With the recent Sunday visit to the new centre, the
Spring Update meeting, and the new video, there is a strong sense of enthusiasm,
faith, and confidence in the air.
LIVING TO MAKE A DIF FERENCE BY BEING
A CHRISTIAN HEART AT THE CENTRE OF
THE COMMUNITY
Even though we are still facing a shortfall in finance for Stage 2a, and have not yet
identified the £1.1m needed for Stage 2b, we are confident in the Lord’s promise to
provide as we step out in faith.
For hearing
aid users select
“T” setting on
your device
Please do continue to pray for God’s provision - and for sensitivity and wisdom for
the committees seeking to discern the way forward and make the right decisions .
Disability
adviser is
Louise Cooper
Call 0117 947
0998
On Monday 9th February the DCC will consider the HOTC Steering Group’s recommendation that the offer of a £250K loan from the Diocese be accepted to bridge
the gap in funding to complete Stage 2a. It is hoped that this provision will be in
principle only – and will not need to be drawn down.
The Steering Group will meet on Monday 23rd February to consider whether it is
possible to move straight from Stage 2a to 2b at Easter. Without a miraculous intervention and provision of £1.1m in the next two or three weeks, we will be unable
to complete the centre without a break.
This may be what the Lord is saying. More than anything else we need to keep
praying and listening, and be obedient to what He asks us to do. He knows how
the building will be completed and where the money is now, and how and when it
will come to us.
Whilst there is a need to attend to the practicalities, and being wise stewards of the
resources we have been entrusted with, we need to keep our focus on the reasons
why we are undertaking this project: the vision to make a difference by being a
Christian heart at the centre of our community.
At the HOTC prayer breakfast last week, there was again a strong sense of the importance for us, the church family, of building community and relationships alongside the physical building. From this strong base the ministry, mission and blessing
will flow.
The Old School Rooms,
The Green, Stoke Gifford,
Bristol BS34 8PD
Phone: 0117 969 2486
Fax: 0117 959 9264
Find us online:
www.stmichaelsbristol.org
www.facebook.com/StMichaelsChurchStokeGifford
Services at
10.30am Morning Celebration
is an informal
service which
starts in two
places: Church
(more adult
focused) and
Family Worship
in the Old
School Rooms
(more family
focused). After
20 minutes,
children and
young people
(3-18yrs) go to
their groups
and everyone
else meets in
Church. There
is a crèche for 0
-3 year olds in
the church
vestry.
Recording of
Sunday sermons – hear
our Sunday
morning and
evening sermons on the
church website
Sunday 8th February
9.00am
Morning Communion
Today’s topic is: Daniel
Readings: Daniel 6:10-23, Hebrews 11:32-40
Speaker: Simon Jones
10.30am
Morning Celebration with Communion
Today’s topic is: Daniel
Readings: Daniel 6:10-23
Speaker: Simon Jones
6.30pm
Evening Celebration
Today’s topic is: A generous community
Readings: Acts 4:32-37
Speaker: Joel Preston
This Week
Dates for the Diary
Monday 9th February
18th February
Ash Wednesday
7th March
Big Spring Party
15th April
Vision Night
There is no morning prayer today
Wednesday 11th February
Morning Prayer 09.10am
Friday 13th February
Morning Prayer 09.10am
Saturday 14th February
Saturday Breakfast 08.30am
24th/25th April Church Weekend
Morning Prayer and Office Closure
Please note, there will be no morning prayer
session on Monday 9th February. All other
prayer meetings are happening as usual.
The Church Office will also be closed from 9am
until 3.30pm on Monday 9th February.
A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
This summer Karen Jones, along with Simon, is
leading a tour to Israel. The dates are 11th20th August, and full details can be found in a
leaflet available at the back of church, or email
[email protected]
Wholeness Ministry
One hour listening and prayer appointments
take place in term time on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings. If you would like to
make an appointment, please email
[email protected]
Getting prepared for Lent
This year’s recommended reading for lent is:
Celebration of Discipline, The Path to Spiritual
Growth. It is available in paperback, kindle,
audio download and MP3 and can be found at
t h e
f o l l o w i n g
l o c a t i o n :
http : / / w w w . a m a z o n . c o . u k / C e l e b r a t i o n Discipline-Path-Spiritual-Growth
Alternatively, you could sign up to Lent Voices: As part of the 10,000 Voices initiative, the
Diocese of Bristol is bringing us a series of 40
personal and thought-provoking stories of
faith each day between Ash Wednesday and
Holy Saturday. Lent Voices will be drawn from
people of all ages and backgrounds, both lay
and ordained, and are unique stories told in
their own words. Each testimony is accompanied by some points and scripture to contemplate.
Register your email address at:
bristol.anglican.org/voices to receive each
day’s Lent Voice direct to your email inbox.
Lent Voices are also available via the Facebook
page at facebook.com/10kVoices and Twitter
@diobrizzle channels.
Val Sturgess
Val sadly passed away on Tuesday 27th January. Do please pray for Val’s partner Peter and
her children at this difficult time. Val was a
wonderful lady with very many friends at St.
Michael’s. A service of Thanksgiving for her
life will take place in church on Wednesday
11th February at 2pm, with refreshments afterwards in the OSR.
If you can help with the refreshments please
speak to Julie Bradley or Liz Reed. Also, if anyone has any photos of Val, the family would
love to have them for a slide show they are
preparing. Please e-mail them to
[email protected]
Duggie Dug Dug Praise Party
We are very lucky to have Doug Horley visiting
us on Saturday 28th February. Join us in the
Old School Rooms from 3.00pm - 4.30pm. We
sing lots of the songs Doug has written on a
Sunday including King of Love and Nothings
too big.
Doug’s praise parties are really fun events,
they are a fast moving mixture of action songs,
break dancing, funky dance tracks, tricks, illusions, hilarious puppets and sign language
songs.
Tickets are available at £2 per individual ticket
or £5 for a family ticket, they can be bought
after the service or from the church office during the week. These are great events to invite
friends to.
Fresh Expressions Vision Day
The above event is happening on Saturday
14th March from 10am at Holy Trinity church,
Bradley Stoke.
Fresh Expressions vision days are a dynamic
way to explore new ways of being church and
how to form them. Over 6,000 people in over
80 places in the UK and worldwide, have discovered more about fresh expressions of
church and have come away with a real desire
to work with God and develop their dreams .
Vision days are ideal for Christians from all
churches and traditions.
For more information:
Email [email protected] or
Phone: 0117 9603195
www.freshexpressions.org.uk
North Bristol Foodbank
We had an inspiring talk at our last Saturday
Breakfast given by Stewart North from ‘North
Bristol Foodbank’. He gave us some interesting
statistics including.
- They fed 3052 people in 2014.
-Food given out during 2014: 31.7 tonnes
-Donated food during 2014: Over 40 tonnes.
- 116 partnership referral organisations.
The North Bristol Foodbank, as part of the UKwide Trussell Trust network, provides a minimum
of 3 days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis.
We now have a fixed collection point for food
and other items in the foyer of the OSR.
The donations will be regularly collected and
taken to the Foodbank for distribution.
Cheswick Update
Things are going well on Cheswick, there’s a
steady stream of folk from the community coming to the Sunday services, the Saplings parent
and child group is still really well attended, every
week there are new faces appearing.
Sam Hepburn is launching a new Saturday
morning dad’s initiative as part of the nation
wide ‘Who Let the Dads Out” ministry. There
are opportunities to get involved in helping on
Sundays, and on Friday morning with Saplings
group serving tea and chatting with mums. If
you would like to get involved in what’s happening on Cheswick you can contact
Jimmy [email protected],
Rachel [email protected] or
Sam [email protected]
Jesus said in Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty Family portrait photo day
and you gave me something to drink…..”
Karen Parrish will be putting her hobby to work
For
more
information
please
go
to and offering a group portrait photo afternoon
www.northbristol.foodbank.org.uk or talk to Sid
on Saturday 7th March in aid of HOTC. Come
Cameron here at St Michael’s.
along with your family or friends and have some
photos taken! Prices start at £8 for a single phoA little exercise required!
Believe it or not, many people in our local com- to and £22 for a pack. Some examples of her
munity have never been into the Old School p h o t o s
can
be
seen
at
Rooms, and don’t know what a wonderful facility
https://www.flickr.com/photos/9564354@N04/.
they have right on their doorsteps. We want to
change this by raising its profile, and we just To book your space, e-mail Karen at
need a little help from you to enable us to do [email protected], or catch her after
this. Just like the Christmas card delivery, we’re the 10.30 service. Be quick as spaces are strictly
asking you if you can deliver cards for us. They limited!
are the back of church, sorted into manageable
batches, so why not pick up a pack at the end of
the service today. Many legs make light Pop up shop Saturday 21st February 2015
The pop up shop is making anothwork. Thank you.
er appearance on Saturday 21st February, raising
funds for Heart of the Community. Claire is askNetwork Counselling and Training
Network have a vacancy for a part time General ing for donations of items to sell - such as clothManager who would be responsible for the fi- ing, toys, dvds, books, household items - in adnancial, legal and operational aspects of the vance of the sale so they can be sorted and
priced. This is an ideal opportunity to sort out
organisation.
Closing date for applications is 15th February the "clutter" in your loft or garage. Please con2015 and further information and application tact Claire Jessopp on 0117 9838535 for further
forms
can
be
obtained
by
contact- information, or to arrange a collection time.
Thank you.
ing [email protected]