About
Church news
Belong
Prayer

Heart of the Community project


About

Karen and I welcome you to the website of St Michael's Church, Stoke Gifford.

We're a lively, growing Anglican church on the outskirts of Bristol. We're an outward-looking church "living to make a difference" by being a "Christian heart at the centre of the community".

As you surf the website you'll find three values surfacing time and again: discipleship, outreach and serving the community. We're passionate about these three activities as key features in the Christian life.

We're committed to making disciples locally, to inspire others to do the same regionally and to work for transformation nationally.

Enjoy exploring the website.  We love to build friendships in church, develop community, seek God and step out in faith. Pop in and see us at our Sunday services for worship, teaching and prayer.  Or in the week, why not visit our fantastic coffee shop?

We've recently produced a set of short video clips about the life of the church and our ambitious Heart of the Community project.  

You can see more film clips from the series, in the Heart of the Community pages of this website.

Please enjoy the community online, and do visit us in reality too!

God bless,

Revds Si & Karen Jones

Team Rector & Assistant Minister

Latest Church news

Church weekend 7 – 9 June 2013

Our Church weekend is a fantastic time of fun, food and fellowship at St Michaelʼs. This year weʼre at home to make the activities accessible to as many as possible.
The aim of the weekend is to worship God, to learn more about being a “Church that cares” and to have fun… a great way to “be” church together.
We welcome to speak Tim and Hils Grew from Trinity Cheltenham, Nick Jackson from “Powerpack” and Andrew Palmer, from Upcott who will lead our 11-16ʼs programme.

Everyone is invited. The church office needs to receive completed booking forms and payment by Monday 27th May.

Church Weekend information and booking form 



Alpha weekend invitation

We have the Alpha weekend coming up for the current Alpha course on

Friday 31st May (evening) - Saturday 1st June (morning and afternoon)

If you have done an Alpha course before but missed out on the weekend, you would be welcome to join us for this one.

We are based in the OSR, and we start at 7pm on the Friday and 9am on the Saturday – all food provided!

If you would like to join us please email alpha@stmichaelsbristol.org or ring the office on 0117 969 2486 to let us know you can come. 



Heart of the Community short films released

Our new set of short films about the Heart of the Community project is now complete. They’re being screened at fundraising and networking events, during church services and throughout the St Michael’s Church website.  They are also available on DVD so we can easily send copies to anyone who is interested in supporting the project. 

Please enjoy as many of the 9 clips as you like. And share them with anyone who might like to know more. They cover all areas of the project story, including some fantastic personal accounts of different ways in which we are living to make a difference.

The films are available on the St Michael’s YouTube channel, throughout the Heart of the Community pages of this website, and just here:

 



Over 65s Lunch Club

Our next Over 65s Lunch is coming up soon

Sunday 2 June at 1.00pm

The Old School Rooms

If you’d like to join us for lunch please let the church office know by Wednesday 29 May. 

You can see just how popular the event is in this short video clip about the Heart of the Community project

There is no fixed charge for the meal, but donations are gratefully received.



Charity football tournament

St Michael’s Church is organising a 5-a-side football tournament in the village.

Saturday 29 June

2.00 – 4.00pm

Goals Bristol North, Wise Campus, New Road, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8LP

There will be 12 pitches, 24 teams, 6 leagues and ultimately 6 games to find a champion.

The cost is £10 per person with all funds raised shared equally by the Heart of the Community project and the St Michael’s mission trip to Univida, Brazil.

If you would like to play, invite a friend or find out more please contact Michael Green on 07880 387885 or mgreen@fpegroup.co.uk



Pastoral care training days

St Michael’s Church is hosting a new series of 5 training sessions on the vital subject of caring for each other.

The course is being held on 5 Saturdays, spread over the next 10 months.

The first session is an important introduction to the course and lasts from 10.00am – 4.00pm

It’s being held on

Saturday 25 May

and repeated on

Saturday 20 July 

All details of dates and content of the training are in this leaflet: 

Pastoral Care Training Information

Please contact Julie Bradley if you are interested in taking part.



Belong

Everyone is welcome at St Michael’s. We offer a very wide range of activities and worship services in order that people from across the community can find a place to belong.

These are some examples of the kind of places where it’s easy to find a home. But there’s plenty more to explore in our full list of activities.

 Life groups

Many church members meet regularly in smaller groups for conversation, bible study, prayer and discussion. These life groups provide a chance to get to know each other better and to grow together in our faith. Very often they also provide excellent cake. (More...   )

 The Alpha Course

AlphaAlpha is a relaxed, fun and informative way to share your thoughts and explore the meaning of life. 18 million people have done the Alpha Course around the world. It’s designed primarily for people who don't go to church or who haven't been to church in a long time and are interested in the Christian faith. (More...   )

 Volunteering

There are always opportunities to volunteer within the life of St Michael’s. It’s one of the best ways in which we can fulfil our vision of living to make a difference. If you have a talent for gardening or music or hospitality (or just about anything) then there’s probably an opportunity for you to make a difference. We would love to hear from you. (More...   )

 Messy church

This is church for those who find sitting still and being quiet unthinkable. Once a month we throw open the doors of Messy Church on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s for primary school children and their families. Fun, paint, craft, noisy singing, cutting, sticking, playing and making a mess are actively encouraged. (More...   )

 Traditional worship

Many people find a more traditional approach to worship most helpful. Our 9.00am service each Sunday morning is well suited to those who enjoy the hymns and liturgy of the Anglican tradition. And on the first Sunday of each month we gather for Evensong at 5.00pm. (More...   )

 Youth events

There’s always a stack of activity on offer for young people at St Michael's. Joel, Jimmy and the youth team are constantly on the look out for opportunities to have a laugh, try something new and to demonstrate that being a Christian means life is more exciting, not less. (More...   )

 The Coffee Shop

If this choice of activities feels a bit demanding, then the Old School Rooms Coffee Shop may be just what you're looking for.  A relaxing meeting place in the heart of the village, which serves the most delicious range of drinks, cakes and light lunches.  The Coffee Shop is the place to take it easy. (More...   )

 More

This is a just a small selection of the opportunities to belong that we provide as a church. You can also browse a full list of all our regular activities or keep up with news of the latest events organised by members of St Michael’s Church.

Prayer

Prayer is central to everything we do at St Michael’s. It’s about putting our trust in God’s safe hands. There are daily opportunities to pray, and to be prayed for, as part of the life of the church and our desire to serve the community.

 

Morning prayer

A short time of prayer is held at 9.10am every Monday in the Old School Rooms, and on Wednesday and Friday mornings in the church building. Everyone is welcome to join us to pray.

Prayer in church

At most of our church services there is an opportunity to receive prayer for you or a friend whether for healing or any other need. The person leading will usually offer anyone the chance to be prayed for towards the end of the service.

Receive prayer

More in-depth listening and prayer ministry is available during the week at our prayer surgery.
Please contact us for more details.

How to pray

This is one of the key topics for discussion on the Alpha Course. If you would like to explore questions like this, and any other issues of life, in a non-pressurised, informative discussion, the Alpha Course runs three times a year at St Michael’s. Everyone is welcome.

The way Jesus taught his friends to pray

Our Father in Heaven

Hallowed be your name

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us today our daily bread

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us

Lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours

Now and forever

Amen