Author: Laura Thomas

Gift Day for Ministry & Mission 2021

Posted on by Laura Thomas

This November Gift Day supports the ministry and mission of St Michael’s Church. 

Click here to go straight to How to give

Every Person Counts Every Pound Makes a Difference

..see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 Corinthians 8:7

Our vision is living to make a difference by being a Christian heart at the centre of our communities.

This vision is realised through Learning & Growing Together, Sharing Jesus Together and Serving Together.

To make our vision happen, we hold 2 gift days a year. One in May to support our resources and buildings and one in November to support day-to-day ministry.

Giving Thanks

Our gifts make this vision possible. This year, we’ve:

  • Supported our Mission Partners.
  • Moved swiftly to respond to Covid-19 pandemic by enabling livestreaming of Sunday worship, investing in new technology and staffing.
  • Begun new Life Groups and Forest Church in New Housing Areas, and established a new service in Stoke Gifford Retirement Village.
  • Held a significant Summer Club in our Church Centre.
  • Restarted Messy Church and Light Parties.
  • Developed student outreach partnering with the university.
  • Continued our day-to-day ministry.

Thank you for joining us on this adventure of generous giving that enables our vision to become a reality.

Key Priorities for 2021/2022

Wellbeing Coordinator

To work with existing agencies to resource our response post Covid, in education settings and community.

New Housing Areas

Strengthen community links in Cheswick, Harry Stoke and Scholars Chase, which all sit within our parish. Call people to move into New Housing Areas to begin new Life Groups.

Coffee Shop and Catering

Strengthen the ministry of the Old School Rooms Coffee Shop with additional resource. Engage external consultancy for our overall catering requirements across our ministries and that of the Centre.

Youth & Children’s Ministry

Invest in our teams to resource the expanding ministry and lead our amazing volunteers.

Young Adults

Develop our students & young adults ministry to meet the specific needs of this generation in the current climate.

Worship

We have already begun to build on the development of worship teams and to strengthen and enhance our musical worship.

Other costs will include:

  • Alleviating last year’s agreed deficit budget of £75k.
  • Refurbishment of our Church building: This year and next, we aim to transform the inside of our Church building.

Who?

Our ministry is resourced from the generous giving of our church.

Financially, we receive no contributions from the Church of England. In fact, we contribute around £150k per year back to the Church of England in Parish Share to support the wider ministry of the Church in the Bristol Diocese.

If you are new to St Michael’s…

Have you recently joined our church? We invite you to give monthly to enable our vision to become a reality.

If you’re not yet giving…

Some of us haven’t yet been able to support our ministry and mission. Could now be your time to begin giving financially?

If you can give more…

Like any charitable organisation, we are impacted by inflation and other factors that mean our costs steadily increase each year. Could you increase your giving?

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart togive, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Next Steps

Our Gift Day is 21 November 2021. 

We’re inviting everyone to complete this simple online Response form 

Gathering our responses helps us to be able to plan next steps.

Please click on the button below:

For ways to give to St Michael’s PCC click here This includes options to donate via card.

You can also download this webpage in a pdf leaflet format here

Message from Simon

Posted on by Laura Thomas

Throughout the pandemic we have produced pastoral/worship packs for around 80 -100 people who are either not in a life group or who don’t have online access. Each pack contains a letter from one of the leadership team. This time it’s the turn of Simon, and he has lots of news to share…

Greetings from St Michael’s Church! This message comes with my blessings and prayers as we head into the autumn season.

I have been reading this Bible verse; “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43 verse 19)

Despite the impact of the pandemic and the effects it has had, God is still doing a new thing. This verse suggests that it is God’s responsibility to do the new thing. We are simply called to perceive it and follow Him. Out of the wasteland, streams will flow. At our Newcomers Lunch recently, we welcomed 64 people! 48 of these were brand new to St Michael’s during lockdown. Jesus is alive and His Church is growing.

It has been so lovely to begin to reconnect as a Church community. The Over-65s Sunday afternoon tea on Sunday 3 October was a particular highlight. So delightful to connect together with old friends and meet new ones whilst enjoying a cream tea! Julie then led a wonderful service of Evensong in Church.

We have also restarted our midweek communion service in Church. The next service is Wednesday 20 October at 10am in the Church building. Please come and be my guest at this simple service. Vicky will be leading us.

Friday Film Club has also restarted. The next one is on Friday 22 October at 2pm in the church centre, a bargain at £2 with tea and biscuits are included.

Finally, we will be having a wonderful All Saints on Monday 1 November at 7.30pm in Church. This simple service enables those who have experienced the loss of someone they love, to give thanks and remember their loved ones before God. If you have been bereaved in the recent or distant past or maybe know someone who is still struggling with ‘loss’, why not invite them to come along? An invitation is included with this letter.

May the Lord make a ‘way’ in the wilderness for you.

 

God Bless

 

Letter from Julie – August 2021

Posted on by Laura Thomas

One of the things I think we have all had to learn to do during these last challenging 18 months is to hold onto things lightly.  Whether it’s been the opportunity to see family and friends, join together in much-loved activities, go away on holiday or whatever else, I’m sure we will all have had disappointments along the way that we have had to face and try to move beyond.

Last month we were able to welcome our little granddaughter Robyn-Jane, born in July last year just as we were coming out of the first lockdown, into our home for the first time.  We were absolutely thrilled that we got to witness her first independent steps whilst she was with us. But at the end of the weekend, she developed a cough and tested positive for Covid.  Thankfully she was fine, but of course we all had to self-isolate for 10 days, which meant we missed the first 5 days of our long-awaited holiday. Such is the roller-coaster ride that we have all been riding through Covid…! I know that I have certainly learned some valuable lessons around holding things lightly – and also around seeing God at work in some surprising and beautiful ways in the midst of the tough stuff that’s going on.

And whilst it’s true to say that we have had to learn to hold things lightly, alongside that many of us will have perhaps learned something about who, and what, we can hold onto tightly – and that is, of course, Jesus and the hope we have in him.  Jesus, who rides the roller coaster ride with us; Jesus the one who is always with us, always faithful.

One of the highlights of my summer has been the discovery of ‘The Chosen’, a beautiful dramatization of Jesus’ life, which can be found on YouTube or downloaded as an App.

In it the characters and stories we read about in the gospels are brought to life in such an imaginative, yet completely believable, way.  There are two seasons currently released, with a third in the making. I really commend it to you; it’s made a deep impression on me.

Another joy the summer has brought has been the opportunity to sing together when we gather to worship on Sundays – that’s certainly something I have really missed through these Covid months!  All our Sunday services and celebrations are back meeting in person – the weekly 9am and monthly 5pm services in church, and the weekly 10.30 and 6.30 celebrations in the centre.  As of now, there is no longer any need to book your place – just come along; it would be wonderful to see you.  (Please note that face coverings are still expected and recommended to be worn).  And in the coming weeks we hope to be able to see more and more of our ‘normal’ church activities starting up again; we’ll keep you posted!  In the meantime, let me leave you with these words from Hebrews 10v23:

‘Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful’.

May God bless you and keep you in His love and care.