Author: Laura Thomas

Since Sunday 26 April 2015 two of our weekly congregations have begun to worship in the new church and community centre auditorium.

10.30am

The 10.30 service now begins with everyone – all ages – worshiping together in the main auditorium. After the first 20 minutes the children and young people go to their groups in the Old School Rooms as before. (The changeover is a lot quicker now – because the dividing walls are already assembled and teaching and craft materials already in position.) The grown-ups stay in the auditorium for more worship, teaching and prayer together.

The service finishes at about 11.50am as before, when we can all share coffee, tea and biscuits in the coffee shop.

6.30pm

The evening congregation also now gathers in the new auditorium at 6.30pm for our most informal weekly celebration as a church.

The church building

The 9.00am service will continue to meet in the church building every week. And our monthly service of Evensong is also staying in the church building. Prayers, baptisms, weddings, funerals and all kinds of other services will continue in the church building as well.

Journeying together

For the first few weeks there will be extra people welcoming, signposting and making sure we all know what is happening during our services in the new space. We will be discovering together what works really well and what needs to change a little to make the best use of the new facilities.

Some of us relish the opportunity to try something new. Others find change more challenging.  We will all need to take extra care of each other during this transition. And there will be opportunities to feedback about our experience of worshiping together in the new building.

We begin this exciting new phase of life at St Michael’s remembering that the church is not the building. It’s us – God’s people. Wherever we gather to worship, each one of us is a vital part of the body of Christ.

 

A new book by a member of our congregation – A guide to Fun Ways to fundraise for your community, church or charity – has just been published to help raise money for the Heart of the Community project.

An early version of the guide by Penny Hallett (Allen) was made available to church members last year. This has been extended and updated and is now available from Amazon, priced £7.99. Royalties from the sale of the book are being donated to the Heart of the Community project.

The 176-page book is packed with over 200 great ideas for fundraising activities and events – as well as tips to guide you through the process and make it all worthwhile. It includes how to:

• set objectives
• choose a venue
• find sponsors
• publicise effectively, and
• make sure your activity or event is safe and legal 

A big thank you to David McCann who provided the internal illustrations and to everyone at St Michael’s who contributed ideas and advice.

Whether you’re new to fundraising or an old hand looking for fresh ideas, this easy-to-read guide contains something for everyone. Why not find an idea that you like, make it your own, and go for it. 

You can order your copy here.

“This book crackles with ideas, sound advice and hot tips for making the vital task of fundraising both effective and fun. A top tool for all good causes.”

The Right Reverend Mike Hill, Bishop of Bristol