Alpha

Sign-up to join the next course starting with a Taster Session on Wednesday 1 May at 7pm – click here

We’ve been running Alpha at St Michael’s for many years, and hundreds of people have enjoyed the space to ask the big questions of life in a relaxed and open environment.

Alpha is a place where no subject is off-limits, and no question is too silly, too difficult, or too controversial (really!). It’s a place to find out what Christians believe, to see whether any of it adds up in practice, to decide what you think and – if you’re up for it – to give some of it a go.

We’d love you to join our next Alpha. For more info email Alpha@stmichaelsbristol.org

Sign-up to join the next course starting with a Taster Session on Wednesday 1 May at 7pm – click here

How Alpha works:

We meet once a week, for 8 weeks. There is a Saturday together in the middle for a slightly longer time of food and discussion.

  • Alpha always starts with food; tea, coffee and cake in the morning, or a meal in the evening.
  • There’s usually some live music.
  • Then there’s a 30-minute presentation on different aspects of faith and Christianity, covering topics like, Who is Jesus? How and why should I pray? How does God guide us?
  • We then get to respond to what we’ve heard, share our own thoughts and experiences, and chew over any questions raised. These discussions are often the best part of the session, and we get to hear from others as well as contribute our own perspective – if we’re up for that.
  • The evening finishes at 9.30pm

Please get in touch

To find out more about Alpha, or to sign up for the next course, please contact us!

alpha-logo

#financialquestions

Why do we have two gift days a year?

St Michael’s is made up of two charities and we hold a Gift Day for each:

1: St Michael’s Church Centre (SMCC) – Gift Day for Buildings and Resources

2: St Michael’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) – Gift Day for Mission and Ministry

Click here for info on how to give

Don’t we get any money from the Church of England?

All ministry at St Michael’s is resourced by us.

We have amazing buildings, don’t we have lots of money?

The short answer is no. We still have daily running costs on our buildings, and we have loans which still need to be repaid.

Why is there a gap in our finances?

Expenditure is always tightly monitored. But there is a gap in our finances, because only 50% of those who worship here give financially to the Church.

Click here for info on how to give

Environment

Eco Church

We are thrilled to have achieved our Bronze Eco Church accreditation with A Rocha and are working towards achieving our Silver Award.

Eco Group

St Michael’s Eco Group was formed in October 2021 on the back of celebrating Climate Sunday the previous month. In the two years that have followed, we have achieved a lot and come a long way.

The following things we have set up and happen regularly:

  • *NEW* Ecover washing and washing up liquid refills available to buy at Repair Cafe and on first Sunday of the month.
  • Repair Café happens monthly
  • We buy Eco-friendly washing up liquid in bulk and sell
  • We grow some of our own vegetables
  • We have recycling facilities in every room and in the churchyard
  • We use ECO friendly paper
  • Our toilet paper is either recycled or Eco friendly
  • All our toilet roll holders are made from recycled tetra paks

We have put the following things in place:

  • We no longer use disposable cups in any of our Church Services
  • We have twinned all our toilets through a toilet twinning charity
  • We have held Clothes Swap Events
  • We have held Plant Swap Events
  • We have held community litter picks
  • We have installed solar panels on our Church Centre
  • We have put up a Bee pole in the Churchyard
  • We have a water butt on site
  • We have held a 5-week sermon series on God’s Creation
  • We have created, published and analysed a sustainable travel survey
  • We have updated our travel page to include all forms of sustainable transport
  • Left an area of the Churchyard un-mowed and wild
  • We no longer serve individually wrapped biscuits

It is hoped that by all of us making small changes we can help to influence the culture at St Michael’s to help us look after our Environment. If you would like any more information on the Eco Group please contact eco@stmichaelsbristol.org

Going forward we are looking to:

  • Have an energy audit on all our buildings
  • Plant wild flowers to encourage more wildlife
  • Buy more Eco-friendly items in bulk to sell
  • Look into having an electric charging point installed in our car park

Christmas 2021

No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, ​ who is close to the Father’s heart,​ who has made him known.

John 1.18

Our Christmas theme this year is At the Heart of Christmas. The theme is an invitation to everyone to discover – or rediscover – the good news of God’s saving love as revealed in the birth of Jesus. It is also a challenge to each of us to ponder in our hearts – as Mary did – what the extraordinary events of the first Christmas might mean for us now and in the years ahead.

We are thankful to still be able to meet in person for our Christmas services and events.

Face coverings are a legal requirement in our buildings (unless you are exempt).

In line with government advice,  even if you do not have symptoms, please take a lateral flow test before attending any of our services or events.

If you do test positive with a lateral flow or feel ill, please do not attend.

We look forward to worshipping Jesus together, in-person and online.

Christmas Services

for themes, readings and speakers for Sundays in December – see here

Christmas Eve

15.00 Crib Service – St Michael’s Centre  – in-person only

23.15 Midnight Communion – St Michael’s Church BOOKING ESSENTIAL CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Christmas Day

10.00  All Age Christmas Celebration- St Michael’s Centre – in-person and online

Sunday 26 December

11.00 Walk and Worship.  Meet at 11am on The Green

 

For covid-19 update – click here

Prayer Resources

We wanted to share some resources to help us in our prayer life.

Click here for our weekly prayer diary

The Church of England  has produced a resource for joining in with worship and prayer at home.  Click here to download a printable PDF.

They have now included this in a downloadable booklet, which also includes different prayers.  Click here to download.

Click here to download an easy to follow examen prayer.

Prayer Apps and websites

Daily prayer
Complete services for morning, evening and night prayer from the Church of England

Pray As You Go
This UK based outfit (produced by Jesuit Media initiatives) have been producing material long before the digital age – a daily prayer session combining music, scripture and questions for reflection, based on Ignation
Spirituality.

Lectio 365
This comes recommended by Tom. It’s a UK based daily devotional that helps you pray the Bible every day, writtenby leaders from the 24-7 prayer movement and produced in partnership with CWR. Inspired by Lectio Divina, a way of meditating on the Bible that’s being used by Christians for centuries

Sacred Space

Bible apps

Bible in One Year
Fantastic Bible in a year, with Nicky Gumbel reflections, with audio if required.
You Version
The definitive Bible app, now with built in audio! A staple for many, including our very own rector, Si Jones


Going Deeper – Silence and Stillness

One Minute Pause
 A simple way to connect with God in the middle of this busy time. This app invites you into the simple practise of releasing everything to God, restoring your union with God and inviting him to fill you.

Centering prayer
A well-constructed app that allows you to adjust timings for silent prayer – includes prayers, scriptures and reflections.

Soul Time
Highly recommended by Archbishop  Justin Welby – who also contributes. ‘Christian meditation made simple’ – ‘learn Christian meditation with insightful courses from experts like Danny silk (one of the senior pastors from Bethel Church). It has some really good Bible based meditations on combating anxiety/stress/anger.

Tom’s video sessions on Practising Silence can be found here

 

Weekly Church News

Church News Email

Latest news update click here

You can sign up to receive our email updates here, or by contacting us

Church News Video

During our services and celebrations each Sunday we show a Church News video. You can watch the latest below:

Electoral Roll

Click here to go straight to the online form

Join the St Michael’s Electoral Roll

Click here to sign up

At St Michael’s we want to live to make a difference, by being a Christian heart at the centre of our communities.  We would love you to be part of our Church family and join in.  If St Michael’s is your home church we would encourage you to join the electoral roll

The electoral roll is the Church of England’s official register of who worships with us here at St Michael’s. If you are not currently on the roll, and you have worshiped regularly with us over the last six months, we would love to encourage you to sign-up.

Why have an Electoral Roll?

It is your parish church register of electors. It is the list of those qualified to attend and to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting where the elections take place for the Parochial Church Council and the parish’s representatives on the Deanery Synod.  Any person entitled to attend the Annual Church Parochial Meeting may raise any question of parochial or general church interest.

How do I join the Electoral Roll?

You can join the electoral roll online by filling in the form below.
Alternatively, you can complete a paper form and return it to the church office.

How do I know if I am resident in the parish?

You can use a Church Near You to determine whether your home address falls within St Michael’s parish boundaries or not.

Click here to use a Church Near You

I still have questions!

If you still have questions or would like some help, you can contact us.

Electoral Roll Form

Click on the button below to go to the online form

Alternatively, you can download a paper copy   and drop it into the Church Office

St Michael’s Electoral Roll Privacy Notice

New? Welcome to St Michael’s

Welcome to St Michael’s Church

We are a local Church that lives to make a difference by being a Christian heart at the centre of our communities.

We do this by learning and growing together. We’re committed to sharing Jesus together. We give ourselves to serving together in practical ways.

If that sounds like the kind of church you’re looking for, we’d love you to Get Connected. Please add your details here.

Ways to get involved

Learning -join a Life Group and learn and grow together.

Serving – Use the various gifts and talents God has given us, and look for avenues of service — where we play our part in Serving Together

Giving — we “count ourselves in” by prayerfully and actively giving to the work of God in St Michael’s.

Interested in coming to a service on Sunday?

You can read more on our Church Services page

Every Sunday we worship at 9am, 10.30am and 6.30pm. Each has it’s own distinct style, but the main focus is always on worshipping Jesus!

We have two worship venues, our traditional church building, and the auditorium in St Michael’s Centre. Both are equally cherished. More info on where to find us on the location page.

The 10.30 Celebration is when we also have Sunday Club for Children and activities for young people.

Find out more about the team here.

Safeguarding

The Diocese of Bristol aims to create communities of wholeness with Christ at the centre. Our church communities need to be places where all are safe and protected from abuse, all can be healed and all can live life to the full.

At St Michael’s we are committed to enabling that aim, and we seek to provide effective safeguarding processes to ensure the safety of young people and vulnerable adults  All of those who work with children, young people or vulnerable adults at St Michael’s undertake a checking process, culminating in a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, which is renewed every three years, and ongoing safeguarding training.

The Parish Safeguarding Officer role has a split focus between Children and Adults at Risk

Andrew Fenton- Parish Safeguarding Officer (Adults at Risk)

Rose Taylor  – Parish Safeguarding Officer (Children)

They are the first point of call for any safeguarding concerns and queries. Contact them via the Contact form

Our safeguarding policy can be seen here

You can also find further information on the Diocese of Bristol website

The Church of England Promoting a Safer Church policy statement can be seen here

Vision Night and Annual Church Meeting

Join us for an unforgettable evening of inspiration and vision at our Annual Meeting and Vision Night! 
On Wednesday 24 April at 7.30pm, we’ll be gathering in St Michael’s Centre Auditorium.

Throughout the evening we will be looking forward at our vision, values and strategy. 

And we’ll also complete our formal Church of England annual meeting requirements as the PCC.


What is the PCC?

The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is the governing body of St Michael’s overseeing our ministry and mission. It is responsible for ensuring compliance with policies, proper recruitment and staff management. The PCC is required to hold an APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting) where reports are shared, accounts approved, and new members and officers are elected. Anyone can come to the annual meeting; only those on the electoral roll can vote.
This is a key time to hear about the vision of the church and give thanks for all the Lord has done for us, so put the date in your diaries,

Do I need to book to come?

You can just turn up, but it would aid us in planning if you could register in advance. Please click here.

If you have questions to raise during the meeting, please can you submit them in advance on this form

Meeting Documents – A link to some documents for the meeting will be posted on this page when they are available.

Serve on PCC

The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is made up of Clergy, Church Wardens, members of the Deanery and Diocesan Synods and a number of elected members. Being a member of the PCC means you are part of decision making, and carries some legal responsibilities. PCC members are considered ‘trustees’ by the Charity Commission.  To stand for election to the PCC you must be 16 or over, on the church Electoral Roll, regularly take communion, and be legally allowed to be a Charity Trustee.

At the meeting on Wednesday 24 April we will be electing new members. If you have an interest in standing, please contact the PCC Secretary via the church office or speak with Simon.

Annual Meeting Documents

In line with our commitment to being more eco-friendly, we will not be printing multiple copies of the meeting documents. They will be posted here as soon as they are available. Please download in advance or bring a device with you that you can access the internet on.  Printed copies will be available on request in advance. – please sign-up to request them