There’s always lots happening at St Michael’s

This news page is where you’ll find all the latest announcements and information about our work in the church and the community.

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Prayer for Bristol: 30 days of prayer for peace
You can sign up through the 24/7 prayer page here to choose a timeslot for ...
National Day of Reflection
...
Drive-in Carols
Please note: this event is compliant with Government guidance and a full risk assessment has ...
Christmas Float
We want to share Comfort and Joy with everyone this Christmas, to bring light to ...
Message from Tom
...
Prayer for the Nation - November 2020
Monday Schools and colleges, children and young people. We pray for all those involved in ...
Tree of Remembrance
We have created a Tree of Remembrance. We will add messages on cards following our ...
A Letter from Simon..
...
Vicky Wicks Ordination Livestream
On Sunday 11 October Vicky Wicks is being ordained! We can all support Vicky as ...
Annual Meeting
Annual Parochial Church Meeting for 2020 This year’s APCM and Vision Night had to be ...
Drive-in Church
We've had so much fun at Drive-in Church! ...
The Anchor, a reflection from Julie Hobbs
...

We have been invited to join churches across the city to pray for Bristol at this time in the run up to the elections and after the unrest of the recent protests. So far 50 Churches have committed and it’s running from 6 April- 6 May.
We are committed to pray on 30 April for one day.

The vision is that there would be a canopy of prayer and worship over Bristol as we all join as one church praying. 

“Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare”. Jeremiah 29:7.

You can sign up through the 24/7 prayer page here to choose a timeslot for your prayers on 30 April

You can pray however, or wherever you like. Perhaps you would like to gather 5 others and have a prayer walk? Tom and Sara are planning one for 11am that day so contact Tom  if you’d like to join them Or simply pray where you are.

Feel free to pray for the whole hour or if you have less time, then simply pray for half an hour. There may be people already signed up for your chosen timeslot but do still sign up for that time – the more the merrier!

If you have any words or pictures, do send them to Tom and he will forward them to the ’30 days of prayer for peace’ Whatsapp group.  

We will also have two dedicated times of prayer together online:

Prayer Breakfast at 8am on Zoom

Morning Prayer on Facebook live at 9.30am.

We’re supporting the National Day of Reflection on 23 March, the first anniversary of the UK lockdown, to commemorate this tragic loss of life and to stand together with everyone who’s grieving.

Organised by Marie Curie, and supported by the Church of England, the National Day of Reflection looks to reflect on our collective loss, support those who’ve been bereaved, and hope for a brighter future.

Take a minute’s silence at 12 noon on 23 March to show your support for the millions of people who are bereaved and take a moment to connect with someone.  You could light a virtual candle here

You can download an Act of Prayer that you can do from home during the day

Reflect

Loving God, 
You hold all our times in your hands, our past, our present, our future. Be close to us now as we remember all the difficulties and disappointments of the past year. Be especially close to all of us who are thinking of someone we loved and knew, but see no longer, whether family, friend, colleague or neighbour. Help us to trust that they are at peace with you, and comfort us with your presence. 

Connect

Loving God, 
You place us in families and communities, and we give you thanks for all those around us who serve us and help us in so many ways. Give wisdom to community leaders, to our schools, hospitals, care homes and other agencies who make a difference to our lives. Help each of us to have the courage to reach out with thanks and kindness to those around us and to speak words of faith as we share the good news of your love.

Hope

Loving God, 
As we journey towards Easter, help us to live as people of hope, knowing that beyond the pain of the cross lies the joy of resurrection. Inspire us in our worship, through our churches and in our homes, that we may bring glory to you and joy to others. Be with those who are struggling in mind, body or spirit, and give courage to those who are facing uncertainty and change ahead. Help each of us to keep our eyes fixed on you, that we may reflect your light to all whom we meet.

We’re so excited to bring Comfort and Joy to the Drive-in this Christmas time!

We had a fantastic time for Drive-in Carols at Sainsbury’s Car Park on Sunday 20 December 2020

Thank you for your dontations on the night. We are donating just over £750 to Caring at Christmas.

HOW TO BOOK:

There are two identical services. One at 6.30pm and one at 8pm. Please book for the service you want to attend, tickets are not transferable.

Please note there will be no toilet facilities on site.

This event is intended as Drive-in only.

After you have booked, please watch out for a further email on the Friday before the event.

PLEASE NOTE: Your booking is per car. You add names of people attending at the next stage of the booking. 

Please note: this event is compliant with Government guidance and a full risk assessment has been undertaken. You must only attend with members of your own household/support bubble and keep socially distanced from others

We want to share Comfort and Joy with everyone this Christmas, to bring light to what for many has been a difficult year

So we’ve made a float, with lots of lights and Christmas joy, to take around the streets of the parish!

Our parish is large – covering Stoke Gifford, Cheswick, Stoke Park and Scholars Chase – and we will be taking the float to all these areas throughout December.

Do listen out for the carols and come out and wave at us and join in singing to the carols being played if you would like to!

Dates and times:

Cheswick, Stoke Park and Scholors Chase:
Monday 7 December 5.15pm-7.15pm Scholars Chase
Tuesday 8 December 5.15pm -7.15pm Stoke Park
Wednesday 9 December 5.15pm-7.15pm Cheswick (BTP down towards MOD)
Thursday 10 December 5.15pm-7.15pm Cheswick (BTP upwards towards UWE)
Friday 11 December 5.15pm-7.15pm  Brooklands Park/Highbrook Park

Sainsbury’s Car Park (Fox Den Road)
Saturday 19 December 9.15am – 5.15pm

Stoke Gifford : For more detail on the routes for Stoke Gifford Click here

Monday 14 December 5.15pm-7.15pm
Tuesday 15 December 5.15pm-7.15pm
Wednesday 16 December 5.15pm-7.15pm
Thursday 17 December 5.15pm-7.15pm
Friday 18 December 5.15pm-7.15pm

Sainsbury’s Car Park (Fox Den Road)
Saturday 19 December 9.15am – 5.15pm

If you are a member of St Michael’s who would like to volunteer an hour or two to walk with the float w/c 14 December, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you

For details on how to dontate towards the ministry and mission of St Michael’s, head here

See some fantastic photos of the Christmas Float!

Last week my family (plus dog) went up to the ridge at the top of Stoke Park. It was the evening of 5 November and we were hopeful some people might set off some fireworks from their gardens. It was a wonderful view up there: a great sweep of East Bristol glistened yellow and red beneath the night sky.

And then the fireworks started. Dozens of displays, some miles away, popped and fizzled across the city, each one vying for our attention. It was a spectacular moment, a glimpse of something joyful and exuberant in this sobering time of lockdown.

As we stood and watched, I had a real sense of God’s love for Bristol, as if each firework was an expression of his blessing over every household. As if he was saying, ‘can you see – I love this home with an everlasting love, and this one, and this one, and this one – if only they knew’.

Why am I telling you all this? I hope it will serve as an encouragement that whatever our circumstances, God never turns his eyes away from us. I sometimes mistake difficult circumstances as evidence that he has forgotten me or turned away. But there are so many scriptures that say that this is simply not true. I love the verse in Isaiah 49.16, where God reassures his people Israel that he is always with them:

                ‘See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands’.

When I want to remember something really important I write it on my hand, so it is there in front of me and the first thing I see. That’s the image here: God is saying to his people, ‘I don’t forget you and I won’t forget you’.

Your name is not written on a sticky note that will end up in the recycling or scribbled in biro that soon washes off. It is engraved on His palms, and there is nothing more permanent than an engraving. What a thought. You are always before him – in his sight, on his mind. Right now. And forever. I hope you find that idea as encouraging as I do. 

A couple of things we’d love you to know about. The Archbishops are calling the wider church to pray for our nation at this challenging time. Perhaps you would like to join us and them as we pray together?  Click here to download  a booklet of prayers to serve as a guide as we pray. I love the thought that millions of Christians across the world will be united in prayer over this time.

Finally, we are holding our annual gift day for resourcing our ministry and mission on Sunday 22 November. If you are interested in contributing towards this then you can find out more here

Be assured that you are regularly in our prayers, and we look forward to the time when we can see each other again face to face. In the meantime, whenever you see your name written down or hear it called out, you may want to remember that this precious name is also written on the palms of God’s hands!

On Wednesday 4 November, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and Bishop of London called the Church of England to prayer for the nation throughout the month of November. Click here to read the letter

Throughout the month, we are encouraged to pray daily for a specific area of national concern, wherever we are, culminating in a collective moment of prayer at 6pm each evening.

Click here to download a printable resource

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “On the brink of this second lockdown we might understandably feel helpless, anxious and vulnerable. And we do what we can to halt the spread of this virus – but we can still feel powerless. Is there anything else we can do? Really do?
Yes. Yes there is. We can pray. Prayer is my first response when I feel out of my depth, when I need help, when I am worried, when I am concerned for those I love. It is a gift that God gives to all – whether you are a regular pray-er or not – bring your cares and the cares of the nation to God. For God loves and hears and holds. Prayer changes things.”
 
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “Prayer changes things. It changes things by inviting God into the room. At this challenging time when all of us are fearful and anxious, and when so many are suffering, it is the one thing we can all do. We can pray and invite God to change us, giving us the solace, strength and comfort we need for the difficult winter that is ahead of us. Let’s pray together at this difficult time.”

Head here  for the full list of resources from the Church of England

Members of our Operations Team share the prayer for each day below

Monday

Schools and colleges, children and young people.

We pray for all those involved in the shaping of young lives. We give God thanks for the sacrifice and commitment of teachers and all those involved in serving children and young people in education. We pray that all might be nurtured and cared for and that every needful resource would be made available – that all lives can flourish even in these difficult times and that no-one would be overlooked.

Tuesday

The elderly, isolated and vulnerable.
We echo God’s commitment to
those most at risk of this virus
by praying today for those who
are particularly vulnerable and isolated: praying for their deliverance, protection and comfort. We hold before God those who care for them – that they would be strengthened and encouraged in this work.

Wednesday

Businesses, the workplace and economic wellbeing.
In this time of great challenge,
we pray for the economic
wellbeing of the country. We remember before God those
who face great uncertainty in
their work. We lift before God those who have lost their jobs and face an uncertain and difficult future. We pray for a renewed commitment to our common life together

Thursday

The NHS and other key workers.
Our God is the great healer –
and the agent used more than
any other is the NHS. Today we voice our gratitude for those who serve this country in the National Health Service and pray for that God would prosper the work of their hands – that they would all be encouraged in their continued
work of sacrifice and care amongst us

Friday

National and Local
government
We pray for those who are
in positions of authority with
responsibility for decision
making at national and local
level at this difficult time. We
ask that God would give great
wisdom, deep commitment to
all and right judgment.

Saturday

All who are grieving, and all suffering with physical and mental ill-health

We bring to God all those who suffer in body, mind, spirit or with grief. We ask that in God’s great loving kindness they might know God’s sustaining presence amidst their pain. We pray for those who are stretched beyond their own capacity to cope and remain hopeful – that in the roar of these waterfalls God would bring a sense of coherence, comfort and strength.

Sunday

Family, friends and
loved ones.

We lift to God those we hold in our hearts – praying for their health, their well-being and their sense of hope.
We pray that even when loved ones cannot physically be together they would not feel apart. We ask for God’s help in our communicating, our connecting and our caring.

 

We have created a Tree of Remembrance. We will add messages on cards following our All Saints Service and also from Remembrance Day. The tree will be placed in the foyer of St Michael’s Centre.

All Saints Day

Click here to download a prayer card

Click here to download a pdf of the “with you as you remember” card.

Please feel free to print and write your message on there, and drop into the St Michael’s Centre postbox for us to add to the Tree of Remembrance on your behalf. (the centre is not open for visitors) Alternatively email us your message and we will write a card and add it for you.

Remembrance Day

Click here to download a pdf of the “Remembering with thanksgiving” card

Please feel free to print and write your message on there, and drop into St Michael’s Centre postbox for us to add to the Tree of Remembrance on your behalf. (the centre is not open for visitors) Alternatively email us your message and we will write a card and add it for you.

This message comes with my blessing and prayers as we head into the Autumn season.

Usually the beginning of this term brings with it a scheduled programme of events that are as familiar as a trusted friend and as regular as, well…clockwork!

Bonfire nights, Carols on the Green, Carol services, Nativity plays, Midnight communion, Christmas day celebrations…all are affected by the pandemic that has invaded our world.

We live in a time of unprecedented change. A change that is out of our control. We cannot follow the usual programme. Circumstances will not allow the ‘usual’ to take place. We notice this in our personal lives, our community interactions and in the activities of Church. As the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said, “The only constant in life is change”.

I observe two opposing instincts (in myself) as a response to change. One is ‘escapism’ the other is ‘realism’. Escapism calls me to stick my head in the sand and wait for a ‘return to normal’. Realism calls me to respond to the circumstances with hope and faith. The community needs a ‘Church for changing times.’ Realism not escapism.

In John 5:19, whilst being persecuted Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing…”

So, what is the Father doing among us? May I humbly suggest a few observations. The Father is 1) calling us to rediscover the importance of community. 2)  asking us to pause to lament and repent. 3) Increasing our call to share the good news of Jesus. 4) Re-establishing an attitude of prayer and action.

We continue to open Church services to rediscover Christian community and respond to what the Father is doing. One small part of this is a plan to refurbish our Church building to build a servant hearted Christian community for generations to come.

By the end of October, all four Sunday services and Celebrations will have restarted, combining Live worship, with an ongoing commitment to Livestream to those at home.

May the Lord Jesus enable you to see what the Father is doing in you and with you.

God bless you all,

 

On Sunday 11 October Vicky Wicks is being ordained! We are so excited to share in this as church family.

In normal times, lots of people would be going to Bristol Cathedral for the service. However, to ensure appropriate distancing, and compliance with Covid-19 rules, ordinations are being done 2 at a time and with just 2 guests per person.

But the good news is, we can all still support Vicky. The service is being streamed live from Bristol Cathedral via youtube and also on the Bristol Cathedral Facebook and Twitter pages

Please note that the actual links will not be available until just before the service starts at 12pm on Sunday 11 October

On our update for Thursday 1 October, Vicky shared a bit more about her story – you can view that here

Annual Parochial Church Meeting for 2020

This year’s APCM and Vision Night had to be postponed from April due to COVID-19.  However we are now holding our APCM on Monday 12 October 2020 at 7.30pm. This will be via zoom only.

Click here to register to attend

The APCM is an opportunity to review the past year, look ahead to the coming year and elect Church Wardens and members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

Accounts and Trustees Report YE 31-12-19Download

Electoral Roll

You will need to be on the Electoral Roll in order to vote at the APCM. The deadline for applications was 23 September and has now passed. A copy of the roll (names only) is available to view in church or St Michael’s Centre. If you are on the Electoral Roll you can view the draft by logging into MyChurchSuite.

Please note that if you signed up to the new Electoral Roll in 2019, you do not need to sign up again this year.

Nominations for PCC

PCC membership operates on a three year cycle. We currently have up to two vacancies to be voted on during the APCM. If you are interested in serving in this way, please contact us.

Drive-in Church 13 September 2020

We had a fabulous time at Drive-in Church! Here are a few photos….  

Below, you can view the Youtube Live stream

Drive-in Church 26 July 2020

We had a fabulous time at Drive-in Church! Here are a few photos….  

Below, you can view the Youtube Live stream and also the Facebook Live

Some of the things we were so used to before lockdown are becoming part of life again aren’t they?

What a blessing it is to have the church open on Wednesdays and Saturdays for private prayer and the coffee shop open for takeaways.

What I am enjoying most of all though, is being able to see our grandchildren indoors rather than at the end of our driveway.

On one occasion recently, one of them started to ask about a holiday that Ken and I had taken on a cruise ship. He had seen photos of a tender taking us to shore and he wanted to know how we could be certain that the ship would be there on our return to it. So, I explained all about the anchor and it started me thinking about its use as a Christian symbol for hope.

The author of the book of Hebrews uses the anchor as a metaphor of hope, stability and security for us in the storms of life.  

Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

Hebrews 6:18–19 (New Living Translation)

The image of an anchor locked firmly into the seabed helps us to understand something about the nature of Christian hope.

Our lives often seem uncertain and unsafe, as ships are in a storm and, for many of us, the Covid 19 pandemic has brought to the surface many underlying insecurities. But ships can be safe, even during a storm, if their anchors hold firmly to something solid – the seabed. When we are anchored to God’s seabed, when we know that his word and character are true and solid, we are safe, even during great troubles. His anchor is one of confident hope for our souls.

 My prayer for us all is that we will be able to look to the Lord as our anchor, the only sure place, and constant heartbeat in an unsure world.

May God bless each one of you and keep you in his love and care.

Julie Hobbs

Licensed Lay Minister and Pastoral Care Assistant