Vicky has now joined our Core Leadership Team, and her ordination as a Deacon will follow later in the year.

You can watch Vicky’s licensing on the the youtube clip below. For more info from the Diocese and Bishop Viv, read the post here

You can watch an edited version of the service below, and underneath that is the full version of the service.

We asked Vicky to tell us a bit about this new stage, as we welcome her to the role.

Hello!

I’ve been training for ordination for the last two years, and I start work at St Michael’s on 6 July. I’ve been part of the church here for a long time and so starting on Monday feels a bit like coming home. But I have a totally different role so it is also a new start – and I have all the nerves that starting a new job brings. I am so grateful to you, my church family, for all the love and support (and food and coffee and book-lending and so on) over these two years – thank you.

One of the things we are called to do as we get ordained, is to ‘tell the story of God’s love.’ That is what I am most looking forward to. I don’t yet know exactly what that will look like (but I know it is not an essay that needs footnotes!) but it will be with people inside and outside the church, through Alpha, with families and individuals of all different ages and anyone else who stands still long enough.

Please pray for us as a family as we adjust to this new phase. Rob continues to run his film making business, Oliver (20) will be back for his third year at university in the autumn, and George (18) will – all being well – start university then too. It’s all change in the Wicks household, so please pray that it does not overwhelm those of us staying in Bristol. Please pray too that I can see, and join in with, what God is doing here in Stoke Gifford, and that there will be plenty of opportunities to tell his story.

The sound of bells from St Michael’s Church is here to stay.

The Parochial Church Council was granted a temporary licence in September 2018 to make safe and preserve the original bells and evaluate a modern digital bells system.
The digital bells were installed in the church tower in early December 2018 and tested and adjusted over a nine-month period to get the most realistic sound.

The Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) visited the church in November 2019 to see the system and hear the bells. They noted that the system was effective and “evidently greatly appreciated by the congregation and neighbouring community”.

A faculty for permanent use of the digital bells was granted earlier this year so long as:
• any future alterations or replacement of the system is referred to the DAC
• they are rung for “ordinary use” (excluding times when muffled* bells would be required), and
• the PCC is encouraged to progress the preservation and repair of the bells.

There were once four bells in the bell chamber: there are now only three. There is no record of what happened to the missing bell. In July 2019 the bells were removed from their pivots and supported on a timber platform to remove the weight from the historic bell frame – which is included on the Church Buildings Council’s list of significant frames

*Muffled or half-muffled bells can be rung to mark funerals and other solemn occasions.

This November Gift Day supports the ministry and mission of St Michael’s Church, as we aim to be a Christian heart at the centre of the community.

Living to make a difference through discipleship, outreach and service.

Read on for more info, or click here to fill in a pledge form

Supporting Ministry & Mission

One Church, One Vision

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

Our vision is realised by focusing on Discipleship, Outreach and Serving our Community.

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

Giving Thanks

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

Recruited new staff team members – Youth Minister, Children and Families Minister, Students and Young Adults Worker and Buildings, Facilities & Technical Services Manager.

Welcomed Tom Benyon as Associate Minister – allowing us to expand our ministry in Cheswick and through Life Groups.

Replaced the roof on our historic church building.

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

Key Priorities for 2018-2021

Children’s Ministry

Jesus is calling us to invest in the lives of children and families. We’ve employed a paid Children and Families Minister this year to grow this ministry and lead our amazing volunteers.

New Housing Areas

In Cheswick and Harry Stoke we’d like to plant new Life Groups, grow young leaders and meet community needs for all ages.

Young Adults Ministry

Students, 20s and 30s are absent from most churches. We would like to resource ministry among this generation.

Church Building Repairs

We aim to invest in the Church building by providing toilets, renewed flooring, improved seating and repairing the dry stone wall.

This Appeal is an Invitation…..

To everyone who belongs to St Michael’s

We have a vision for growth of our congregations and our community outreach. We require faith, boldness and generosity in our giving according to our circumstances. By God’s grace and our commitment, we will have the resources to take hold of these opportunities.

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’re new to St Michael’s

Maybe you’ve recently joined church and not yet become part of the vision to be a Christian heart at the centre of the community. Would you consider giving towards the development of our ministries to enable the vision?

If you can give more

Some of us are in a better financial position than before. Please pray about increasing your giving.

Click here to fill in a pledge form

In a private service today, Tom Benyon was formally licensed as Associate Vicar at St Michael’s by Bishop Viv, Bishop of Bristol.

We are delighted to welcome Tom and family to St Michael’s!

Tom will be working alongside the existing leadership team. And we’ll be celebrating as a church at the 6.30pm Celebration this coming Sunday 9 June, when Tom will also be commissioned by Bishop Lee, Bishop of Swindon.

Urgent repairs are being made to St Michael’s Church this summer.
The work involves replacing the roofs to the chancel, nave, north aisle, porch and vestry together with repairs to the chimney stack above the vestry. Failing brickwork, which has led to rainwater penetrating the walls and causing damp patches, will also be repaired.
Work will begin with the erection of scaffolding on Monday 10 June and is expected to take 16–20 weeks to complete. The roofs to the north (porch) side of the church will be completed first, with the aim that the entrance will be clear of scaffolding for an August wedding.
The poor condition of the roofs was identified in the Quinquennial Report – a five-yearly inspection undertaken by the church architect – at the end of last year. The report said areas of the roof were sagging and cited slipped, broken and missing tiles. The roof to the nave was last replaced in 1894, but it is thought the roofs to the chancel, north aisle and vestry date back to the early 1880s.
The Fabric Committee is responsible for maintaining and preserving the structure and contents of the church. The committee chair, Martin Allen said: “While the roofs are being replaced we are taking the opportunity to add insulation, which will hopefully retain heat within the building and reduce the heating costs.”
The contract for the work has been won by Mogford Prescott Ltd, who also undertook the major repairs to the church tower last year.