Weekly Bulletin - 7th Nov
Welcome to our weekly church bulletin, here's what is coming up in the life of St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's!
This Sunday - James 4:1-17
9am Communion service at St A's
10.30am Informal Worship with Children's and Youth Groups at St A's
3:30pm Evensong at St B's
7pm Revival Prayer Meeting at St A's
Churchdown Zero will be in the Large Hall after the 10:30m service.
To find out what's happening during the week click here to view our full church calendar.
News and Notices
Shoebox Appeal – Please Bring in Your Boxes
Thank you to everyone who has supported this year's Christmas Shoebox Appeal by sponsoring a box — we'll be sending over 500 boxes this year! More details to follow.
If you've made up your own box, please bring it to church this Sunday, 10 November, and place it on the window sill at the far end of the corridor.
If you're bringing a box on behalf of someone external to the church, please place it on the last but one window sill.
Women's Breakfast – Saturday 15 November
Join us at 9:00am for a Women's Breakfast as we enjoy food together followed by a short talk.
Breakfast options include bacon or egg rolls, with continental choices also available.
Our theme will be Thanksgiving and developing a habit of gratitude, with a panel session exploring God's faithfulness through both good and challenging times.
Youth for Christ Stall – Sunday 16 November
Youth for Christ will be running a stall in the main hall throughout the morning of Sunday 16 November from 9:30am.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of Youth for Christ both locally in Gloucestershire and nationally, as shared by Matt Craig and colleagues.
You'll be able to chat about how to support their ministry financially and practically, explore a range of resources, and even purchase reed diffusers and Christmas puddings.
Worship Bangers at Encounter – Sunday 16 November
Join us for an evening of worship bangers at Encounter on Sunday 16 November, 6–7pm.
Enjoy a joyful night of worship featuring 80s, 90s, and early-00s classics — songs by Graham Kendrick, Martin Smith, Matt Redman, Michael W. Smith, Robin Mark, Darlene Zschech, Reuben Morgan, Kevin Prosch, and more.
Worship will be led by Jo, Christopher, and the band — come ready to sing your heart out and celebrate God's goodness together.
The Friends of St Bartholomew's – Christmas Coffee Morning – Tuesday 18 November
Join us on Tuesday 18 November 2025, 10.30am–12.00pm at St Andrew's Church Centre for our festive Christmas Coffee Morning.
Enjoy cakes, Christmas cards, a raffle, and bric-a-brac.
Tickets: £2 (includes coffee and a mince pie) — available from the Church Office, Committee Members, or on the door.
Quiz Night with Youth for Christ Gloucestershire – Saturday 22 November
Join us for Quiz Night with Youth for Christ Gloucestershire on Saturday 22 November, 7:00–9:00pm at The Pavilion, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham.
Our autumn quiz night is back.
Come as a team of up to eight or join a team on the night for an evening that's fun, challenging, and full of laughter.
We'll be raising funds to support YFC's work with young people across the county.
Soft drinks and snacks will be available.
Tickets: £5 per person
Buy tickets here
Our Sisters – Book Launch – Wednesday 26 November
You're invited to celebrate the launch of Our Sisters, a new book by Anna Townsend, who joined St Andrew's over the summer.
The book shares stories of Christian girls in Pakistan affected by forced marriage and abduction, and the remarkable activists working to help them. The evening will include readings, a Q&A, and time for celebration.
Endorsed by Henrietta Blyth (CEO, Open Doors) and others, this is a powerful opportunity to learn more about the persecuted church.
Wednesday 26 November, 7:15pm
St Andrew's Church
Men's Breakfast – Saturday 29 November
All men are invited to our next Men's Breakfast on Saturday 29 November 2025.
We'll be welcoming Ian Davies, who has worked in various Christian outreach organisations for many years. Ian is a researcher and writer, and will be speaking on supporting and learning from those who suffer religious persecution.
Please arrive from 8:30am; breakfast begins at 8:45am.
[Sign up here]
Angel Tree
Angel Tree is an initiative run by Prison Fellowship, which helps bridge the gap between parents in prison and their children who will be apart this Christmas.
Prison Fellowship provides the mechanism, a few church members here at St Andrew's handle the admin, and we then invite our congregation to provide the gifts. This year we are again supporting the initiative in connection with the Chaplaincy at HMP Eastwood Park women's prison.
We are told the age of the child and what they enjoy, so we can purchase specific gifts on behalf of their mum, for around £10–£15. Gift tags to help you participate will be available on Sundays 16 and 23 November in the foyer, with the final date for returning purchased gifts being 30 November.
For more details, please speak to Dave Fisher or Moira Perrin.
Thanksgiving Service – Sunday 7 December
Our Thanksgiving Service to remember those who have died in the past year or longer ago will be taking place on Sunday 7 December at 3:00pm at St Andrew's.
All are invited to the service, which will include moments of reflection and the opportunity to light a candle in memory of a loved one.
Refreshments are greatly appreciated by our visitors, so if you can help by baking a cake for the service, please let Sarah Smith know on
07964 895477 sarahfhsmith@outlook.com
Thank you.
Festive Stays 2025
Could you lay an extra place at your table this Christmas for an international student?
Each year, the charity EIL UK receives hundreds of applications from international students at British universities who hope to experience Christmas or New Year in a British home.
If you could offer friendship and host an overseas university student for a 3-night stay between 24–27 December 2025, please get in touch at
host@eiluk.org
to find out more about this rich and rewarding experience and how you can be part of the HOST UK programme.
Alpha Course – Starting Thursday 15 January 2026
Alpha is for anyone curious about life's big questions — Why am I here? Where am I going? What's my purpose?
The nine-week course meets on Thursday evenings at St Andrew's Church, 7:30–9:30 pm (video until 8:30 pm, followed by small-group discussion). There's a break for school half-term, and each session is friendly, fun, and informal.
[Sign up for Alpha here]
Questions? Email alpha@stastb.church
Assistance for Alpha 2026
We plan to run Alpha again in 2026, starting on Thursday 15 January and running through to mid-March.
We're looking for a small number of people to help with:
Preparing food (under guidance)
Setting up, serving, and clearing up afterwards
This would be from 5:00–7:00pm and/or 7:00–9:00pm. Ideally, we'd love to form two alternating teams to share the load and support our current group of loyal helpers.
Alternatively, if you're interested in supporting the discussion group leaders — or perhaps learning to lead an Alpha group in future years — we'd love to hear from you too.
Please contact us at alpha@stastb.church, and we'll be in touch.
Thank you,
Neil Carne, Alpha Administrator
Food Bank Harvest Appeal
Thank you to everyone who supported this year's Food Bank Harvest Appeal.
Together we contributed over 79kg of cooking sauces, which equates to 168 meals — a fantastic effort.
If you would like to include any updates in the weekly bulletin, send them to Adam. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at 1pm.
Giving at St Andrew's and St Bartholomew's
Generous giving is an integral part of Christian discipleship. The apostle Paul says that giving is a primary responsibility for Christians: 'But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Cor 8:7. For more information on how to give and where your money goes please download our giving flyer here.
Please click here to make a one-off donation or set up a direct debit.
Pastoral Care
As part of our Christian community, we provide mutual support for one another. Much of this happens informally with friends within the church and through the connect groups. However, sometimes people will require more personal support and encouragement either as a 'one-off chat' or on a more ongoing basis. We have a pastoral care team who can provide this type of care. Please contact Nigel Roe (Team Leader) on 07780 994827 or Rosi White on 07426 357967.
Weekly Prayer Zoom Details
Every Thursday
7.30pm Zoom Prayer
Meeting ID:726 2837 5971 Passcode: STAPRAYER
Or click here
Green Tips Pray for COP30
As leaders from across the world meet in Brazil over the next few weeks (10th- 21st) for the COP30 conference, pray that God would give wisdom and courage to leaders, for those most affected by climate change and for consensus on action.
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Contact us
St Andrew's Church Centre, Station Road, Churchdown, Gloucester, GL3 2JT
www.stastb.church
01452 712154
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 12.30pm
Closed Tuesday 9.30am - 11.30am
Click here to get in touch with someone in the team.