Christmas Church Bulletin
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 - Advent
9am Communion service at St A's
10.30am Informal Worship with Children's and Youth Groups at St A's
3:30pm Traditional Carols at St B's
7pm Carols at the Old Elm Inn
Christmas Week Services
Wednesday 24 December – 4:00pm
Puppet Christmas Story at St Andrew's
(ideal for primary-aged children and families)
Wednesday 24 December – 10:00pm
Communion Service at St Andrew's
Thursday 25 December – 8:30am
Communion Service at St Bart's
Thursday 25 December – 10:30am
All-Age Christmas Celebration at St Andrew's
To find out what's happening during the week click here to view our full church calendar.
News and Notices
Church Office Closure – Christmas Period
Please note that the church office will be closed from Christmas Eve and will reopen on Monday 5 January.
During this time:
For urgent matters requiring the attention of the leadership team, please contact the Churchwardens:
celia.anderson@stastb.church
andy.champness@stastb.churchFor pastoral care support, we have a Pastoral Care Team who can provide care and support.
Please contact Nigel Roe (Team Leader) on 07780 994827 or Rosi White on 07426 357967.
If there is no answer, please leave a message.For safeguarding concerns, please email safeguarding@stastb.church
For non-urgent enquiries, please email admin@stastb.church. Messages will be picked up when the office reopens on Monday 5 January.
Thank you for your understanding and patience over the Christmas period.
Church Bulletin – Christmas Pause
Please note that the church bulletin will be paused over the Christmas period.
This will be the final bulletin until Friday 9 January, when the next bulletin will be issued.
Any urgent communications will be shared separately if necessary.
Thursday Knitters
Thank you to all our Thursday Knitters and to everyone who has supported their sales.
This week, £1,000 has been sent to the Gloucester Foodbank, run by the Trussell Trust, bringing the total donated this year to £2,650.
In addition, knitted items have been gifted to Churchdown Surgery & GRH Delivery Suite, Little Bundles, and Gloucester City Mission.
The Big Bible Giveaway
We have New Testament Bibles available in the concourse as part of the Big Bible Giveaway.
Please feel free to take one (or more) to give away to anyone you think might appreciate one — friends, family, neighbours, or anyone you feel could use or need a Bible at this time.
Sunday 28 December – Service Information
Please note that on Sunday 28 December there will be no children's or youth groups running.
There will also be no livestream for the 10:30am service on this Sunday.
Gateway Forum
Friday 9 January, 7:00–9:00pm
Dan Button and GTS would like to invite everyone to the next Gateway Forum event, taking place at Christchurch, Abbeydale, GL4 5EQ.
Dr Stephen Goundrey-Smith will give a presentation exploring our Christian response to emerging technologies:
I (Thou) Robot: God, Morals and Machine Beings
The evening will begin with refreshments, a welcome and introduction, followed by a one-hour presentation and Q&A.
Cost: Free (donations greatly appreciated)
Please register in advance by emailing info@gtstheology.org.
More information can be found on the GTS website:
👉 https://www.gtstheology.org
Zoom Prayer – January Update
Please note that the next Zoom Prayer meeting will take place on Thursday 8 January.
From Thursday 15 January, the meeting ID for Zoom Prayer will change.
The new details are:
Meeting ID: 717 8863 5477
Passcode: STAPRAYER
(The passcode will remain the same.)
Women's Breakfast
Saturday 10 January, 9:00am
Join us on Saturday 10 January at 9:00am for a Women's Breakfast, followed by a short talk on the theme 'New Beginnings'.
We are delighted to welcome Anna Townsend, who recently launched her book Our Sisters, sharing stories of Christian girls in Pakistan.
Breakfast options will include bacon or egg rolls, with continental choices also available.
24-7 Week of Prayer 2026
Sunday 11 January (1:00pm) – Sunday 18 January (9:00am)
We are delighted to announce that 24-7 Prayer will be running again at St Andrew's from Sunday 11 January (1:00pm) to Sunday 18 January (9:00am).
As we begin a new year, we invite you to intentionally spend time with God — being still, conversing with Him, and listening to what He may want to say to you personally and to us as a church. Come expectant.
This year, we will be using The Lord's Prayer as a framework to help us delve deeper into this rich spiritual practice.
You can book time in the Prayer Room or choose to pray off-site — at home, in your Connect Group, or with friends or family.
Please sign up in the concourse from Sunday 7 December.
Nearer the time, we will provide 24-7 Prayer postcards for writing down anything you sense God saying.
Please return these to the 24-7 postbox in the foyer.
For more information, contact Matt Perrin.
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, 7:30–9:30pm at St Andrew's
(Video until 8:30pm, followed by small-group discussion.)
There will be a break for school half-term.
Sign up for Alpha here
Questions? Email alpha@stastb.church
Women's Day
Saturday 7 March 2026
Please hold the date of Saturday 7 March for our Women's Day.
The theme for 2026 will be 'Living Waters'.
We are delighted to welcome Becky Harcourt as our guest speaker. Becky leads a church in London alongside her husband, is part of the Sharing Our Ministries Abroad (SOMA) National Leadership Team, and is an Open Doors Ambassador.
SOMA UK was birthed out of a move of God's Spirit, and Women's Day 2026 will focus on God's Spirit as our Living Water.
More details will follow in the new year.
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
Use wrapping paper this year which is 100% recycled or FSE certified. Avoid single use plastic (such as glitter) which can't be recycled.
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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.