Weekly Bulletin - 5th Dec
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 All Age Service at St A's
3pm Thanksgiving Service for those who have died at St A's
6pm Encounter Service at St A's
To find out what's happening during the week click here to view our full church calendar.
News and Notices
Thanksgiving Service – Sunday 7 December
Our Thanksgiving Service to remember those who have died — whether in the past year or longer ago — will take place on Sunday 7 December at 3:00pm at St Andrew's.
All are warmly invited. The service 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. If you can help by baking a cake, please let Sarah Smith know:
07964 895477 sarahfhsmith@outlook.com
Thank you.
Stars on the Christmas Tree (for 2 weeks)
Those who attend the Thanksgiving Service at 3pm on Sunday 7 December will be invited to remember loved ones who have died by writing their name on a star and hanging it on the Christmas tree outside St Andrew's.
From Sunday 7 December onwards, anyone who would like to remember someone special in the same way is warmly welcome to do so.
Please take a star from the Welcome Desk in the foyer, write their name with a Sharpie, and tie it securely onto the Christmas tree to join the others.
Christmas Card Delivery & School Bag Sunday
Christmas Cards will be ready for collection in the Church Centre lobby on Sunday.
This year, we are delivering New Testament Bibles with every card, so please bring a school bag, carrier bag, or rucksack to collect the number of Bibles required for your delivery route.
As in previous years, cards will be organised by individual roads. A standard carrier bag will hold around 22 Bibles and will weigh approximately 4kg.
Please do not deliver to houses displaying notices such as "No circulars or flyers."
St Bartholomew's Church – Candlelight Traditional Christmas Carol Service
Sunday 21 December at 3:30pm
Join us at St Bartholomew's for our traditional Candlelight Christmas Carol Service, followed by refreshments.
Everyone is warmly welcome.
Christmas Helpers
There is a sign-up form in the lobby for anyone willing to help with our Christmas services — including serving on the welcome desk, and preparing mince pies and mulled wine for the Carol Service.
Thank you for supporting our church family during this busy and joyful season.
Christmas Services – Invite Someone This Year
Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to share hope with our community, and we'd love to encourage you to invite friends, neighbours, and family to join us at any of our Christmas services.
A full list of services is available at:
www.stastb.church/christmas
24-7 Week of Prayer 2026
Sunday 11 January (1pm) – Sunday 18 January (9am)
We are delighted to announce that 24-7 Prayer will be running again at St Andrew's from Sunday 11 January (1pm) to Sunday 18 January (9am) 2026.
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 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
Assistance for Alpha 2026
We're planning to run Alpha again in 2026, beginning Thursday 15 January and continuing through to mid-March.
We are looking for people to help with:
Preparing food (under guidance)
Setting up, serving, and clearing away afterwards
This would be from 5:00–7:00pm and/or 7:00–9:00pm.
Ideally, we would like to form two alternating teams to share the load and support our faithful helpers.
If you are interested in supporting discussion group leaders — or exploring what it might look like to lead a group in future years — we would love to hear from you.
Please contact alpha@stastb.church.
Thank you,
Neil Carne, Alpha Administrator
Festive Stays 2025 – Hosting 24–27 December
Could you lay an extra place at your table this Christmas for an international student?
Each year, EIL UK receives hundreds of applications from international students 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 opportunity.
Livestreaming 10:30am Services in 2026
As part of encouraging greater vulnerability, authenticity, more testimonies, and more intimate times of sung worship and congregational response for those present in the building, we will be livestreaming only the Bible reading and the Sermon from our 10:30am services from January 2026.
We will also not livestream our monthly All-Age Services, partly for the reasons above and partly due to Safeguarding considerations, as many children take part from the front without written parental consent to appear online.
We recognise the need to balance care for those watching from home with the desire to honour those physically present.
Thank you for your patience and grace as we seek to use technology wisely.
Revd John Monaghan
If you would like to include any updates in the weekly bulletin, send them to Adam. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at 1pm.
Christmas Services – Invite Someone This Year
Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to share hope with our community, and we'd love to encourage you to invite friends, neighbours, and family to join us at any of our Christmas services.
Here's what's coming up:
Sunday 7 December – 3:00pm
Thanksgiving Service at St Andrew's
A gentle service of remembrance for those who have died.
Sunday 14 December – 7:00pm
Carol Service at St Andrew's
Sunday 21 December – 3:30pm
Carol Service at St Bartholomew's (Candlelight)
Sunday 21 December – 7:30pm
Beer & Carols at The Old Elm
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 Celebration at St Andrew's
Let's make the most of this season to bless others — a simple invitation can go a long way.
Full details are at stastb.church/christmas.
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
If you can, try and buy sustainable food options, buy better meat but less often for example.
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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.