August 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 - The book of Ruth
9am Communion service at St A's
10.30am Informal Worship at St A's
Note. No children's or youth groups this Sunday.
Services During August
As the weekly bulletin is pausing over August, if you'd like to see what services are on, please visit the calendar on our website:
www.stastb.church/calendar
This will be kept up to date with service details throughout the month.
News and Notices
The Bible Course – Sign Up Now
We'll be running the Bible Society's Bible Course from Wednesday 24 September 2025 at 7:30pm in St Andrew's.
This eight-week course explores how the whole Bible fits together – from Genesis to Revelation – and is ideal if you've done Alpha or simply want to grow in your understanding of the Bible.
To sign up, please use this link: https://stastb.churchsuite.com/events/intkbgm5
If you'd like to know more, contact Neil Carne at alpha@stastb.church.
Shoebox Packing Week – 13–17 October
We're expanding our Christmas shoebox appeal this year with a week-long packing event at church from Monday 13 to Friday 17 October.
Thanks to your support, our sponsorship programme continues to grow – we packed 400 boxes last year! We'll be launching this year's appeal on Sunday 14 September, a little earlier than usual, to allow time to raise funds and gather volunteers.
Look out for more details in early September, including how to sign up on ChurchSuite to get involved.
Women's Breakfast – Invite a Friend
Business cards with details of the upcoming Women's Breakfasts (including 2025/2026 dates) are now available on the welcome desk. Pick one up and use it to invite a friend – it's a great way to share the invitation.
Children's provision during August
St Andrews will continue to run children's groups for ages 0-11 throughout July. All ages are welcome to attend all of our summer services however normal children's groups will not be running during August. Creche will be open for parents to use the resources and supervise their children and children's provision will be available in the courtyard for ages 3-11 on Sunday 10th and 31st August. This will involve supervised craft activities, toys and a DVD. Unfortunately we are not able to offer children's provision on the 3rd, 17th or 24th August due to a lack of volunteers but children are still welcome to come to church and encouraged to bring things from home to do with them during the service.
Bulletin Pause in August
The weekly bulletin will pause over August. If anything urgent needs to be communicated, we'll update the church separately.
Churchdown Zero – Summer Break
Churchdown Zero will be taking a break over August. We'll be back on Saturday 14th September – we're looking forward to seeing you then!
Office Fridays in August
Please note the church office will be closed on Fridays throughout August.
If you would like to include any updates in the weekly bulletin, send them to Adam. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at 1pm.
Love Thy Neighbour – Nominations Now Open
Part of Impact Weekend 2025
As part of this year's Impact Weekend, we're introducing Love Thy Neighbour – a new initiative to bless those outside of the church communitywho could use a helping hand.
On the Saturday of the Impact Weekend, we'll be sending out teams for a few hours to help with practical jobs like gardening, basic DIY, or cleaning. It's a practical way to show love and care to those around us.
We're now inviting nominations – if you know someone who isn't part of our congregations and would benefit from support like this in October, please contact the church office at admin@stastb.church.
Please bear in mind that while we'll do our best, we may not be able to take on every job or fulfil every nomination. A team will be reviewing all suggestions to see what's possible.
Save the date!
Impact Weekend 2025 will take place a little later this year: Friday 10th – Sunday 12th October. We'd love everyone to be involved, so please mark it in your diaries!
Friends of St Bart's – 850th Anniversary Celebrations
St Bartholomew's Church is celebrating its 850th anniversary this year, with a launch weekend of events from 23rd–25th August, as St Bartholomew's Day (24th August)falls on the Sunday.
The Friends of St Bart's, in partnership with the PCC, are planning a series of events running through to August 2026. The launch weekend will feature:
Beautiful floral displays
An exhibition of wedding photos through the decades
Extended opening hours
Bell ringing, refreshments, and more
If you or a family member were married at St Bart's, we'd love to include your photo in the exhibition. Please bring a copy to the church office to be scanned and returned.
The celebrations will conclude with a special Choral Evensong at 5pm on Sunday 24th August – all are warmly invited.
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
Thursday Zoom Prayers – Summer Update
Our Thursday Zoom prayer meetings will continue throughout the summer as usual.
Please note: On Thursday 14th August, we'll be meeting in person at St Bart's at 7:30pm to specifically pray for the upcoming 850th Celebrations. There will be no Zoom that evening.
All are welcome – do join us in praying together.
Green Tips
Only wash your clothes in your machine when they really need it, spot clean or freshen them up and make your clothes last longer. Plus you'll be saving energy and water from not using your machine. Win win!
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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.