Update from the Vicar

7th October 2021

Click here for an update from Becky Jones

Hi church, this week we’re looking forward to our CAP Celebration services at 10:30am and 6:30pm (with refreshments from 6). They’re a great opportunity to hear more about the work of our Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre which so many of you support. If you get inspired by the work why not think about joining in with the CAP prayer meeting on Monday – email darren@stmarysleamington.com for more information.

During Sunday afternoon please pray for the PCC who are meeting to pray and discuss vision for 2022. Sunday night it’s the Men’s Curry at 7:45pm.

Now would be a good time to be inviting a friend along to the ‘Ahoy Mateys’ Shipwrecks party during half term on the 27th October at 10am. It’s for children aged 2-7 and fancy dress is optional.

We are expecting Clapham Terrace primary school to come and have their harvest festival at St Mary’s next week so please pray they have a fabulous time with us.

You might be interested to know that at St Chad’s Church, Bishop’s Tachbrook, they are licensing Jonathan Smith to start serving as Vicar there on Sunday 17th. So please pray for a great welcome for him and his wife Vicky and their 3 children.

An update about Communion at St Mary’s. As you know recently during the pandemic we’ve been serving communion as bread alone and we’ve been careful about things like covering the wafers for most of the time, sanitising and avoiding touch at the distribution. The Church of England updated their guidance in September and we will continue to take the various precautions of sanitising and covering the wafers while the prayers are prayed and avoiding touch. However, we’ve also decided to reintroduce the option of receiving the wine, either from the silver chalice or the non-alcoholic option as we’ve been used to before (as authorised by the Church of England). This is entirely personal choice and there’s no pressure either way. Of course, if you wish to receive wafers alone that is absolutely fine, you can choose what you are comfortable with - I wanted to give you an explanation so that you know what to expect.

A great encouragement this week has been to hear of some new people joining the childrens work team! We need people to step up in servant-hearted service in most areas of church life, so if you would like to know more about any teams get in touch on 01926 778505 or email rebecca@stmarysleamington.com. We most urgently need help with childrens groups (we have some way to go yet) and tech. There are many other areas of church life like refreshments, welcome, and prayer that need to rebuild teams. So pray and give us a ring! If you are the sort of person who could help out in an adhoc way let us know because we need support in one-off ways too – things like moving chairs. It’d be so good to know of a group of people who would be happy to be called on for one-off tasks. And never underestimate the power of prayer. Let’s be praying for more workers and trust that God builds his church and he takes our sometimes small offerings (like the boy’s lunch at the feeding of the 5000) and surprises us with what’s possible.

Hello! and a warm welcome to St Mary's church.
If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

We hope that you can visit and get to know us better, we would love to meet you!

Our Sunday Services

10.30am (refreshments after the service)

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the Bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is Bible-based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. There is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service. Holy Communion is 4th Sunday of the month. If you have any questions please ask!

6pm (refreshments after the service)

Our 6pm service is held in the Church Centre in the Lower Hall. An informal, quieter service with contemporary songs and occasional liturgy. Holy Communion is 2nd Sunday of the month.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access via the centre door, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it in the church. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet in the Church centre.

Newcomers Lunch

We invite everyone to be a guest at a Newcomers Welcome Lunch normally held once a term after the 10.30 Sunday service, usually in the Church Centre.

As well as an opportunity for us all to get to know one another better, you can hear more about the life and ministry of St Mary’s and how as a committed Christian you may be able to get involved.

We also have a Whole Church Sunday lunch together once a month in our Lower Hall.

Christmas inside church

What about my kids?

Children's groups run on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays of every month (except school holidays) at the 10:30 service and your kids are very welcome to join them.

Each group (excluding Crèche) includes, sung worship, Bible reading, prayer, listening to God, games, craft and food!

All groups are led by wonderful volunteers from within the church family who have completed a DBS check and are safely recruited.

Creche (0 months to 2 years). Parent supervised.
Sparklers (2-4 years)
Flames (5-7 years)
Rockets (8-11 years Junior School)
Youth (Secondary School age)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service as we worship (sing songs), together for the first part of the morning. At some point someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups at first and register them as part of our child safety policy.

For more information about what happens in the children's work please visit the Children's Ministry page. Children return to the service before the end.

St Mary's has lots of children and families, we love having kids around and try to make them feel welcome and at home.

Hope kids pic

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev'd Becky Jones
Vicar of St Mary's

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Becky