A Rocha International

A Rocha International describes itself as 'The international family of Christian conservation organisations'. Many Christians may be surprised to see conservation listed among the church's mission activities. Yet in his majestic work on mission, where he unpacks the entire sweep of the Bible from beginning to end in terms of God's mission, Old Testament and Missions scholar Christopher J. H. Wright says the following:

We wonder whether and how the care of creation … might fit into our concept and practice of mission, when this story challenges us to ask whether our lives, lived on God's earth and under God's gaze, are aligned with, or horrendously misaligned with, God's mission that stretches from creation to cosmic transformation and the arrival of a new heaven and a new earth.¹

This understanding of the wide scope of Christian mission to encompass concern for the environment, together with other explorations of this topic,² inspired our church's decision to include A Rocha International as one of our major mission partners. Yet it had long been the vision of some members of our congregation to use the land we have for the benefit of nature, leading to the Glebe being managed for wildlife and nature many years ago. For more information on the Glebe, see here.

Pete Skett is our church's primary advocate for our support to A Rocha International.

1. Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative, IVP (2006), p534 (emphasis his)
2. James A. Nash, Loving Nature: Ecological Integrity and Christian Responsibility, Abingdon Press (1991).

Hello and welcome to our 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.
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Planning your Visit

A Warm Welcome

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet in St Andrew's Church (details here) for our Sunday services starting at 10:00 am. For more details on our schedule of services, check here.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access to both the Church and the Church Centre. We have two designated accessible parking spaces on our private access road close to the church building, and one in the car park by the Church Centre. We have a sound loop in the church. Please sit in a pew in the main body of the church (not in the South Aisle by the entrance), behind the entrance gangway, where there are signs in front of the pews with the loop system logo, in order to take advantage of this facility. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will guide you. There are no toilets in the church building. The nearest toilets are available in the Church Centre, including an accessible toilet.

Modern layout of church - hear

Our Sunday Service

The service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team, and usually with notices if applicable. We use a variety of modern liturgy and sung worship which ranges from traditional hymns to modern worship songs. We include readings from the Bible and a sermon which aims to explain the scriptures and to apply them to our lives. Some of our readings and sermons follow the Church of England lexionary, and some form part of themed sermon series. The length of the service is usually about one hour.

Church Full 2

After the service, we serve refreshments in the St Andrew's Church Centre. It is a great way to get to know one another. All refreshments are free.

What about children?

Our children's activities take place at other times than the main church service (see here). However, we love children coming to our church services with their parents, and throughout the service we have a range of children's activities available in the St Thomas Chapel, for use under parental supervision. You can still hear what's going on in the main service from there, and be assured - we really don't mind the sound of children enjoying themselves!

Children

Getting Connected

Home 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 home 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 Home 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! The church building is open for visitors most days from approximately 10 am to 4 pm. If you have questions beforehand, please let us know below.

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.

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