Prayer Week 2024

It’s Prayer Week 2024
from Sunday 14 January - Sunday 21 January

As we head into 2024, Woodlands Church Family will be coming together in prayer and fasting, bringing to God our hopes for the city, for the world and for His Church.

There are a variety of ways you can take part in Prayer Week 2024 by joining with others or praying on your own:

• Download our helpful Prayer Guide

  Available here. Paper copies will also be available from the Foyer at Highgrove.

• We’ll send a daily short prayer point during the week on the Highgrove WhatsApp News Broadcast feed

  Contact us to receive an invite link if you’re not already on the feed.

• Come along to our Woodlands Church Family Prayer & Worship Evening

  We’ll be joining with our sister congregations for an inspiring evening focused on our city and region at Woodlands Central on Tuesday 16 January at 7.45pm.

• Join others in choosing to fast during the day on Tuesday 16 January

  Find out more about fasting.

• Join Highgrove’s Early Prayer Gathering on Zoom at 7am on Wednesday 17 January

  Zoom access link here or use Meeting ID: 882 9222 4911 and passcode: 794445..

• Come along to our Highgrove Prayer and Worship Evening

  An evening of free flowing worship and prayer focused on our local area on Friday 19 January from 7.45pm - 9.30pm at Highgrove.

During Prayer Week, we’d love to hear your stories of what God has been saying and doing. Simply contact us and tell us how you’ve felt encouraged or connected this week.

Happy New Year!

I'm not big on New Year Resolutions. But I do regularly reflect on how I can have good priorities, routines and habits.

As I look back over this last year, one of the most important things I've done is read my Bible each day. It's not so much about me getting through the Bible, as getting the Bible through me. As followers of Jesus, it's the primary way God speaks to us and guides us - and I really need to hear His voice!

As we head into 2024, we want to encourage everyone at Highgrove to make Bible reading a daily habit.

Starting on 7 January, we'll be spending three whole months on Sunday mornings on a journey through John's gospel as we focus on The Jesus You Need to Know. We'll be handing out some bookmarks listing the short sections of John's gospel to read each day, in parallel with our series. Or, if preferred, you can use the plan on the Bible app here.

If you're looking for a fresh resource for the whole year, here are a few great choices...

1. The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. There are Classic (20-25 mins), shorter Express (10-12 mins) and Youth (10-12 mins) editions available via the dedicated app, daily podcast feeds, on the website or via daily email.

2. The brand new Every Day with Jesus app launches on 1 January 2024, with short daily devotionals for those looking for a bite-size way to be encouraged and inspired by the Bible each day.

3. The Lectio 365 app (including the version for families) continues to be a fab resource for daily biblical meditations and prayers.

4. There are lots of excellent Bible reading plans available via the YouVersion Bible app. We used some during our D Group challenges this year, and I found the Bible Project New Testament in a Year especially helpful during 2023.

Please let us know if you would like a physical Bible and don't have one. We'd love to pass one on to you.

Highgrove Weekend Away 2024

Save the Date!

We can’t wait for the Highgrove Weekend Away!

We’re headed to Hebron Hall in Dinas Powys, just over an hour from Bristol.

Booking will open soon, but make sure you reserve the weekend of 5-7 July 2024 in your diaries!

Vacancy for HR Lead

The Woodlands Church Family is a vibrant, growing family of churches with six churches located across the city of Bristol and a vision to plant more. As we’ve grown, so too has our staff team, and we now have over 50 employees.

We are looking for an experienced HR professional to join our team and help us as we continue to develop our working practices and culture, so that all staff are supported and encouraged to flourish in their roles.

The Role
The HR Lead will oversee our staff recruitment, development and performance review process as well as working with our Trustees and Senior Leadership to ensure we have a healthy workplace culture and positive staff wellbeing. The HR Lead will also have a key role in compliance, ensuring we reflect current regulations and guidance in our practices and documentation.

Terms
The role will be part time, ideally 3-4 days a week with an FTE salary of £30,000-£35,000 depending on experience and qualifications. The annual holiday entitlement is 25 days pro rata. The role will primarily be based at Woodlands Church in Clifton, Bristol with flexible and home working available by arrangement.

How to apply
Please email julia.shrimpton@woodlandschurch.net for the detailed job description and an application form. The closing date for applications is midnight on Wednesday 31 January 2024. This vacancy will close once we have sufficient applications.

If shortlisted, interviews will take place at Woodlands Church week commencing Monday, 5 February 2024.

Please contact dave.roderick@woodlandschurch.net if you have any questions about the role.

Please send all applications to dave.roderick@woodlandschurch.net and cc them to julia.shrimpton@woodlandschurch.net.

Christmas page is live!

Can you believe that Christmas is nearly here?

We’ve got lots of exciting events going on during December on the run up to Christmas. Check out our Christmas page at www.highgrove.church/christmas. Here’s a quick list of what’s happening.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Event on 17 November - Concert Worship Evening

November series

On 12 November, we start a brand new 3 week preaching series on the book of 1 John.

Who is God?

What is He like?

The apostle John gives three statements in his first letter to help us understand more of God’s character. Join us as we explore these descriptions and the book of 1 John.

To help us make the most of this series, Peter Hatton will be leading a special Highgrove Bible School evening giving an overview of the book. Join us at 7.45pm on Wednesday 1 November.

We've also launched a D Group challenge for November - groups of 3 or 4 joining together to read 1 John over a 24-day journey using the Bible app. Find out more and sign up to join in!

Notice about Sunday 29 October

An important notice about Sunday 29 October!

There will only be one all-age service at 11am, with refreshments at 10.30am. There will be no children’s provisions. This will be a Harvest Service, and there will be a chance to donate items to the Bristol North West Foodbank. You can find out here about items they need.

Looking forward to seeing you there at 10.30! And remember the clocks go back by one hour on Sunday morning!

Salt Shakers Glow In The Dark Party

Autumn is here! The days are also getting shorter - but fun stuff can still happen!

We would love to invite you to the Salt Shakers Glow in the Dark party, happening on October 31, from 4.30pm till 6pm at St Edyth’s Church. It’s a lighter alternative to Halloween, aimed at primary school aged children and their families. There will be some games, crafts, hot dogs and sweets, with a short message on glowing in the dark. It costs £2 per family and you pay at the door.

Sign up at www.highgrove.church/glow - we would love to see you there!

Salt Shakers is a group put on by Christians from the churches around Sea Mills.

Salt Shakers

Hope you’ve all had a good start to the term so far!

Just a note to flag up the upcoming Salt Shakers event on 29 September. Salt Shakers is our new monthly group for families with primary school aged children. There will be games, crafts, and fun to be had. We will also provide dinner. You do need to sign up at www.highgrove.church/saltshakers. It costs £2 per family, and you pay at the door, but if cost is an issue then please do chat to the lovely team on the day or email us at hello@highgrove.church.

Do be praying for the event and for the team!

Back to normal!

Just a reminder that our normal pattern of two services at 9.30am and 11am will be resuming starting this week! Refreshments will be served between the two services at 10.30am. We’re also streaming our 9.30am service online.

This week we will be starting our new series called Prayers of the Saints. Hopefully see you there!

Important notice about August

We very much love meeting up as a church family on Sundays. But you may or may not have noticed that there are of lots of things going on behind the scenes involving lots of volunteers! So during the summer we want to honour them and give them a well-deserved break.

That’s why during August we’re only running one service at 10.30am, with refreshments and garden play starting from 10am. It will be an all-age service.

We will keep reminding people throughout July that this is happening, but please make a note in your diary so you don’t forget or turn up at the wrong time - although you will still be very welcome! And if you’re interested in helping our volunteers, why not check out our volunteering page here?

Highgrove Summer of Fun

Summer is here! Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine.

At Highgrove we are having a string of events during the summer - aptly titled Summer of Fun! There is something for everyone. Have a look below:

List of events we’re putting on this summer.

If you want to find out more about each event, do visit the Summer of Fun page (www.highgrove.church/fun). Some events need signing up for so be sure to remember to do that!

A Rocha Act for Nature Event

On Saturday, 24 June 2023, join A Rocha UK’s CEO, Andy Atkins as we discover how Eco churches are incorporating care for God’s creation as part of their mission. We’ll be joined by friends from Hazelnut Community Farm - a Gold Eco Church and an A Rocha Partner in Action - as well as Delyth Higgins, Eco Church officer from the A Rocha UK Eco Church team. It will also be a great opportunity to learn and share more of your experience of campaigning for nature - and ‘speak up’ together for nature through a simple action.

Click the button below to sign up for this event. It’s free!

Children's Pastor Vacancy

Want To Be A Children’s Pastor?

Easter Events

It’s nearly Easter! As a church we are putting on a few events. They are listed below, or visit our Easter page for more information!

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From Monday, 3 April to Wednesday, 5 April we are hosting a garden trail called Explore Easter. This is a free event and is suitable for all ages! There will be chance to be creative as well as reflective as you follow the trail. Perfect to invite your friends and family to! Please allow an hour to fully enjoy the trail.

On Maundy Thursday, 6 April from 8-9pm you can join us at Highgrove for a time of solemn observance of Jesus' passion and death. The service will allow for quiet meditation through communion, prayer, Bible readings, increasing darkness and silent reflection. You don’t need to book, just turn up.

At 7am on Easter Sunday we are at the top of Shirehampton Golf Course for a short service to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection along with other churches in the area. Then join us for an Easter egg hunt, crafts and hot cross buns in the church garden at 9.30am before a family celebration in the church building at 10.30am. We will serve refreshments starting at 10am, so even if you can’t make it for the hot cross buns, you can still catch up with other people with some tea and coffee then!

Hopefully see you at any or all of the events!

Important note about Sunday, March 19

Please note that there will only be one service on Sunday, March 19 2023. There will be refreshments served at 10.30am for a 11am start. The service will not be streamed online.

It will be led by members of Devotion, our youth group, and promises to be an exciting service, so do come along!

Women's Clothes Swap this Friday!

Muddy Church Pancake Party - 25 Feb 2023

D-groups

We’re putting on D-groups again for Lent! Don’t forget to sign up - you can sign up below! Sign up closes on Sunday 26 February. You don’t need to know who you are going to be in a group with, just let us know and we can link you up.