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As we look to starting a new service in the autumn, there will be lots of questions in your mind, and we have a few too! The aim of this information sheet is to answer at least some of the questions that you may have, helping us all to move forward together in this exciting new phase in the life of 9.30 at St Peter’s.
What’s happening in September?
From September 27th, on All Age Sundays, we are starting another All Age Service at 11.15 am in the Parish Centre alongside 9.30. Refreshments will be available from 10.45 and the service will run for no more than an hour.
What are the similarities and differences?
Both services will have the same theme, speaker and service leader, however the other teams ie worship leaders and musicians, technical, crèche, refreshments etc will be different for the two services. Although each service will have the same content, this will be expressed with a slight variation due to people, size and location.
On Twinkler and LIGHT house Sundays, there will just be one 9.30 service.
Dates for 11.15 coming up to Christmas:
September 27; October 11 & 25; November 8 & 29; December 13
Why are we doing this?
At 9.30 the church can often be full, with few available seats for visitors. Not only can this be uncomfortable, but it dissuades new people from coming along.
Our key principle in doing this is mission—reaching more people with the good news of Jesus and allowing more people to be part of our church community. It is our vision to see our congregations double by 2012 become a reality. At both services we want to do church in a way that is welcoming and accessible to everyone who comes along.
What about the future?
We will review things at Christmas to see how they are going. The longer term aim is to run 11.15 each week, so that it can become a congregation in its own right.
What should I be doing now?
Between now and the end of August we would ask you to consider which service you want to attend. Of course, we don’t want everybody to move from 9.30, as we want each service to grow more in the future! 11.15 will be meeting in the lounge at the Parish Centre, which can comfortably hold 50– 60 people!
For those at 9.30 this is also an important opportunity of getting more involved with one of the service teams, which will need more people ie worship and music; crèche; welcome; technical (av & pa); refreshments etc.
We would ask you to complete one of the Response Forms and put it in the box at the back of church to indicate your preference for either 9.30 or 11.15.
How do I decide where I should be?
You will probably want to consider the following factors:
Timing - a later service may suit your family circumstances better.
Relationships - your friends may be attending one service rather than the other.
Serving - you may want to get involved in a teams that serves at one of the services.
A sense of God’s direction in these and other ways.
What if I am unsure about what to do?
We don’t want people to feel that they can’t try both services. But after a while we would expect that people would regularly attend either 9.30 or 11.15.
Over the coming weeks the Leadership Team will lead people through the process of choosing which service they want to go to. If you have any questions about things, do talk to one of the staff or member of the Leadership Team.
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