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Bamford

Chapel

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BAMFORD CHAPEL

Mission/Vision Statement

MISSION

TO MAKE KNOWN THE GOOD NEWS OF THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

WORSHIP

We believe as a congregation that our worship should be wholehearted and

meaningful as we join together in praise and thanksgiving to God. In response to

God’s love, we wish to express our joy, to open our hearts to God’s voice and to

respond to His word.

LEARNING

Recognising our need to learn of God and from God, we seek to provide an

environment within which learning and teaching can take place. We would want to

enable each person to accept God into their life and to have the ability to discuss and

share their faith with all.

PASTORAL

We are joined together in our faith by the Holy Spirit. As a loving fellowship we wish to

deepen and extend our care for each other encouraging everyone to use their gifts, as

they are enabled by God, to show tenderness and compassion in a spirit of humility.

MISSION/SOCIETY

We accept that we are called to make Christ known in our community at Bamford and

in all other places. We would wish to influence others by example and comment,

accepting that God will speak through us as we maintain a relationship with Him. We

recognise the need for the Church to participate in all aspects of the life of the world,

and proclaim God’s will, as it is revealed to us.

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Further Details may be found at www.bamfordchapel.co.uk

Saturday 2nd November

9.30 am —12 noon

Workday at Church for anyone able to come

Sunday 3rd

November

10.30 am Family Worship with Holy Communion led by Margaret Ogden

12 noon The second of the Elders’ group meetings on the Vision

6.00 pm Evening Worship led by David Watson

Monday 4th November

8.00 pm Focus on Prayer (Crèche room)

Thursday 7th November

7.30 pm Elders’ Meeting

Sunday 10th

November

10.30 am Remembrance Sunday Parade Service led by Andy Platt

2.30 pm Messy Church

6.00 pm Evening Worship led by our Minister Revd Richard Bradley

Monday 11th November

8.00 pm Focus on Prayer (Crèche room)

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Tuesday 12th November

12 noon for 12.45 pm

Light lunches served from 12 noon followed by concert featuring the

Rising Bridge ensemble (strings and piano)

Sunday 17th November

10.30 am Family Worship led by our Elders

12 noon Church Meeting

6.00 pm Evening Worship with Holy Communion led by our Minister Revd Richard Bradley

Monday 18th November

8.00 pm Focus on Prayer (Crèche room)

Sunday 24th November

10.30 am Toy Service and Parade (no Junior Church as this is an all age service) led by our Minister Revd Richard Bradley

12 noon Third of the Elders’ group meetings on the Vision

6.00 pm Evening Service led by Ken Green

Monday 25th November

8.00 pm Focus on Prayer (Crèche room)

Wednesday 27th November

1.30 pm Midweek Communion Service

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Message from the Manse

I am excited about the future.

When Jesus left the earth it was no accident that he reminded the disciples what they were meant to do. They weren’t meant to sit and stagnate; remembering with fondness their time with Jesus. They were not told to put their feet up for a few days or weeks. They were told:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….” (Matthew 28:19)

So, you might be asking, why am excited? I am excited about the potential for future of Bamford Chapel. As we have had a year of seeking God’s vision, as we have been invited to fill out the questionnaires, as a small group of us have been looking at the responses to those questionnaires. We are now, following the Church meeting, going to hold 5 meetings of the Elders’ groups. If all goes to plan with the magazine by the time you read this magazine article we should be holding the first of those 5 meetings. If there is one thing we need to do as a church it is to be united around this new vision. It has to be a vision that we live, breathe and talk about. I am indebted to Cameron Baines, Sarah Fitton, Anna James, Sarah Finnegan and Ruth Bradley for their dedication to the group that has been looking into this vision statement.

It is a draft, but it is a draft that has been given much thought and prayer! I hope these groups will focus on the spirit of the statement rather than getting too hung up with the wording. The wording is important but we can play semantics all day with the statement and get nowhere.

The vision will help us to think about: Who we are. What we think our priorities are and how we might implement those priorities. By the end of this process if there are people who have not heard about this vision process I will be amazed. The way it has been communicated are:

*On the Agenda and reported to Elders’ meetings.

*I have written magazine articles about it.

*We were all invited to take a questionnaire.

* I have led a themed service where I presented the vision.

*Paper copies of that vision presentation are available for all (at the front of church and there are still a lot of copies left)

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I am willing to speak to anyone about it and share my enthusiasm for it. As we move forward even though we are a relatively large church (the moderator tells me the second largest church in the Synod in numerical terms) there are huge challenges ahead (which are the same for every church in the denomination).

We are not growing as a church, we are getting smaller. And that should not make us think “woe is me” it should make us think: “What can we do to stem that decline?” or more importantly “What does God want of us and how can we most effectively be church?”

As a church we need to continue to pray both corporately and individually for what God wants from us. We need to seek His will and seek His blessing on what we do as a church.

Friends it is exciting….it is daunting…..it will mean change. It could mean doing some things differently. But what we cannot be is a church that stands still.

May God bless the work we do with Him and for Him.

Your servant in Christ

Richard

We do not want, as the newspapers say, a

church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.

C K Chesterton

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Elders’ Group Date

Gillian Galloway

Margaret Watson Sunday 27th October

Angela Smith

Margaret Ogden Sunday 3rd November

Lyn Jefferies

Louise Aspinall Sunday 24th November

Julie Platt

Laura Davies

Ian Hampson

Joan Warner

Sunday 1st December

Sunday 15th December

Liz Hazlehurst

Gill James

Addie Redmond

Barbara Redmond

Dates for Elders’ Group Meetings about The Vision

In memory of C S Lewis

who died 50 years ago this month

God cannot bless us until he has us. When we try to

keep within us an area that is our own, we try to

keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, he claims

all. There’s no bargaining with him. C S Lewis

I was ... living, like so many atheists or antitheists,

in a whirl of contradictions. I maintained that God

did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not

existing. I was equally angry with him for creating a

world. C S Lewis

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News of the family

Concerns are expressed for Marjorie

& Ken Farrington, Don & Wyn

Schofield, Joan and her sister Sylvia,

Barbara Redmond, Joan Ashton,

Peggy Newton, Andy Platt, Ian &

Ann Newman, Ian Hampson, John Baillie, Lisa Linden,

Joyce & Derek Yates, Vi Lock, Geoff Ogden following the

death of his sister Joy. Dot Craig - Norden Peter &

Pamela Harrington, Ray & Sheila Varley, Diane Colley,

Raymond Chrimes, Muriel & Ian Sturrock, Hayley

Merchant and her partner Martin and anyone else of

whom you are aware but who I have omitted to mention.

Please remember all these people in your prayers.

As I write I am amazed that the months have passed so

quickly and we are already looking towards Christmas.

There is a list in church to sign up for Messy Church, the

Advent Displays are already being planned and it`s not

even half term yet! Children and young people who were

starting at new schools or colleges in September will

have already completed one sixth of their first year by

the time you read this. Where does the time go?

Winter is fast approaching but Bamford Chapel life

continues as busily as ever. Watch out for all the

activities and events which will be

taking place before Christmas and

join in if you can. Not forgetting

our Third World Project for which

personal giving will continue right

until Christmas Day.

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“To Advent and beyond……..”

An act of worship for the evening of Advent Sunday:

1st December 2013

The United Christian Singers invite you to join them in a

celebration of this special season: not yet quite

Christmas, though all around there will be visible signs

of the Nativity just a few weeks away. We want to take

you back across the centuries when the Hebrew people

were trying to discover what God was really like.

Preachers and prophets tried to add to the knowledge

and expectations of each new generation. Slowly the

idea developed that God might one day send a very

special Teacher; the Messiah.

We share in their history, looking as they did to when

and how this Messiah might come; we arrive in due

course at the events in Bethlehem; and we see the Holy

Family forced to flee from the terrible persecution of

Herod. Then Jesus disappears for many years, in due

time to become the Jesus that we know as the Son of

God. That is our “beyond” – and we live in it still!

This is not the programme we took to churches a couple

of years ago, though necessarily it has a similar theme.

It always gives me great pleasure to bring this choir to

Bamford, where more than

twenty years ago it had its

beginning. Do come and

share the evening with us

if you can.

Walter Brisk

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OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD.

Operation Christmas Child is the largest children's

Christmas project in the world, run by the Christian charity

Samaritan's Purse. Gift-filled shoeboxes have been sent to

disadvantaged children around the world since 1990,

bringing joy into the lives of over 80 million children.

Could I once again ask for your support of this children's

charity? Many of you will already be familiar with it. For

those who are not, the aim is to fill a

shoe box with various items such

as, soap and flannel, toothpaste,

brush, comb, pens and pencils and

notebooks. We also try to include

hat and gloves and a small toy.

We also need shoe boxes.

We need gifts for both boys and girls in the age groups, 2-

4, 5-9 and 10-14.

I will be happy to receive any items also boxes

Joan Ashton, on behalf of Carol Hartley.

tel 01706 360395. (I can collect.)

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Workdays at Church

I have been conscious that the Monday Gang that meet on a Monday morning to do jobs around the

church have been reducing in number over the last three years. As the Church buildings are so large

and take a huge amount of work to keep clean and maintained I suggested at the Elders’ meeting that

we might try having a Saturday morning once a month to tackle some of the bigger jobs (or smaller

ones!) that might need more people to complete. This is NOT to suggest that we don’t think the

Monday Gang or the Cleaners are not doing a good job – without them we would need to pay out quite

a bit of money to pay for those jobs to be done. The Saturday morning idea is to supplement the work

already being done.

With this in mind we are going to try it on

Saturday 2nd November and 1st December.

If you can spare anytime between 9.30am and 2pm

then you will be most welcome to come.

Thanks and God Bless, Richard.

Workdays at Bamford Chapel

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Ladies’ Fellowship

At our meeting this month we held our annual Xmas

Shoe-Box Filling event - & a very busy one it was too! - 60 boxes completed by 30 exhausted fillers -

a super effort - thank you Ladies. As we recovered, refreshed by coffee & biscuits, we were enthralled

to hear Carol's latest report on her visits to Belarus - what wonderful work she is doing on a very small

but vital project following the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster - which many of us, including me & the

world in general, had forgotten it was all about. These people including children are still suffering

from the nuclear effects & will do so for the rest of their lives so long may her work continue

Joyce Cooper

Bamford Chapel Christmas Fair

Saturday 23rd

November 2013

WANTED

by 17th November 2013

Toiletries – Men’s & Women’s

Jewellery & Scarves

Bottles

Media Stall – DVD’s / CD’s / Games etc. (NO VIDEOS)

Chocolate – any shape or size (boxes/bars)

Christmas Fayre – eg: mince pies, candles, decorations etc.

Catering – Help Required

Julie Platt

Gill James

Malcolm Beaumont

Andy Platt

Gill James

Julie Platt

ALSO REQUIRED Items for Hamper – See list under clock in kitchen area

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In Concert

MILNROW BRASS BAND

Grand Shield Winners 2013

National Finals Qualifiers of Great Britain

British Open Qualifiers

Friday 8th November 2013 at 7.30pm

Admission £7.00 adults

£4.00 under 18s

Tickets from 01706 638005

or after worship on Sunday morning

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Julie Andrews Turning 79 - this is hysterical! with thanks to Angela Smith for sharing this with us

To commemorate her birthday, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews

made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall

for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she

performed was 'My Favourite Things' from the legendary movie

'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:

(Sing It!) - If you sing it, it’s especially hysterical!!!

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,

Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,

Bundles of magazines tied up in string,

These are a few of my favourite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,

These are a few of my favourite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,

When the knees go bad,

I simply remember my favourite things,

And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,

Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, These are a few of my favourite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',

Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',

And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,

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When we remember our favourite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,

When the eyes grow dim,

Then I remember the great life I've had,

And then I don't feel so bad.

>>>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>

(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd

That lasted over four minutes and repeated encores. Please

Share Ms. Andrews' clever wit and humour with others who

Would appreciate it.)

You're getting old when you wake up with that morning-after feeling, and you didn't do anything the night before.

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The concerts, started on the initiative of Jeff

Yates, have been a feature of life at Bamford

Chapel for very many years. It has been the

pleasure of the present team to organise

these for at least 20 of those. Audiences

have varied between around 50 to as many

as 100. We have made it our policy to

engage the very best artistes we could

afford, and have been entertained by some

outstanding musicians – mainly young men

and women at the start of their professional

careers.

Before each concert, refreshments have

been served by devoted teams of ladies

working exceptionally hard in the short time

available to them after the Mums and

Toddlers leave. The meals have obviously

been much appreciated by our patrons, and

have made a substantial profit which has

then been passed on to the Chapel Gift Day

Appeal. At the meals and at the concerts we

have welcomed many visitors from outside

the Chapel congregation, and this has surely

been excellent for the image of Bamford

Chapel. Of course, there is no need to come

for lunch if you do not wish to – many of our

audience come just for the music at 12.45.

It has been a disappointment to us who

organise the concerts that very few of our

Chapel members have felt able to support

the concerts regularly or even occasionally.

In October, attendance was the lowest ever

recorded – 36. We were treated to a superb

programme by a highly talented clarinettist

and his equally impressive accompanist.

After the event, one or two of us involved in

the concerts had to wonder whether we

would be able to continue after this season.

Apart from any other consideration, we

need at least to meet the artistes’ expenses

from what we charge for admission, and we

believe that to put up our entry fee of £3

might be a discouragement.

Of course, we realise that only those of us

not out at work are able to join us, but that

leaves a considerable number of us who are

free in the daytime!

The next few months are going to be critical

as we consider the possibility of

recommending to the Church Meeting that

the concerts should perhaps be ended. We

are not there yet, but we have to be

realistic! Even though we pay them, our

performers are entitled to a reasonable-

sized audience when they get here. We

know that many of you who do not come

are really interested in serious music, so we

can only suppose that other factors keep

you away. Our next two concerts are on 12th

November and 10th December. We would

very much appreciate your support. In

November, the performers will be a string

trio – violin, cello and piano – and in

December brass players from the Royal

Northern College of Music. January 14th will

bring us the Chris Holmes Jazz Trio, one of

last season’s big hits. May we look forward

to seeing you?

Walter

Midday Concerts at the Chapel

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BAMFORD CHAPEL

Midday concert

12.45 p.m. – 1.45 p.m.

Lunch served from 12 noon

Admission to the concerts: £3

Lunch items individually priced

November 12th 2013

Rising Bridge

(strings and piano)

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A WELCOME RETURN TO

GUIDES AT BAMFORD CHAPEL

Guides now meet from 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm on a Tuesday

evening. The unit is run by Irene Dilkes who is also our

district commissioner, her sister Kath and Irene's

daughter Maria. They have helpers but anyone

interested in Rainbows, Brownies or Guides who would

like to help on a Tuesday and maybe see how different

things are these days please let us know. Brownies is for

ages 7-10 and Guides for ages 10-14.

Any young lady who wishes to join the guides please see

Lyn Jefferies who will pass your name on. There are a

few of our guides from our old unit who joined them

when our unit at Bamford Chapel closed so it's great to

see them back again.

Brownies and Guides have changed over the years and

have moved with the times. We make the meetings fun

and creative with lots of new and exciting things going

on.

I would encourage anyone interested in learning more

about the Brownie/Guide organisation to come and see

what we do as it is a very worthwhile and rewarding

experience.

Lucianna Jefferies

(Young Leader)

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Advent Celebration

With the help of the various groups within the

Church, we are planning to hold an event to

celebrate the beginning of Advent. It will be an

occasion when we invite members of the church

and community to come and view displays of

Christmas trees, nativity scenes and floral

arrangements which will have been produced by

the many organisations within our fellowship.

This is our third ‘Celebrating Advent’ the last one

was in 2010, We hope you will encourage your

friends and neighbours to ‘come and see’,

If you are involved in a decorative contribution, we

are sure

you will

meet the

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Knowing Jesus

(Phil 3:7-11)

Knowing that he is alive,

Knowing you’re not on your own,

Knowing you don’t even have to buy one, to get

this gift free,

Knowing the answer to that puzzled space inside,

Knowing that this was what was missing,

Knowing that you are acceptable - as you are,

You don’t have to be good enough,

Knowing that God has a plan full of hope for you,

Knowing nothing’s wasted, not even those des-

perate times,

Knowing that there is a solution to that problem,

Knowing you are safe, that you no longer need to

be afraid,

Knowing that this time you won’t be let down,

That this will last for ever, and keep on getting

better,

Knowing that you are loved, by the one who

thought up the idea,

Knowing now, that life has a purpose - and want-

ing to share it,

Knowing that death is a springboard,

This is knowing Jesus.

By Daphne Kitching

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Menu

Pizza

Mince Pies or

Jam tarts

Donation in exchange for food!

On the afternoon of

Sunday

10th November

2.30 pm – 5.00 pm

Children: please bring an adult with you.

All ages welcome

Theme: Preparing for Christmas

Enjoy: Craft, Music, Food, Fellowship and Fun

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Many thanks to those who have taken a look at the last magazine

online. Our viewings went up by 128% last month.

For those of you who haven’t—why not take a look this month.

Go to www.bamfordchapel.co.uk and look up the magazine.

Publication Publish Date Avg. Time Spent

Performance

Bamford Chapel Mag..

25. Sep 2013 07:06 +128.6%

Great invention

The boys had been up in the attic together helping

with some cleaning. They uncovered an old manual

typewriter and asked their mother what it was. She

briefly explained, but they were still puzzled as to how

it worked.

"I'll show you," their mother said, and returned with a

blank piece of paper. She rolled the paper into the

typewriter and began striking the keys, leaving black

letters of print on the page.

"WOW!" they exclaimed, "That's really cool...but how

does it work like that? Where do you plug it in?"

"There is no plug," she answered. "It doesn't need a

plug."

"Then where do you put the batteries?" they persisted.

"It doesn't need batteries either," she continued.

"Wow! This is so cool!" they exclaimed. "Someone

should have invented this a long time ago!"

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The Christmas Fair this year is on

Saturday 23 November between 10.30 and 2.00.

Please make a note of this date so that you can come

along and support us and bring along your family, friends

and neighbours.

We need lots of help on the day and donations for the

stalls.

Stalls which have been suggested so far are;-

Cheeses and chutneys

Toiletry tombola

Second hand toys

Second hand books

Tech / IT

Jewellery and scarves

Tombola, Bottle stall and Chocolate tombola

Christmas stall

A flyer will be going out shortly informing you who would

like the donations for each stall, and there will be a list

up asking for

help.

Thank you.

Gillian and Julie

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Norden URC

would like to invite you to their

on Saturday 9th

November

10.30 am to 12 noon.

There will be a fabulous cake stall, raffle, books, cards, gifts,

crafts and bric-a-brac.

A small entry fee includes coffee or tea and biscuits.

Other refreshments available.

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Tickets available after service

or from Addie Redmond

01706 354559 or 07906 599 966

Adults £5 Children £2

inc refreshments

Bamford Chapel, Norden Road, OL11 5PQ

Sunday 15th December 2013

at 6 pm

Who do you think

you are kidding

Mr Herod? by Ben & Addie Redmond

Food For Thought presents its Nativity Pantomime

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Fab Dance

Dance Classes at Norden United Reformed Church

Mondays Bokwa Fitness 7.30 to 8.30 pm

Thursdays Junior Disco 6.15 to 7.15 pm

Saturdays Tiny Boppers age 3 to 7 10.30 to 11.30 am

Fiona 07811829056 fabdance1@hotmail.co.uk

Line Dancing at Norden URC

Held in the church Monday weekly at 1pm.

Pay £3 at the door

includes tea, coffee and biscuits

Everyone welcome, no partner required. For a little gentle keep fit exercise and memory test!

Come to the craft group at

Norden URC

Group meets on Tuesday afternoons at 12.30 - 3.00 p.m.

Norden URC, Forsyth Street

£2.50 per session—bring your lunch,

tea/coffee and biscuits

Learn to knit and crochet

Make new acquaintances in our friendly group.

Phone Jean 07764 233 382 for further information

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BAMFORD CHAPEL MAGAZINE

EDITORS: Louise Aspinall 01706 719449

l.aspinall@yahoo.co.uk

Martyn James 01706 868885

martyn-james1@sky.com

SECRETARY: Joan Ashton 01706 360395

ray-joanashton@sky.com

DATES FOR THE NEXT MAGAZINE

December 2013/January 2014

Articles to be handed in by: Sunday 17th November

Magazine to be completed by: Thursday 28th November

Magazine distributed: Sunday 1st Decem-

ber

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BAMFORD CHAPEL United Reformed Church

Charity - Reg’d No 1128387

(FAIRTRADE CHURCH) Norden Road, ROCHDALE, Lancs. OL11 5PQ

The Manse,

Norden Road,

ROCHDALE,

Lancs

OL11 5PQ

Telephone: 01706 369622

www.bamfordchapel.co.uk

Minister : Rev Richard Bradley

Email: richardbradley@cantab.net

Church Secretary: Ian Sturrock

Telephone: 01706 653109

Email: i.sturrock@talktalk.net

Wedding Secretary: John Lapworth

Telephone: 01706 632460

Email: john@lapworth37.plus.com

Lettings Manager: Linda Kerford

Telephone: 01706 624256

Email: l.kerford@btinternet.com

Times of Services: Family Worship : 10.30 am : Holy Communion 1

st Sunday in month

Evening Worship : 6.00 pm : Holy Communion 3rd Sunday in month