New to Church?
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 at St Margaret’s Church for our Sunday Services . We now have two services of differing styles on offer, Holy Communion will be celebrated at one of these services every week.
The first service starts at 8:45am and this will be BCP (Book of Common Prayer) traditional worship with hymns.
The second service starts at 10:15am and will be more contemporary worship with band led music. Groups for under 18's will be held, starting off in church together. Communion will be held at one service each week.
We will hold a Unified service at 10am celebrating the best of both traditions. This will be for occasions such as Remembrance Sunday, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and our Patronal Festival. We will also come together as one church family when there is a 5th Sunday in the month.
For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you will be greeted by someone on our Sides Team, please make yourself known, that you are visiting for the first time so that we may give you a welcome pack.
We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after each service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.
Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Sides Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is also a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities.
Our Service
Each service begins with a warm welcome from our Rector. We have a mixture of services, comprising of Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, BCP Communion, Morning Worship and All Together. Our music is organ and band. We typically have 3 or 4 songs. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Our Rector 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 always an opportunity to receive private prayer at the end of the service.
What about my children?
We have a great programme lined up for children of all ages:
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Bubbles (3-5 years)
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Juniors (6-11 years)
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Ignite (11-14 years)
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Youth (14+ years)
Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs, and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices 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 and register them as part of our child safety policy.
The children’s group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games, and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes, usually around 11.15am.
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.
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.
Best Wishes