Dolphins

Sitting outside the Bluebird café, Ferring, early one morning I was looking dreamily out to sea and enjoying a piece of toast with bacon and coffee. Then I thought I heard a man say ‘Dolphins!’ Dolphins, I thought? In Ferring?! Several of us stood up and peered out to sea. Sure enough there was a pod of dolphins. With my eyesight I didn’t see much more than some black objects rising and falling but it was nevertheless a joyful surprise; made my day and I praised God for the privilege and the beauty of his creation. It was most unexpected and we all stopped what we were doing to take notice of them.

Life is full of surprises but sometimes shocks. Nice surprises or painful shocks both are, by very nature, unexpected. How do we react when confronted by them? Do we stop to notice what God might be saying in them or through them? Do we turn to him when we experience them?

In Exodus 3 we read that Moses noticed a burning bush and stopped to see what it was. As a result he had that incredible encounter with God. v 2 ‘Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up’. ……..When the Lord saw that he had gone to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said ‘ Here I am’…….. Then God revealed who he was in v 6 ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’…..

Moses noticed and went over to look. If he hadn’t he might have missed that powerful encounter.

Nice surprises can turn us to God with thankfulness and worship. But even in our painful shocks we can remember that God is in them with us and lean on Him as we navigate them.Whatever we encounter or go through, let’s always stop to notice and be aware of our ever present God and listen to what he might be saying.

‘Earth’s crammed with heaven and every bush afire with God, but only he who sees, takes off his shoes; the rest sit round it and pick blackberries’. Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Julie Shimizu

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.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

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 the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. 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 should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. 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 Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. We share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Following this is a time of sung and spoken worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Often a person will pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. One of our leaders 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 an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
BRBK (4-11 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. Part way through the service, the leader will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The kids 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.

Getting Connected

House 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 House 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! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

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.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

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

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)