About us.....St Andrew's Church Family

We are a joint Methodist and Church of England church. This means that our church services reflect both the Church of England and Methodist traditions. Therefore, you will find something of the Methodist tradition and something of the Anglican custom in most of our services.

We are led by a Church of England vicar, Revd Bethan Guttridge, as well as having the presence, part time, of a Methodist minister, Revd Terry Young.

Since being in the Healthy Living Centre it is clear that St Andrew's Church is growing; yes it's started growing in numbers - there are new members of the church who now come regularly to worship, there are many new members of church activities such as the Friendship group, Bible Study and coffee mornings and there are many new people coming to Christ through baptism, but growth is not just about backsides on seats! Spiritually too, St Andrew's Church is growing - more are wanting to know about the Bible through Bible study, more want to know how to love and care for those who come through our doors by committing themselves to a "Listening Course", more want to meet for prayer… the list goes on. In the near future there will also be a 'Discovery Course' for those who are new Christians to learn what Christianity (not 'the church'!) is all about.

When Jesus walked among the people of Israel around 2000 years ago, his entire ministry was governed by two rules. Foremost, he loved his Father - God the Father. However, after this, Jesus put people first. He despised mindless ritual - for example he loathed the showy exhibitions of the 'religious' group called the Pharisees. They put their traditions and laws first whether or not they were relevant to the people's needs. They made a great show of their 'holiness' on the Sabbath day but then behaved wickedly the rest of the week. They were "one-day-a-week" people.

Instead, Jesus was a man of the people - he put the needs of ordinary people (and very often the outcasts of society) before flashy ceremony and out-of-date laws. He made sure they were fed, they were healed, that they were at peace both mentally and spiritually. And he made sure that they understood what the Kingdom of God was really about - after all, he came to fulfil his Father's will and to save us all from our sins. He made a point of loving God and loving people 24/7 as the expression goes - not just on the Sabbath.

That is why, at St Andrew's Church, you will find us friendly, approachable and informal. However, our informality does not mean that our worship is any less committed, any less devotional. You will find our services easy to follow - and in any case, if you have difficulty someone will befriend you and give you some help! You will make new friends over a (free!) cup of tea or coffee at the end and hopefully will not be able to wait to come back!

We are not perfect! No one is! But we do try to follow what Jesus taught us - to "Love God with all your souls, with all your minds and with all your strength… and to love your neighbours as you love yourselves" - and that means YOU

Basic Information about Christianity
Does God Exist?	What IS Chistianity?	Basic Information about what we believe as Christians	Why Bother?	Becoming a Christian