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Highbury

Congregational Church

Sharing Christian faith, friendship and mission

Welcome to HighburyWe very much hope you will find Highbury a welcoming church where you can make friends and have the space to build up your own faith and share it with other people.

Ever since our church started in Cheltenham in 1827 it has had a commitment to people of all ages, offering a network of support from the youngest to the oldest.

As with every Christian church we exist not for ourselves but for the sake of other people. We make sure our building is a valued resource that is well-used by the community. We work closely with other churches locally, nationally and internationally to make the love of God a reality in the world around us.

Make yourself at home in Highbury and sense something of God’s love through the life of our church.

Richard and Becky

If you have any questions about Highbury, want to find out more about Jesus and the Christian faith or would like someone to talk to or someone to pray for you please see the contact details on the back page.

Sharing Christian faith, friendship and mission

10.30am A time for all the Church family to share in worship. Music is the worship group, piano or organ led.

There are groups for children aged three years and above. We also have toys available for babies and toddlers in the porch where the service is relayed.Recent teaching themes have included parables, prayer and serving God, these are available on the website.Morning services are followed by refreshments.

6.30pmQuiet, reflective evening prayers with a focus on Biblical teaching. Music is organ and choir led.Teaching tends to follow the set lectionary.

There is an audio loop available.

Sundays are a time for people to come together and share in worship, teaching and prayer.

Sunday Worship

Our church prayer group meets weekly. This gives us time during the busy-ness of the week to sit with God and share with others. We take the opportunity to pray for the church, the church family and wider world.

We encourage anyone who requires someone to pray with them to come to the front of the church at the end of services. Having someone to pray with you can make a huge difference. We also have space to pray before the services. All are invited to share in this time together.

Our recent course on prayer at Highbury is on the website. This was a fantastic time to share together and led to a time of 24 hour prayer: it has helped to strengthen our personal prayer lives. There are other prayer events throughout the year. Prayer requests can be shared through an email prayer chain and telephone calls.

“At Highbury we pray that we may play our part in God’s world” Katherine Stanley

PrayerPrayer is an important focus at Highbury: we are encouraged to pray alone

but also in groups and as part of the services on Sundays.

Children were special and important to Jesus. At Highbury we also value children and young people and all they have to share. We have a range of activities for children and teenagers.

Children and Youth at Highbury

Junior Church is an exciting part of our church community, meeting every Sunday morning in different age groups for 3s-11s. It involves worship, prayer and Bible teaching through a variety of activities. There is also a space for under 3s with their parents in the porch.

Once a month we have Sunday Special for 3s-11s, starting at 9am with breakfast and finishing by midday. It involves a lot of fun and different activities, encountering Jesus in a mixture of ways.

Hy-Tec is a youth group for those who are in Secondary School. This involves a range of things including games, worship, prayer and trips out. There is also a café evening once a month. Themes have included Don’t Judge Me and Around the World Trip.

Holiday Clubs are run with St Luke’s and St Michael’s Churches. We have a four day summer event and three other one day events in the year. Over 40 children in the summer spend time learning about the God who made them, loves them and has great plans for them.

Transformers is a youth group for those who are Junior School age. It is run with St Luke’s Church and involves games, craft, food and an all together time on a particular topic.

Toddler groups meet weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.45am. These are for carers and children under school age. We have play, snack time, songs and crafts. These also offer a place for carers to have time to relax and chat with others.

Children and Youth at Highbury

There are many Uniformed Organisations that meet at Highbury. There are many activities including working towards badges, outdoor fun, talks, events, camps and games.

• Beavers - children aged 6-8 years

• Cubs - children 8-10½ years

• Brownies - girls 7-10 years (Brownies meet at Holy Trinity School)

• Scouts - children aged 10½-14 years

• Guides - girls aged 10-16 years

Open the Book meets at the church once a month. This group aims to find out more about the Bible, sensing what God is saying to us individually, as a church family and to the world.

Hyper Space meets monthly in the afternoon at church. It is a place for mothers and fathers to come and share in Bible study while a crèche is run for their children.

Hope to Make a Difference is a monthly home group. It is an opportunity for people to spend time together exploring faith and learning more about each other. Recent topics have included Moses, Esther and Deborah.

Thursday night home group meets in different homes each month. This group is popular with the younger parents and those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Using DVDs and other resources, topics have included Proverbs and Jesus walking on the water.

“We come to Highbury because it is like belonging to a large caring family who share our love of God and where we can learn more about the Christian faith.”

Cecilia Whitmore

Studying the Bible with others and learning more is a great way to grow as a church and in our relationship with God.

Going Deeper

Hy-Way is a weekly day time gathering on Wednesdays at church for people to share time with friends. It includes brief devotions, a topic presented by one of the team to create entertainment and discussion, and refreshments.

Friendship Group is for those who live alone and would like to meet with others. The group meets once a month on a Saturday afternoon. It includes tea and biscuits, entertainment and a opportunity to make new friends.

Hy-Spirit is the church worship group which leads worship during Sunday mornings. It features various instruments and vocal abilities. Newcomers are always welcome.

The Choir leads the singing on Sunday evenings, and a number of special occasions, including services. They practice Friday evenings in the church. Newcomers are always welcome.

Other GroupsWe value all people at Highbury, no matter what their needs or abilities.

We aim to have a range of groups to meet these needs and abilities.

Bring and Share Lunches - as a church we like to share meals together during the year, for example after Sunday morning services. We also have a church picnic after the service one Sunday in the summer. This is an exciting time of games and socialising.

We have Concerts in the church from time to time. These have included a visit from the Aber Valley Male Voice Choir and Come and Sing “Messiah”.

During the year we have held various courses, for example a Parenting Course and a Visiting Course.

Church weekend away - this is an annual event for the whole church in a beautiful conference centre near Torquay. These weekends are a great time for all ages to grow together, while learning about something new, based around a theme.

Women’s World Day of Prayer is an annual event held in March. Each year a service is arranged by women from different countries and shared by people around the world.

Highbury is an active church. We have a variety of vibrant groups and regular and one-off events.

Events

Alpha is a course we run to help people explore their faith. During evening meetings people can find out more about the Christian faith and explore some of the basics in an informal setting over a meal. Over two million people in the UK have attended a course!

Pastoral Visiting - in the busy-ness of our lives it can make a huge difference to have someone to visit and offer a listening ear. We have a team of Church Visitors who visit people regularly. This is an important part of Highbury’s work.

Baptisms and dedications - we share in baptism with babies, children and adults. We also share in thanksgivings and dedication services. Our Minister offers support leading up to and on the special day. Weddings - Highbury is an ideal venue for a Cheltenham wedding and there have been a variety of weddings at Highbury. Our Minister leads a marriage preparation course before the big day, exploring Christian marriage.

Funerals are arranged by contacting the Minister, and the church family offer continuing support in bereavement.

Other Activities at HighburyChurch is a place for new people with a variety of needs.

We aim to provide for these needs as best we can.

“Since the Alpha Course we now enjoy coming to Highbury with our children and sharing in a lovely church family which is inclusive of all ages.” Nicky Archer

Jonathan and Hilary Rowe are seconded by the South American Mission Society to El Escorial in Spain. They are serving God, with their family, in the town on the outskirts of Madrid. Jonathan is the Principal at the Theological College in El Escorial.

Stefan and Birgit Kurle are serving God with their family in Rolândia, in Brazil. Stefan is working at the Theological Seminary in Londrinia while all the family are a part of the local church and community.

Through prayer and teaching we have been learning about the situation faced by the people in the Middle East face. A group from Highbury and other churches visited Israel and Palestine to learn more and develop contacts.

Through our church secretary, Sue Cole, we have links at children’s homes in Kerala State.

We support the Congregational Federation, particularly the Christian Aid programme On�� Resp��� Resp� Resp�.

To belong to a local church is to be part of the world-wide church of Jesus Christ. We have international partners who are serving God in different locations.

International Links and Support

CWM is a community of thirty one churches worldwide who are committed to sharing their resources of money, people, skills and insights globally to carry out God’s mission locally.

CWM believes that the local church has the primary responsibility for carrying forward God’s mission locally. As a global body, the Council exists to help resource-sharing for mission by the CWM community of churches. CWM’s programmes give encouragement, provide training opportunities, share information and give practical help to the churches’ mission programmes.

The organisation has a democratic structure in which everyone contributes and receives from each other as equals.

Highbury has a history of sharing its resources in this way over many years, giving financially, and sending out people of all ages to participate in the work of CWM globally, sharing their skills and learning from their experiences.

Council for World MissionHighbury is in partnership with the Council for World Mission (CWM)

which is a worldwide community of Christian churches.

We work closely with St Luke’s and St Michael’s Churches and other Cheltenham churches and organisations, for example Youth for Christ, in the shared mission of the church. We are supporting the development of Street Pastors in Cheltenham and look forward to churches working more closely together to reach the needs of out town.

Throughout the week Highbury is host to many community activities. Cheltenham’s Club for people who are visually impaired meets each month, as does Narcotics Anonymous, and a friendship group for people with dementia and their carers.

With regular classes in bridge, art, lace-making, upholstery and numerous community meetings the Church is a hive of activity.

We also support charities locally and wider through our monthly giving and through special services. We collect foodstuffs donated for County Community Projects, a charity that provide food parcels and other support to people in need.

The church premises are also available for hire for single events.

As Christians we believe it is important to work in and with the local community and with other churches.

Community Links

We recognise that there are many disabilities, some visible and some invisible, and we have identified four main areas – mobility, visual and hearing impairment, and learning disabilities.

We appreciate these are not exhaustive, but by tackling these areas, and looking at attitudes as well as physical access, we hope to enable every person, irrespective of disability, to participate fully in church life.

The building is adapted for all, with level access for wheelchair users and pushchairs.

There are toilet facilities for the ambulant disabled and for wheelchair users, and baby changing facilities are also available.

We have a Braille hymn book, and the use of the large screen at morning worship is an aid for those with both visual and hearing impairment. A loop system is also provided to assist those wearing hearing aids, and the microphones help those who have mild hearing loss.

Welcoming People of all AbilitiesWe welcome people of all abilities, enabling everyone to worship and to take part

in other activities, both in the church and its associated rooms or gardens.

Sharing in Christian friendship and joining with others in exploring the Christian faith.

How Highbury Works

We invite all who share their faith with us, and feel at home worshipping at Highbury, to become fully part of the Church family. Church Members meet together every other month at our Church Meeting, where all the decisions regarding the life of Highbury Church are taken.

All we ask is that people share together prayerfully and seek together to find out what we believe to be God’s will for us.

We seek to model our church life on the early church communities of the New Testament, and appoint twelve Deacons to share in the leadership team of the Church.

Those who become Church Members are asked to declare their faith in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Also to support the work and worship of the Church as they are able.

“Congregationalism is all about Christians working and worshipping together in independent congregations, making decisions as God leads them in matters of worship, witness and service to their communities”

There are approximately 300 hundred churches in the Federation and they are linked by the following beliefs.

We are committed to each other by belief in the living God revealed in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We trust in our Lord’s promise to be with His people who meet in His name. We affirm the scriptural right of every church to maintain independence in the ordering of its affairs according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We recognise the oneness of all Christians within the world-wide Church, and respect the natural diversity of ways to God. We are partners in God’s mission. We worship, work and serve with all who love our Lord, to realise His Kingdom in the world, and to help people everywhere to know the joy of His companionship.

www.congregational.org.uk

What is a Congregational Church?Highbury is part of the Congregational Federation, a fellowship of independent

churches who come together to share resources and to support each other.

Finding out more about the things we’ve mentioned...

Extra Information

There are various ways that Highbury shares the Good News:

Every month we have a Church newsletter where you can find out what’s happening, keep up-to-date with current thoughts, and develop your understanding of Christian life.

We also have the Highbury website www.highburychurch.co.uk this is regularly updated and contains information about the Holy Land trip and the weekly Sunday morning sermons. To find out more about any of the organisations mentioned in this brochure the website is a great place to look!

Minister: Rev. Dr. Richard Cleaves

Pastoral Assistant: Becky Hartwell

Church Secretary: Sue Cole

Treasurer: Roger Gregory

Room Bookings: Peter Harrison

Priory Walk (Top of Oxford St), Cheltenham, GL52 6DT

Telephone: 01242 522050

www.highburychurch.co.uk

minister@highburychurch.co.uk

We also have a facebook page

Sharing Christian faith, friendship and mission