Mission Partners

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:18, 19)

At St Mary’s we are committed to supporting in prayer and financially a number of organisations and individuals, both locally in Bristol and further afield, working to bring help and assistance to the disadvantaged and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The following are the principal partners St Mary's supports. Whilst we are not responsible for the content of any external websites, we recommend the links below if you wish to learn more about the organisations we support. Many members of the church are committed to supporting a number of other charities and agencies with similar aims and objectives. St Mary's also supports the Christian community of churches in the Bristol area through its giving to the diocese.

Many of our church members have been involved in their own personal missions as well.

Joseph Bilal & The Episcopal University of South Sudan

Joseph has close links with St Mary's and has, for many years, been at the forefront of establishing not only a Federated Christian University in South Sudan but also involved in the peace and reconciliation process in the country.

https://www.ecsssup.org/

inHope

inHope is a Christian charity that helps homeless and those suffering with addiction in Bristol. Several members of St Mary’s are actively involved in the work of this organisation.

www.inhope.uk

The Avonmouth Social Justice Hub (ASMA)

Avonmouth Social Justice Hub encompasses the Bristol North West Foodbank and Homebank and offers a range of services to the local community including the Well listening cafe and Space4makers workshop. It provides advice and practical help for all ages. Many members of St Mary’s are actively involved in the running of the Foodbank. We also collect non-perishable food via a hamper in the church porch which is regularly taken to the Foodbank.

https://www.bristolnorthwestfoodbank.org.uk/

Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

Providing free debt help and local community groups across the UK. CAP offers a free service, in conjunction with local churches, to provide practical and emotional support to those in debt, and show people that there is always hope.

www.capuk.org

Trinity College Bristol

Trinity College, located just down the road from St Mary’s, trains those preparing for Christian mission and ministry, including ordination in the Church of England. St Mary’s is privileged to have Trinity students on placement with us during their time at the college. Students on placement with the church and others from the college make a huge contribution to the spiritual life of the church.

http://www.trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk/

Open Air Campaigners

OAC is a frontline ministry of evangelism seeking to make Christ known. Through a range of conferences, training events, and resources for evangelism, OAC equips churches and individuals to reach their towns and communities with the life-changing message of Jesus. We particularly support Romans (David Serunjogi) and Tabitha working with OAC in Uganda.
www.openaircampaigners.org

One25

One25 is a Bristol women’s charity who reach out to some of the city’s most marginalised women.

One25 support women caught up in the sex trade to move from crisis and trauma towards independence in the community. One25 team members give love and practical support, without judgement or expectation.

www.one25.org.uk

Hazelnut Community Farm

Hazelnut Community Farm's Mission is to follow the creator God and be inspired by permaculture principles in order to create natural spaces of peace that have social innovation, economic inclusion, political and spiritual transformation at their heart. Hazelnut was planted by Rev John White, a former curate at St Mary's, and as a church we were significantly involved with its early development. It is now a worshipping community operating across the city under a Bishop's Mission Order.

www.hazelnutcommunityfarm.com

Community of the Sisters of the Church, Bristol

This small group of women in Holy Orders work hard to distribute food and care those in need from their base in St Pauls, Bristol. We collect non-perishable food via a hamper in the church porch which is regularly taken to the Sisters.

www.bristol.sistersofthechurch.org/loavesandfishesministry

Interserve

Interserve is a Christian mission agency that aims to see lives and communities transformed through an encounter with Jesus Christ. Interserve is involved in Christian missions across Asia, the Middle East, and the UK, seeking to bring God’s love in word and deed to those who need it most. St Mary’s supports the work of Lucy. an Interserve Partner in Central Asia.

http://interserve.org.uk/

Open Doors

Open Doors works to encourage Christians suffering for their faith, engaging in advocacy, encouraging letter-writing to prisoners and providing Bibles, Christian literature, and practical support to the persecuted church worldwide.

http://www.opendoorsuk.org/

Encounter Christianity

Encounter Christianity is a Bristol-based charity, aimed at enriching the religious education of local pupils. Their aim is to support schools by offering high-quality RE lessons to primary and secondary schools for free. Our Children and Families Minister is a volunteer member of the EC team, which furthers our links with local schools.

www.encounterchristianity.co.uk

Unseen

Working towards a world without slavery.

The charity, with its head office in Bristol, provide safehouses and support in the community for survivors of trafficking and modern slavery. They run the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline and work with individuals, communities, business, governments, other charities and statutory agencies to stamp out slavery for good.

www.unseenuk.org

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 to see more

Visitors click here

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is for those planning a visit, so that you know what to expect if you come to a service at St Mary’s.

Where and When

We meet at St Mary's Church for our Sunday services, find us on the map and you can read more about the different styles of worship here. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space (parking is mainly on the roadside on Mariners Drive) 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 lanyard.

about us2

Our Services

Sunday 9am - our more traditional service with Holy Communion.
Sunday 10.30am - contemporary worship (alternating each week to include either our SHINEonSundays children's groups or Communion for Everyone (see below).
Alternate Sundays 4pm - Explore@4

Click here for the dates for the term.

Everyone is welcome at any of our services and all of them will include singing, prayers, a Bible reading, a talk and ways to respond to what we have heard. There is usually an opportunity to receive prayer during or at the end of the service.

Please do just come as you are, you don't have to wear anything special and you don't have to join in, you are free to simply observe or participate as much as feels comfortable to you.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access into the church, 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 is an accessible toilet in the church and several toilets, including baby changing facilities, in the foyer of the church hall. If you need Communion to be brought to you, please let one of the Welcome Team know when you arrive.

Communion: At our services where there is Communion all those who love Jesus and want to follow Him are welcome to receive Communion. If you would prefer to come forward to receive a blessing from the person leading the service, please do so. There will always be gluten-free wafers/bread available. At St Mary’s we follow the Church of England’s decision not to allow wafers/bread to be dipped in the wine. If you would prefer just to receive the wafers/bread then you can do so, you will still have received Communion in full. To find out more about this, please click here. Prayer ministry will be available during Communion and after the service. For families joining the church, parents are encouraged to have a conversation with the Vicar about children receiving Communion.

Please note: we sometimes have a combined service on Sunday mornings during August and occasionally at other points in the year, so do check out our calendar just to double check the timings!

What happens for children and young people at church?

Families are welcome at all our services. At the 10.30am services on alternate weeks we offer groups for 0-12’s during the service. On alternate weeks at 4pm we offer Explore@4 which is specifically aimed at families, helping children and adults grow in faith together.

Sundays children and youth

On Week A we will have our SHINEonSundays groups for 0-12 year olds. We start the service together in church then the groups meet in the hall for 30-40 mins whilst the service continues. You will need to go with your children the first time and register them. You can then return to hear the talk once your children are settled and we will reunite for the end of the service.

On Week B for we have Communion for Everyone and everyone remains in church worshipping together. On these weeks we also offer our 4pm Explore@4 which is aimed at helping families to worship, learn and grow together, through song, discussion, reflection, interactive activities and creativity.

Click here for the Week A / Week B dates for this term.

For more information about what happens in the children's and youth work, there is more information on our Sundays page and on our Community page.

Does anything happen during the week?

Yes, the church is usually open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm for visitors and those who wish to use the building for private prayer.

We also have a short communion service on Tuesdays at 11.15am which follows our Connect group on Tuesday. You can find more about that group here.

There are other groups and activities during the week including a baby and toddler group, youth group and activities for our more senior members. For other events and during the week look at our calendar here.

Getting Connected

Emails

Every Friday a Church Family Email is sent out containing a Thought for the Week from one of the church leaders and information for the coming week. To sign up for these please click here.

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know people. Being part of one of our home groups might help you to make new friends and grow in faith. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Read more here Home Groups.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church you can sign up to serve on a team, usually we encourage people to be involved with the church for a few months before joining teams.

Other Ministries

For other ministries, check out our Church Life part of the website.

Leadership


Jema Ball		Simon Potter
Vicar		Associate Vicar

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