​Dear St Swithin’s friends

“Moses replied, ‘It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.” – Exodus 8. 10

Sundays Update

After reviewing our gatherings last Sunday, we have decided to gather in person just on Sunday morning this week, for those who would like to.  There will be no evening service this Sunday.  After this Sunday, we are going to have the next two Sundays purely online, effectively having a two week ’mini circuit breaker’ from gathering live.  We are planning to provide the opportunity to regather in person on the first two Sundays in February, Boris permitting!

We have worked hard to ensure that anyone who would like to gather to worship can join us this Sunday. We are committed to contend to be a whole church family, united and diverse, As One at 10.

It is deeply saddening that we may not all be able to gather on Sundays, either because of current capacity restrictions or because of the wellbeing of individuals. If you are unable to come for whatever reason, please make use of our service online.

Alongside ‘As 10 At 10’ online, we will also now be gathering some Sunday evenings for a socially-distanced, limited-capacity simple communion service. 

Throughout this summer we’re looking at:

​Why are we here? What is St Swithin’s all about? We’re looking at the St Swithin’s vision and values.  When we started to look at the vision, last year at Sidholme, it was clear from all the feedback that somehow we weren’t communicating clearly enough that the church is here because of God.  God is the central character, it’s not about us. We’re not the story.

St Swithin’s exists to display God’s splendour, that’s how Isaiah captures it beautifully in Isaiah 61.3 displaying God’s splendour. Jesus quotes these verses right at the beginning of His earthly ministry. The Westminster catechism states “ What is the chief end of humankind? To glorify God and enjoy God forever” – During the great Reformation the great phrase was “soli deo Gloria,” for the glory of God alone, We’re here to display God’s wonder, His majesty, His glory and His splendour.  Our vision cannot be small and narrow, with the impression of shrinking, and being squeezed into a tight space but must reflect the vast expanse and great abundance of the fullness of God’s life.

To join us in our summer series​ visit our talks page...

You are invited to join us to be ‘As One at 10’ on Sunday morning... to continue to keep that time set aside for God in prayer, worship and by opening His word - with the whole church family - but to do so at home on your own, with your household, or wherever you happen to be. We want to stay and grow in our connection with one another during this time.

We have created a resource for ‘As One at 10’, which includes a recording of the reading and a short talk, as well as a few questions, some music and creative ways to respond and pray. You can find all the resources at www.stswithinswalcot.org.uk/talks .

Hopefully you will find it simple to follow, yet rich in substance.  We encourage everyone to use this time to engage with God and find his strength, to hear His voice and to follow where He is leading. 

You may want to wrestle with what comes up a bit more and we highly recommend talking to someone about it during the week, perhaps by picking up the phone and calling someone else from church, or by organising a communal electronic meeting with your Life Group. If you have any stories of encouragement or thoughts about what God might be saying to us in this season, please would you let us know by emailing office@stswithinswalcot.org.uk with the subject heading ‘God Is Here’.

A beautiful, candlelit service where we will explore how Christ transforms our darkness through beautiful music, prayer and scripture.

Refreshments will be served from 6pm for a service from 6:30 - 7:30pm.

About 60 of us will be away at Sidholme over the last weekend in March.  There will be no service at St Swithin’s on Sunday 31st March. Why not take the opportunity to visit and bless another church that weekend?

It’s so good to have the Bath Half Marathon this Sunday! Do give yourself extra time getting across the city on Sunday morning.

6th March 2019, 7:30pm.

Do join us this time next week as we start our Lenten journey together... a season of facing reality with God, whether that's tending to the needs of our world, navigating challenges of life, letting something go, or taking something up.