Christianity

Welcome Church Carol Services — A Truly Historic Sunday

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

What a Sunday! What a celebration! What a moment in the life of our church!

I hope you loved the Carol Services as much as I did. It was an unforgettable day, filled with joy, worship, generosity, and the unmistakable sense that God was at work among us.

Our best estimate is that 2,762 people joined us across both the adult Carol Services and the children’s Christmas parties that ran alongside them. That makes this the largest single Sunday in Welcome Church’s 146-year history — something truly worth celebrating and thanking God for.

The 11am, 4:30pm, and 7pm services were completely full, with only the 2pm service having any remaining space. We’re already praying, dreaming, and planning about how we can increase our capacity for next year 🙂

Thank You

Moments like this don’t happen by accident — they happen because of people.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who served so generously to make the day possible: the band and singers, meeting hosts, readers, production team, brew crew, welcome team, busking band, caterers, kids teams, tots teams, decorations teams, set-up and clear-up teams, car park team, and everyone involved in planning and preparing.

There are so many moving parts to an event like this, and while listing roles always risks missing someone, please know this: if you served in any way, your contribution mattered, and we are deeply grateful. Thank you for giving your time, energy, and hearts so freely.

Well done, church!

We are especially proud of how our church family stepped out boldly to invite others. So many friends, neighbours, colleagues, and family members joined us — and we were also honoured to welcome special guests including the Mayor of Woking, several local councillors, and representatives from organisations we are privileged to partner with.

This is what church looks like: open doors, open hearts, and a shared desire to help people encounter the hope of Jesus. I’m especially proud of the way our church stepped out en masse to invite so many people to join us this year. In addition to the many friends, neighbours, colleagues and family members who attended, our special guests also included the Mayor of Woking and several local councillors, along with other guests from some of the various organisations who we partner with.

IIf you missed the Carol Services, you can catch up by clicking this link here, and don’t forget to join us on Christmas Day at 10am for Welcome Church Online too.

Below are a few photos capturing some of the joy and fun from the weekend — a small glimpse of a very big day:

Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

December 2025 – Updates & Prayer Requests

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

Here are a few Welcome Church updates and Prayer Requests for December 2025 – enjoy!

Belong Believe Become

In November and December we ran our latest Belong Believe Become course, known as BBB. BBB is a three-week course, and we love everyone who is new to us as a church to do it if they can. It’s a great way for people to get to know who we are as a church, and for us to get to know them.

At the end of the latest course, 67 people made the decision to say that Welcome Church is their church, which is a wonderful sign of the growth God is continuing to give us.

Prayer: Let’s give thanks to God for the last course, and let’s pray for everyone who’s new to really find their place. Let’s also pray for God to continue growing us as a church so that more lives can be transformed through Jesus.

The next BBB course starts on Thursday 5th March, for three consecutive Thursdays. You’ll get a great meal each week and a chance to connect well to the church. If you’re connecting to Welcome Church and you’ve not yet done this course, it’s for you! You can sign up already using this link.

Open Doors

We loved having Howard S from Open Doors with us back in November. You can hear the talk he gave on this link here. Following Howard’s visit we made a gift of £5000 to Open Doors as a church and they sent us this reply:

“Thank you so much for your kind gift of £5,000 to strengthen your persecuted church family around the world who are risking it all to follow Jesus. Thanks to your prayers and support, our brothers and sisters know they are not alone and can stand strong in their faith.“

9.5 million persecuted believers were helped through Open Doors last year, and millions more were prayed for. Here’s a link to a 3-minute video for more information on the impact that’s being achieved – please do give it a watch.

Howard also asked for as many of us as were willing, to sign the Arise Africa Petition, through which The African Church is calling upon the global community to ensure that Christians and other vulnerable individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are treated with dignity in the face of huge persecution. It asks for:

  • Provision of robust protection from violent militant attacks
  • Justice through fair prosecutions of the attackers
  • Healing and restoration to be brought to all affected communities

The petition is intended to be presented to the African Union, United Nations, EU and local governments around the world in 2026. If you want to sign the petition or read more about it, please follow this link.

Prayer: Please be praying for the persecuted church around the world, and if you need resources to do that more effectively, here’s a link to Open Doors website – it’s full of inspiration for your prayers.

Hardship Fund

Our Hardship Fund has been a blessing to a number of people in our church who needed a little help at this time of year. Gifts totalling £12,750 were given to people this December, and I want to thank our Life Group leaders, Pastoral Team and various ministry leads for helping us identify where the biggest needs were.

Don’t forget, you can always give to the hardship fund. Just make a gift to Welcome Church as normal but let us know that it’s intended for this fund.

Prayer: Let’s give thanks to God for the generous giving of so many people in our church, and let’s be praying for Him to continue to meet all of our needs as a church.

Compassion UK

We love our partnership with Compassion UK, sponsoring children in Togo in Africa. If you want to know a bit more this link will help

Compassion have now created a dedicated webpage for our church! It shows the very real impact that we’re having as a church through our combined child sponsorships: do check it out here – it’s very encouraging!

Prayer: if you sponsor a child, please pray for them, and write to them too. (BTW – if you’re not sure what to write then ChatGPT can really help…)

And if you don’t yet sponsor a child and you’d like to, please just ask us how.

Christmas

Last Sunday afternoon I had the joy of speaking at Hope Church Guildford’s Carol Service. It was a lovely occasion, and I’m told that 14 people completed a form to say that they prayed with me to commit their life to Jesus. It was also the largest event they’ve ever held as a church, with hundreds in attendance, so a real privilege for me to be there.

Prayer: Please be praying for this lovely and fast-growing church

Our own Carol Service For Woking events are being held this Sunday – 14th December. As it stands today roughly 2,600 people have booked to attend, and we expect this to grow again in the coming week (please click here to book your free place)

Details for our full Christmas programme at Welcome Church can be found in a previous blog post: Christmas At Welcome Church – I’m especially looking forward to our all-age services on Sunday 21st, which Stephen D and Cassie S will be running. Get ready for a treat!

Prayer: Please be praying for God to meet with people at our Carol Services this weekend

Job Vacancies

Please don’t forget that Welcome Church is recruiting at the moment. For information on the jobs that are available and how to apply please click here

Prayer: Please be praying for the right person to fill each role

Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

Four Amazing Job Opportunities At Welcome Church

/ Steve Petch / 1 Comment

In June and July, I preached a series at Welcome Church called “The Generous Life”. Together we explored how we can steward our finances with faith, grow in generosity, and reflect the generosity God has shown to us.

During that series, we shared that although our church has doubled in size over the last five years, our staff team had actually shrunk—a significant challenge for a growing church.

We asked you to step out in faith with your giving, and you did. The number of people giving regularly has grown by 27%, and for us that is a game changer.

Please remember: Welcome Church is a charity. Everything we do—both for those who are part of our church and for those who are not—is funded by your generosity. There’s nowhere better to invest your money than into God’s church!

A Huge “Thank You”

Some of you…

  • Increased your giving – thank you
  • Are new and jumped straight into giving – thank you
  • Moved from giving occasionally to giving regularly – thank you

Between April and October this year, our giving increased by 18% compared to the same period last year. Praise God for His provision, and thank you for standing with us in faith.

Because of your generosity, we are now able to move ahead with expanding our staff team, and are delighted to announce four new employed roles:

1. Operations Manager — 3 days per week

This key role supports the full range of our operational activities, with overall responsibility for the management and support of all food-related ministries—especially our Community Grocery and our kitchens.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

2. Finance Manager — 3 days per week

This role ensures the accurate, transparent, and compliant management of our finances. You’ll help our leadership steward our resources wisely, meet charity regulations, and provide clear reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and Trustees.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

3. Children’s Ministry Lead— 3 days per week

This role leads our Children’s Ministry across all age groups from birth to Year 6. We’re looking for someone who can shape excellent children’s ministry, build strong teams, create safe and welcoming environments, and help our children to encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and feel at home in church. This is a role for a leader of leaders.

Closing date: 5th December 2026 (Please note the earlier date)

Youth and Young Adults Pastor — Full Time

This role carries responsibility for the leadership and discipleship of our youth and our fast-growing 18–30s community. We’re looking for a strong, dynamic leader to help shape how we engage, pastor, and disciple the next generation. This will be a significant leadership role for our church.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

How do I apply?

Please click this link for full details on each role and how to apply. You’re also welcome to get in touch for an informal chat, or to come and visit the church if you’d like to find out more.

A Few Encouragements for Those in Welcome Church

There are four things I’d love us all to do:

1. Continue stepping out in faith in your giving
Your generosity makes all of this possible.

2. Share these opportunities
Spread the word to anyone you think would be a great fit, and share the roles on your social media.

3. If you apply, hold it lightly
There may be many applicants but only one position for each role. If you’re not successful, please don’t allow that to affect how you feel about your church or cause you to withdraw.

4. Pray with us
Ask God to bring the right people into each of these roles.

Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Church Gate: News About Our Grant Applications

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        The redevelopment work on Church Gate continues day by day with roofers and electricians making great progress. I’ve found myself singing along to their radio a few times in the office!

        We wanted to share an update on some of our grant applications, much of which Dub shared in his talk last Sunday called, “Why Love Must Fight For Justice” – if you missed it, do have a listen.

        To date we’ve received the following grants:

        • Benefact Trust: £80,000
        • Garfield Weston: £30,000
        • Laing Family Trust: £20,000
        • Woking Healthy Communities Board: £8,000

        Total: £138,000

        We’ve been so blessed by each of these grants, and we’re deeply thankful — both to our incredible grants team, and to the organisations who have believed in this vision.

        £138,000 is a remarkable provision!

        Our Application to Your Fund Surrey

        Many of you will know that we also applied to Your Fund Surrey (YFS) for support towards the Community Grocery, which will serve families in need across Woking. Our team worked incredibly hard with the YFS grants team and submitted a truly excellent application — originally for £497,000, later revised to £350,000 at their request.

        The application met all the criteria, and the YFS grant team themselves recommended it for approval. However, despite that, the advisory panel — made up of nine Surrey County Councillors — decided not to award us the grant.

        Their reason? 

        On a video call with Dub and Mike D (our Chair of Trustees) on Monday 6th October, a senior employee of Surrey County Council told us that the panel felt that the giving of Welcome Church — £2 million raised in just ten months for this project — was raised “too easily” and that we could therefore raise the rest ourselves.

        That was hard to hear! Not because we doubt God’s ability to provide — we’ve seen Him do amazing things — but because this project is forecast to directly help around 1,000 local families struggling to afford food. We had hoped Your Fund Surrey would chip in towards helping us meet that need.

        We also know that the £2 million given by our church family was raised quickly, but it was not raised easily. It came through deeply sacrificial giving — every pound representing someone’s personal generosity and faith.

        We’re left to ask: Has justice been served here? 

        Our response: Faith and Resolve

        Whilst the decision is disappointing, our response is simple: when others step back, we will step forward. We are a people of faith, and we serve a God who provides. Our confidence isn’t in any council or grant provider, but in Him — the One who never fails.

        So we’re going to do what we’ve always done: trust God, give generously, and continue to serve our town. We’ll fund this project ourselves, because it’s what we’re called to do. Families will be helped, lives will be transformed, and Jesus will be glorified.

        So, let’s continue to give faithfully and generously to the church and to the Church Gate project. Please don’t wait for a special Gift Day — let’s keep being generous all the time, just as God is generous towards us.

        By the way, if you’d like to share your thoughts about the decision you can contact your Surrey County Councillor – but please do so graciously. (And please note: this is nothing to do with Woking Borough Council , or our local MP who has actually been very supportive)

        Our Motivation

        Ultimately, this project isn’t about funding or fairness, it’s about Jesus’ call to love and serve those in need.

        And when the Community Grocery opens, when families are fed, and when lives are changed, the glory won’t go to us – and it certainly won’t go to YFS or the council – it will go to Jesus, the One who is worthy of it all.

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        September Updates

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        Here are a few Welcome Church updates for September:

        The work on Church Gate has begun!

        It’s taken a little longer than we hoped to get started (due to a range of circumstances, mostly beyond our control), but the builders are now here and the redevelopment of Church Gate is underway!

        Yesterday and today we’ve seen fences go up around the site, and I’ve heard plenty of crashing and banging, so something is definitely happening. We expect the work to be finished around February.

        A couple of key things to remember:

        • Church Gate is now a building site. No one should enter the building without both a hard hat and permission from the developers.
        • No parking at the front of Church Gate. Access is needed by the builders at all times, and cars may be towed if they’re in the way.

        Church Life Is Back in Full Swing

        Life Groups are meeting again, Welcome Youth is restarting, and on Sunday evening we’ll gather for our first Prayer Meeting of the semester. Alpha will be starting soon, and both Welcome Café and Welcome Tots are back too.

        Last Sunday, Terry Virgo joined us as a guest speaker. If you missed it, you can listen to his excellent talk (please click here for the video; a podcast is available too)

        Our Sunday morning attendance has grown compared to last September as well, and if you find the 11am service a little too full, there’s usually more space at 9am.

        A New Preaching Series

        This Sunday we begin our new preaching series: “True Religion.” Together we’ll explore God’s call to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” (Micah 6:8).

        The title is inspired by James 1:27:

        “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

        I’m looking forward to Chris kicking the series off this Sunday. I’ll be speaking in week two, and along the way we’ll also hear from a variety of voices, including two excellent guest speakers:

        • Andy Hawthorne (The Message Trust) – 28th September
        • Howard Satterthwaite (Open Doors) – 2nd November

        It’s shaping up to be an excellent series – don’t miss it!

        Staff Team

        The Church Office team is back in full swing this week, and we’re delighted to welcome Stephen Dawson, who has now started his role with us as Associate Pastor. He’s been a delight to have so far, and is already making a huge difference in what we can do together as a church.

        Do look out for Stephen and Emma on Sundays, and please make them feel welcome!

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Some Welcome Church Updates – July 2025

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        Summer is on the way and schools will be finishing soon for the holidays. 2025 is certainly flying by fast (it’s now just 24 weeks until Christmas 🎄)

        Here are a few Welcome Church updates and prayer requests to keep you up to date with all that’s going on:

        Farewell to Jonathan and Sabrina

        On Monday, we waved a final goodbye to Jonathan and Sabrina.

        They’ve been with us for around 18 months as Leadership Trainees — a great way to start their married life together. Jonathan is from India and Sabrina from the USA, so we always knew their time with us would eventually come to an end. We will miss them in the church offices, and I know their warmth, friendship, and contribution to our church will be missed by many.

        Tony and Sally waved them off at Heathrow on Monday morning, and Vinu messaged me on Tuesday to let me know they’d arrived safely back in Mumbai.

        Origin Books Returns This Sunday

        Origin Books set up shop with us one Sunday back in June, and it was so popular they will be back this Sunday (13th July). They’re usually based at Christ Church Woking, next to Jubilee Cafe, but their shop premises are temporarily closed whilst Christ Church carry out some building work.

        I hope lots of us will be able to make use of this excellent resource once again this week. If you have any special requests for books or resources you’d like them to bring, feel free to message me or reply to this blog — I’ll pass your request along.

        We’re Recruiting: Community Grocery Manager

        We’re excited to be recruiting A Community Grocery Manager — a key role for the future of Welcome Church as we launch a brand-new initiative to serve our community with dignity, compassion, and practical support.

        Here’s a link to the Information Pack where you’ll find all you need to know about the role, who we are looking for and how to apply. 

        The deadline for applications has been slightly extended to Monday 14th July

        Staff Team Updates

        Just a quick reminder that Dub will be back from Sabbatical on August 1st, and Stephen – our new pastoral lead – will start on September 1st. These additions will be a real help to the team.

        I’m also delighted to share that Tracy Smith is now officially on board as our Safeguarding Manager. She’s been fulfilling this crucial role in a voluntary capacity for a while, but will now be working for us 3 days a week, leading the team that look after safeguarding for adults and children at Welcome Church.

        Don’t forget that if you ever have any safeguarding concerns you can email us on safeguarding@welcomechurch.uk. You can also view our safeguarding policy and handbook via this link.

        Big Weekend Away

        Finally, a reminder that our Welcome Church Big Weekend Away takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend – click here for details of how to book. It’s a fully catered event and will be a lot of fun for us all.

        Most of the tickets are now gone but a few places are still available. The final booking deadline is Friday 25th July. We may open up bookings for day tickets soon – watch this space for updates. Don’t forget: it’s first come, first served, so please don’t leave it too late and miss out!

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Introducing… Stephen and Emma Dawson

        / Steve Petch / 2 Comments

        A while ago we began the search for a new ‘Pastoral Care Lead’ for Welcome Church, and I’m delighted to announce that we’ve filled the position… and then some!

        We had a lot of interest, but in the end one person stood out from the others: Stephen Dawson.

        Stephen has spent the last 17 years on staff at Emmanuel Church Brighton, who are part of our wider Newfrontiers family of churches. In his time at Emmanuel Church he’s led youth and kids work, planted and led different sites (they are a multi-site church), and has been part of their church eldership team. He also led the whole church for a season during a leadership transition.

        Stephen is passionate about pastoral care, building authentic community, and equipping people to grow in their faith and calling. Until recently, he was part of the Newday Festival team, leading the 12-14’s age group for several years. Apparently he’s also a fan of motorcycles, honest conversation, and a good plate of chicken wings.

        Emma is also going to be a huge blessing to our church – she has so many gifts of her own to contribute and I know we’ll be delighted to have her here. Among other things, Emma loves creating a home where people feel truly welcome and supported. She’s supported many mums through early parenting, and has been running groups, writing, and blogging at One Pink Toothbrush. She also helps run a family landscaping business, and is known for her colourful shoes, bold earrings, and generous heart.

        Stephen and Emma have both lived in Brighton for 25 years. They got married 22 years ago and have six children: one got married last year, another is getting married soon, and a third is about to embark on a year elsewhere, so only three of the six children will be coming with them to Woking initially.

        Stephen and Emma are a genuinely lovely couple, and I know they’ll bring us a lot of warmth and faith. They carry a deep love for people and have chosen to live missionally, in a council estate community in Brighton, impacting many lives there and elsewhere. They’re now very excited to be part of what God is doing here at Welcome Church as we move into the future.

        What’s next?

        Stephen and Emma, plus three kids, will be joining us for the Welcome Church Big Weekend Away at the end of August (do book in if you haven’t already). Stephen’s also going to be preaching for us on Sunday 27th July as part of our Romans series – don’t miss it!

        Stephen will join our staff team from the start of September. He comes with a lot of skill and experience suited to a large, growing church, and his role here will be a lot more than just pastoral care. He’ll be leading the Pastoral Care Team, but he’ll also be picking up Life Groups, mid-week church life, and almost certainly the oversight of Welcome Kids and Welcome Youth at the right moment too – and maybe a whole lot more. We’ve decided on the job title of ‘Associate Pastor’ – for now – we may change that at some point down the line.

        In the meantime they have a house for sale in Brighton and are looking to buy one here in Woking. Please pray this all moves forward quickly, and also that the relocation goes smoothly, and they find all the school places they need for September. And please pray for the whole family at this time of huge change and transition for them all.

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Creation Groans – And So Do We

        / Steve Petch / 2 Comments

        Last Sunday, we looked together at the rich and deeply challenging words of Romans 8 (if you missed it you can click here to watch or listen). My focus was on suffering, and the amazing hope we have as children of God, but as I studied the passage I was struck again by something else woven through Paul’s words: creation itself is caught up in this great drama of redemption.

        Paul writes that “creation was subjected to frustration…in hope that it will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20–21).

        Creation is groaning. Waiting. Longing. Just like us.

        Romans 8 includes a powerful reminder that the gospel is not only about our personal salvation; God’s plan is to redeem all things. He made the world and called it very good (Genesis 1:31). Psalm 104 is a beautiful song of praise that lingers over the wonder and detail of God’s handiwork in nature. And yet, because of human sin, creation too has been broken, frustrated, and subjected to decay.

        We see this brokenness all around us – in news of droughts, floods, pollution, species loss, or even just in the exhaustion of land and sea. And sadly, the people who suffer most from environmental damage are often the poorest and most vulnerable.

        This isn’t just a political or scientific issue; it’s a gospel one. This is about loving what God loves, caring for our neighbour, and longing for the full redemption of all things.

        This is really a worship issue.

        So what can we do as a church?

        One simple step is to pray! Here are a few ideas you could use personally or in your Life Group:

        • Praise God for His amazing creation – maybe take a moment to read Psalm 104 and thank Him
        • Pray for those most vulnerable to environmental damage, especially in parts of the world where many in our church family have their roots
        • If you sponsor a child through Compassion UK or another charity, pray for their country. For example, in Togo where I know many of us sponsor children, climate-related issues regularly disrupt lives. Here’s a link with specific information about the positive impact we’re having as a church by partnering with Compassion – please do check it out
        • Pray for governments and leaders making key decisions about the environment – for wisdom, courage, and justice. This includes policies here in the UK, as well as global agreements like the UN Biodiversity Convention (supported by The World Evangelical Alliance and also by Tearfund)
        • Thank God that one day, creation itself will be set free and made new; it means that we live in hope of the future restoration and renewal of all things

        An Eco Church

        As a church, we’re taking some small but deliberate steps to live this out too. Thanks to the hard work of Helen and others, we’ve already received a Bronze Eco Church Award—and we’re now well on the way towards Silver. If you’d like to be part of this or just want to learn bit more, please do get in touch with Helen directly.

        Romans 8 reminds us that creation groans, but it also reminds us that this groaning is not the end of the story. One day, the whole world will be renewed. It will be liberated into the glory of God’s coming kingdom. Until then, we wait, we pray, and we care – for creation, for one another, and for the world around us.

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Welcome Church Kids Weekend Away – Update

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        At the beginning of May, children from School Years 4, 5 and 6 gathered at Walton Firs for our annual Welcome Kids Weekend Away.

        Harriet wrote an encouraging update for us:

        “The weekend away is always a wonderful occasion, where children spend time getting to know each other, getting to know the leaders and, most importantly, getting to know God. All the children left on Sunday very tired, but excited to share with their families the wonderful time they’d had.

        “This year our learning focused on Psalm 23, and the characteristics of God. Inspired by these words, the children were encouraged to write their own Psalms which not only moved the leaders but also encouraged other children. Many of these Psalms were shared during our worship time which was truly wonderful.

        “As well as our meetings, we also had a time each morning where we would gather as a group and delve into God’s Word. Our ‘Start the Day with Jesus’ session is one way we try to encourage our children to learn about spending time with God, equipping them for their own walk with Jesus.

        Activities

        “At Walton Firs, we are incredibly lucky to have a wide range of activities that the children can take part in. This year, we saw them climbing high ropes, stacking crates, completing obstacle courses (blindfolded!) and for the first time ever competing against each other to build structures that can withstand the weight of their team. On our first evening, we had a campfire, sang songs and toasted marshmallows. On our second evening the children danced the night away at our silent disco.

        “As always, the children behaved brilliantly, and fully immersed themselves in all the different activities on offer. One of the best things for me was seeing them fully engaging in worship and coming up to share their own prayers.

        It Takes a Team

        “The Kids Weekend Away wouldn’t happen without an amazing team of servers who volunteer their time and encourage the children in developing friendships, sleeping away from home, pushing themselves in activities, and worshipping God & reading His Word. As a church we’re blessed to have such a wonderful group of servers who give up their time for this annual weekend. (And by the way, if you’d like to get involved in serving Welcome Kids, do let us know!)

        “Finally, a huge thank you to all the parents and carers who brought delicious cakes for us to share across the weekend—these are definitely a highlight, not just for the children but for the leaders as well!“

        A Big Thank You

        On behalf of the whole Welcome Church team I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who put in their time and effort to make the event happen. What a blessing to have this event available for our kids.

        I’ve added some photos of the event to give you a feel for what went on:

        Save the date

        Our Kids Weekend Away happens every year, so if your child will be in School Years 4, 5 or 6 in September 2025, make sure you save the date. Next year’s dates are: 22nd–24th May 2026. Booking details will be available nearer the time.

        Feel Like You Missed Out?

        If you feel like you missed out, or just wish you were young enough (or old enough) to go yourself, don’t forget that our Welcome Church Big Weekend Away takes place in August this year, at Braggers Wood in the New Forest, and that’s an event for all ages. All the details you need for booking can be found by clicking here. We still have a few places left, but don’t leave it too late to book!

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Some Welcome Church Updates – February 2025

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        Spring is in the air, daffodils and crocuses are appearing in the garden, and it will be March on Saturday. As we come to the end of February, here are a few Welcome Church Updates and prayer requests to keep you in the picture:

        Grant Applications – some good news

        Our grant application to Your Fund Surrey, who we are applying to for funding towards launching our new Community Grocery, went in last week. We received over 1000 positive comments on the Your Fund Surrey website, which we were very pleased with.

        Here is a word cloud we received from Your Fund Surrey about the comments people made:

        And here is a Pie Chart showing how positive people felt:

        The application is for just under £500,000, and we will hear back about it in June. Please pray for a positive outcome.

        In the meantime we also applied to an organisation called The Benefact Trust, who are a Christian grant funder. They replied very quickly with a “YES”, and we received a cheque from them this week for £80,000. This is a wonderful encouragement and a sign of God’s provision for us as a church.

        We are looking at some other grant funders now too, and would love to raise £800,000 in total from grants, so do pray for this whole process.

        Big Weekend Away

        This month we opened the booking for our Welcome Church Big Weekend Away which takes place on the Bank Holiday weekend in August – Friday 22nd to Monday 25th August 2025.

        Roughly half of the available places have been booked so far, so don’t delay booking – you could miss out. When it’s full it’s full!

        The weekend away takes place at Braggers Wood Camp Site in the New Forest. We have the whole place to ourselves this year.

        You’ll get to enjoy connecting with others from Welcome Church over delicious meals (all included), fun activities, day trips, or simply relaxing in our marquee. We will also seek God together as a church family, enjoying times of worship and teaching, and looking at what it means to belong to His family. We’d love to see you there; there is something for everyone!

        As a special offer there is a 25% discount on all bookings made before 1st May. To book your place please use this link.

        Baptisms

        This Sunday morning, 2nd March, we will be baptising people at our 9am and 11am meetings. We’ll be baptising a total of 8 people, 4 in each of our meetings.

        Baptisms are always a great moment to celebrate what God is doing in our church and a great opportunity to invite friends to church too.

        Please be praying for all those getting baptised this weekend.

        New Pastoral Lead

        Don’t forget, as I posted in my blog earlier this week, we are now looking to recruit a new Pastoral Lead for Welcome Church. This is a full time, senior role, based in our church offices. The details of the vacancy can be found by clicking here.

        We have had some interesting contacts so far, but please don’t hesitate to share this opportunity far and wide. In the mean time we would really value your prayers that God leads us to the right person to fill this key vacancy.

        Some other employment opportunities will follow as the year goes by, so watch this space for those too.

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