Jesus

Get Caught Up On A Global Adventure: From Woking to Rio (and Beyond!)

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

As a church, we’re part of something so much bigger than ourselves. We aren’t just a local church in isolation, we’re part of the global Commission family! Together, we have churches and ministry connections spanning the globe—from India, Nepal, Spain, and Portugal, to Mongolia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Italy, Serbia, Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, Brazil and more.

God is moving on a global scale, and this week, we have two incredible opportunities to connect with His heart for the nations. Here’s what’s coming up:

1. This Sunday (Sept 13th): Hear a Radical Story of Rescue with Luke Simone

This Sunday, we are thrilled to welcome our very own Luke Simone, who is ministering on the front lines in a Brazilian favela (slum). Some may remember I had the joy of visiting him there in 2024. We are Luke’s home church, and it’s going to be a joy to have him back with us.

Luke sent us a sneak peek of what he’ll be sharing:

“My name is Luke and I live in Rio de Janeiro, a blisteringly hot sub-tropical city in Brazil. It’s a place of breathtaking beauty and shocking violence. But how did the shy kid from Woking end up living in one of the poorest and most chaotic places on the planet?

“I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to God as a teenager, but after a decade working as a finance lawyer in London and New York, everything started to unravel. Until the day that I heard a familiar, quiet voice. One that I hadn’t heard in a very long time.

“I left New York and now lead a growing community of believers in a slum in the centre of Rio.

“We are seeing God genuinely rewrite people’s stories here. Statistically, if you’re born where I live, you’ll be poorer than most, die earlier than most and be forgotten by most. Families are fractured by violence, addiction and the ever-present fear of eviction by the drug faction that control the community, but we’ve seen over the last decade young people rescued out of horribly abusive situations and slowly be restored by Jesus to new purpose and mission. We’ve seen God intervene in hopeless situations where the enemy has seemingly had a “right to roam” for years. We’re seeing new disciples beginning to disciple others.

“Come hear my story this Sunday!“

2. Thursday 17th September: Commission Global Day of Prayer

Mark your calendars!

On Thursday 17th September, our wider Commission family is gathering online via Zoom for a global prayer event. For one hour, believers from dozens of nations will connect to hear firsthand updates of what God is doing across the world and to stand together in prayer for the future. It’s a beautiful opportunity to pray alongside brothers and sisters you might otherwise never meet.

Because we span multiple time zones, the event runs at different points of the day. For us in the UK, these interactive Zoom sessions will take place at:

  • 2pm – 3pm and
  • 8pm – 9pm

Who is this for?

Everyone! This isn’t just for church staff or leaders – it’s for anyone who wants to be part of the global adventure God has us on.

Note: You do need to register in advance to receive the Zoom access link. Click HERE to sign up

A note from the Commission Team:

“We’re aware that many people in Commission churches don’t speak English as their heart language so we will be using the translation and transcription facilities in Zoom to enable those who find English hard to get real-time text translation during the meeting. please don’t let not being a fluent English speaker put you off”

God is writing an amazing story here at Welcome Church too. Stay connected by subscribing to this blog to get it straight to your inbox each week.

A New Church Year Begins: Stepping Forward Together

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

The summer holidays have drawn to a close, notebooks are being packed into school bags, and those recent heatwaves are fading into memory. A new church year is officially upon us. It always fascinates me how much our rhythm as a church mirrors the academic calendar rather than the January calendar year. It genuinely feels like a fresh start – a clean slate.

Finding My Rhythm Again

I originally started this blog to speak directly to you, our church family, and to keep everyone connected. However, this past year brought some unexpected storms. Walking through a sudden bereavement and then navigating a cancer diagnosis meant that posting became much more sporadic than I ever intended.

Yet, even in the quietest, hardest seasons, God is faithful. Thank you for your immense grace, prayers, and patience with me. As we step into this new term, I’m eager to get back to sharing regular updates with you all. There is so much life ahead of us.

Here is a look at what’s happening as we launch into this new season together:

Honouring Darren and Lois

Last Sunday was an incredibly moving moment as we said our final goodbyes to Darren and Lois. Darren has served faithfully as our Director of Operations for over eight years, and Lois has poured so much love into our community through her pastoral care.

We are going to miss them both dearly, but it was a privilege to send them off with our collective blessing. As I mentioned recently, this transition does leave us with a temporary operational gap. Thank you in advance for your patience and kindness with the team if things take just a little longer than usual to get sorted!

Expanding Our Leadership: Welcoming Stephen into Eldership

This coming Sunday, 6th September, marks a significant milestone for our church family. We will be officially appointing Stephen Dawson to our Eldership Team.

Stephen and Emma have been a wonderful part of our church family for a year now. Many of you know Stephen through his staff role leading Pastoral Care, and he has recently stepped up further into the role of Executive Pastor.

We are thrilled to see our Eldership Team expand. To mark the occasion, John Groves—a deeply loved leader within our Commission Network of Churches and a true friend to us as a church—will be joining us to lead this moment through.

We will be conducting the appointment across both of our morning services (9.30am and 11.30am). Please come ready to pray, to celebrate, and to shower Stephen, Emma, and their children with our love and appreciation.

Grounding Ourselves in Prayer

We believe that nothing of lasting value happens without prayer. That is why we are kicking off this new term with a dedicated Week of Prayer, starting this Sunday evening.

Put this lot in your diary

Please take note of the dates and times, and intentionally carve out space in your diary to join us for as much as you can – even if you can only make one meeting. Apart from Tuesday morning, which will be hosted online (please ask if you need the access link), all other prayer gatherings will be held in person at the church building.

Let’s commit this year to the Lord together. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us all.

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Father’s Day 2026 at Welcome Church – featuring an interview with John (Mitch) Mitchell, guest speaker Adrian Holloway, and bacon rolls for everyone

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We have an amazing program for you at Welcome Church this Father’s Day, Sunday 21st June 2026.

An Inspiring Interview

We’re excited to be welcoming John “Mitch” Mitchell, one of the most respected rugby coaches in the world, for a live interview during both Sunday services.

Mitch has coached at the highest levels of international rugby and is the Head Coach who led England Women’s Red Roses to Rugby World Cup victory in 2025. Mitch received an OBE for services to rugby as a result!

In addition to his own playing and coaching career, Mitch has also seen his son Daryl go on to play cricket for New Zealand. We’ll be hearing some of Mitch’s story of sport and leadership – you won’t want to miss it.

An Inspiring Message

We’ll be coupling Mitch with a brilliant guest preacher, Adrian Holloway.

Formerly a BBC radio and TV presenter, Adrian started his working life as a reporter on The Times newspaper. His book “The Shock of Your Life” has been translated into many languages too. 

In addition to speaking all around the UK with the John 3:16 Trust, Adrian is also now the Lead Pastor at The Beacon Church in Camberley.

Something for everyone

To make the day even more special, we’ll have bacon rolls available on arrival for everyone, alongside tea, coffee and pastries, and every man will be given a chocolate treat during the service. 

If you’re not regularly a part of Welcome Church, let me extend my invitation to you to join us at 9.30am or 11.30am on Sunday 21st June.

All welcome. Come as you are.

Who could you invite?

I also want to encourage everyone who’s part of Welcome Church to think about who they could invite. Father’s Day is a brilliant opportunity to invite dads, friends, neighbours, colleagues, teammates and family members who might not normally attend a church.

Mitch’s story has the kind of appeal that reaches people from all walks of life, and Adrian’s message will be accessible to everyone. We’re believing this will be a Sunday where many people take a step through our doors for the very first time and start a journey towards Jesus.

So why not grab some flyers and start thinking about who could you invite to come with you?

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An Update From Open Doors

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In a World That Trains Us to Forget

Hi everyone. It’s Howard from Open Doors here, writing a guest spot on Steve’s Blog.

Last November, I had the privilege of speaking at Welcome Church (you can listen to that talk by clicking here). During the morning, I shared about Pastor Barnabas and the growing persecution facing millions of displaced Christians across sub-Saharan Africa. His story has stayed with me ever since. Maybe it has with you? If you haven’t seen it click here to watch – but be warned, it’s not an easy thing to watch!

When I first began meeting persecuted Christians around the world, one thing surprised me more than anything else. Their faith consistently woke something up in my own heart. Not guilt so much as perspective. Their courage reminded me that Jesus is worthy of everything.

When Faith Costs Something

When I visited a region near the North Korean border a few years ago, I was shown a secret map. Every small dot represented a hidden gathering of Christians meeting. Tiny groups risking imprisonment, labour camps and even death to worship Jesus together – in a country that compels its citizens to worship its leaders as gods.

Standing there, and seeing that, something shifted in me. God felt bigger again. Not because I learned something new intellectually, but because their faith carried weight. Their discipleship cost something, and it reminded me how easy it is, in comfortable Western life, to slowly drift into forgetfulness – to allow secular culture, to shrink our understanding and experience of God.

Most of us do not consciously walk away from Jesus. Life simply gets noisy. Work, family life, phones buzzing, bills, deadlines and endless distractions slowly crowd our attention. Over time, the things that matter most can drift to the edges.

The Bible speaks often about remembering because God knows how forgetful we are. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.” The writer is speaking specifically about believers suffering because they follow Jesus.

Remembering the Body of Christ

Today, more than 388 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith. Behind every statistic is a real person. A brother, a sister, a church gathering quietly in secret because discovery could cost them everything.

Scripture does not simply call us to be aware of them, but to remember them as part of the same body of Christ. The persecuted church has a way of helping us see clearly again. They remind us that Christianity is not simply cultural, comfortable or convenient. Jesus is worthy of sacrifice, obedience and wholehearted devotion.

And strangely, when we remember persecuted believers, we often remember Jesus – the Persecuted One – more clearly too.

A Crisis We Cannot Ignore

Right now, one of the greatest crises facing the global church is unfolding in Northern Nigeria and countries across sub-Saharan Africa. More than 16 million Christians have been displaced by violence and persecution. Many have lost homes, churches, communities and loved ones. Many are now living in camps or temporary shelters, unsure whether they will ever safely return home.

The message they are sending to the global church is simple: “please don’t forget us.“

That is why Open Doors launched, at their request, the Arise Africa campaign, calling Christians around the world to pray, speak up and stand with persecuted believers across Africa. But there’s also good news. Pastor Barnabas is no longer living in an IDP camp in a tent the size of a double mattress with his family. His story has moved on, and you can click here to view an encouraging video update.

A Practical Response

One practical way to respond, if you haven’t done so already, is by signing the Arise Africa petition and continuing to pray for the church across Africa: www.opendoorsuk.org/act/arise-africa/africa-petition/ 

Please take action today because, in a world constantly training us to forget, remembering becomes a deeply spiritual act.

Thanks so much for your support, and especially your prayers!

Howard

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An Update From Compassion in Togo

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An important aspect of the gospel of Jesus is a heart to care for the poor, the broken, the needy, and those who have suffered injustice.

“Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Isaiah 1v17

Because of this, a key part of our vision to see Life Transformed Through Jesus is our heart to care for Woking and the wider world. We refer to these social action ministries as Welcome Works.

One of our Welcome Works is our partnership with Compassion UK

We began partnering with Compassion in 2019 to strategically support churches working to fight poverty in Togo. Together, as a church, we sponsor over 250 children and have also given significantly to a Child Survival Project, which supports mothers through pregnancy and the first year of their baby’s life.

In 2024, I had the joy of visiting some of these projects and seeing firsthand the difference they make. Here’s a link to a report I wrote at the time.

Latest Update

As a church, through our giving budget, we provide ongoing funding for a Child Survival Project in Togo. The cost of this varies a little from year to year, and last year we gave £8,433 to fund this as a church.

We recently received an encouraging update from them, and I’ve put a link to the update below. I’d encourage you to read it!

Lives are being saved and transformed as a local church in Togo steps out in courageous faith to meet the needs of those around them. I was especially touched by Farida’s story, which you can read about below.

And be encouraged — if you give financially to Welcome Church, then you are helping, in part, to fund this amazing work. Please do read and enjoy:

TG0941 Mums and Babies update for Welcome Church – March 2026Download

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Thank You For Your Patience!

/ Steve Petch / 2 Comments

This is my first blog post since January, when I shared news of my cancer diagnosis and upcoming treatment. You can read that post here.

I’ve been out of circulation for a while due to surgery and recovery, but I’m delighted to say that I’m now beginning a gradual return to my role at Welcome Church. I even spent some time back in the office this week. It was great to be with the team and to be with several new staff members who started during my absence.

In terms of my health…

I’m pleased to say that I’m slowly recovering, and I can see progress from week to week. I’m currently nine weeks post-surgery, and the physiotherapist estimates that I’ve regained about 90% of the movement in my arm—so now I’m working on that final 10%.

I’m still using painkillers fairly regularly and need to be careful not to overdo things. I’ve been told that the minimum healing time for this kind of surgery is around three months, and possibly up to 18 months. I’m aiming for the lower end of that range, and life is gradually returning to a new kind of normal.

I want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to my wife, Jo. She has been absolutely incredible throughout this whole journey—patient, kind, and endlessly supportive. From the early days of diagnosis, through surgery, and into recovery, she has cared for me so faithfully and sacrificially. I’m deeply grateful for her love, strength, and encouragement, and I honestly couldn’t have got through this season in the way I have without her.

I also want to say a sincere thank you to everyone in the church who has looked out for me and the family during this time. So many of you have been incredibly kind—through your prayers, messages, encouragement, and practical support. It has meant more than I can properly express. I’ve felt very cared for and upheld, and I’m deeply grateful to be part of such a loving church family.

Looking ahead, I’ll have another MRI scan in late August to check on my progress. If all is well, I expect to be fully discharged from the Royal Marsden Hospital’s care in September. The Sarcoma Team have been superb, by the way—it’s such a privilege to receive this level of care through our NHS.

Returning to my role

I’m delighted to have been back in the office for three mornings this week.

In discussion with Occupational Health, I’ll be undertaking a “phased return” over the next few weeks. This means working reduced hours and days while I continue to recover physically. I’m looking forward to being back at full strength, but in the meantime — thank you for your patience.

This season also gives a good opportunity to reflect on what I should pick up again and what is best left with others who have so faithfully covered things during my absence. One thing I’m especially looking forward to is preaching again. My first Sunday back will be on 26th April, when I’ll be speaking from Acts 2 as part of our new series on Acts. Christopher has designed the series, and I’m really looking forward to it.

In my absence

The Welcome Church team have done an outstanding job during my time away, and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to them all.

While I’ve been out, they’ve completed the development of Church Gate, opened the Community Grocery, welcomed four new staff members, reorganised the church offices, moved the children’s and youth work into Church Gate, run a fantastic Alpha Course, recorded the highest-ever Sunday attendance in our 147-year history (more than 1,400 people on Easter Sunday!), and changed our Sunday meeting times—a shift that’s already made a significant difference.

Hopefully, there are still a few things left for me to do!

The most noticeable change on my return, though, was when I sat down at my desk. Christopher had been using it in my absence, and—after a few moments of wondering why it felt “different”—I realised he’d lowered it to what I can only describe as “child height.” Now, if I can just find the right Allen key…

See you on Sunday!

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Trusting God Despite A Difficult Diagnosis

/ Steve Petch / 2 Comments

If you missed the news I shared during my talk on Sunday at Welcome Church, I wanted to take a moment to explain a little more fully what we are currently walking through as a family.

I have cancer

That’s not a sentence I expected to be writing in a church blog. The good news — and there really is good news here — is that this is a very low-grade form of cancer and it is not considered life-threatening. Even so, it does mean surgery, and it does mean a season that will require prayer, patience, and trust.

Here’s what’s going on

Back in September, I found a lump under my right arm, on the side of my chest. It was painful, and after seeing my GP I was sent for an ultrasound scan and then an MRI. In November, the consultant in Guildford referred me to the Sarcoma Team at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

On December 16th, I had a biopsy to determine whether the lump was benign or a type of low-grade cancer called an ALT (Atypical Lipomatous Tumour). I received the results on January 22nd, and it has been confirmed as an ALT.

This was not the outcome Jo and I had hoped or prayed for. That said, there is genuine reassurance in the diagnosis. The tumour is well-differentiated, which means it is slow-growing and very unlikely to spread elsewhere in the body, unless left untreated long term. This is not the kind of cancer that normally shortens life expectancy — something we are deeply grateful for, especially after walking through a lot of uncertainty during the autumn and the run up to Christmas.

The challenge is that, left untreated, the tumour will simply continue to grow — and it’s already quite large. Because of its location, that growth would cause increasing physical problems over time — and it’s already painful. Also if left long term it could spread, so for these reasons, surgery is necessary.

What happens next?

I’m scheduled for surgery at The Royal Marsden in early March. The aim is to remove the tumour completely.

I’ve been warned that the surgery may not be straightforward.

The lump I can feel is only part of it. The tumour extends into my shoulder and has grown around the brachial artery (the main artery supplying the arm), as well as several important nerves that affect movement and sensation. Because of that, the surgeon has been very open that this is very risky surgery, with a possibility of lasting weakness, numbness, or restricted movement in my arm or shoulder.

Even so, it does need to come out, and they need to make sure they get all of it.

The surgery will be done under general anaesthetic, I’ll be in hospital for several days, and there will be a period of recovery afterwards. This isn’t how we imagined the start of this year — but we remain thankful that the situation is not far more serious. It’s low-grade. It hasn’t spread. And we’re receiving excellent care.

Please Pray

We would really value your prayers in the weeks ahead:

  • For us and our family, as we navigate what has been an emotionally demanding season
  • For wisdom and skill for the surgeons and medical team
  • For no delays in treatment
  • For a successful operation with no lasting damage

And yes — please also pray boldly. Pray for God’s healing. Pray for his intervention. We believe God is able, and we are asking him to do what only He can do, even as we place our trust in the care we’ve been given.

Walking this road with faith

I committed my life to Jesus as a child more than forty years ago. That commitment hasn’t insulated us from difficult situations, but it does mean we don’t walk through it alone.

As I shared on Sunday, while preaching from Genesis 39, faithfulness is often forged in disappointment. We don’t yet know exactly how this will unfold, but we do know who holds us — and that is enough for today.

In case you missed the talk, here’s a link: https://www.welcomechurch.uk/sermons/genesis-39-disappointment-god-meant-it-for-good

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21 Days Of Prayer – Starting 2026 Together

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As we step into a brand new year, we believe there is no better way to begin than by seeking God together.

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be kicking off 2026 as a church family with 21 Days of Prayer. This is an invitation to pause, refocus, and intentionally devote ourselves — and the year ahead — to Jesus.

For 21 days, we’ll gather in person to seek the presence of God, call on His name, and create space for Him to move in our lives, our church, our town and our nation. We believe prayer changes things, and we’re expectant for all that God will do as we come before Him together.

This will be an all-in church family moment, so we won’t be running Life Groups or any other competing events during this time. Our heart is to journey through these days as a united church family, making prayer our shared priority as we begin the year.

All meetings will take place at Welcome Church, with the following schedule:

Dates:

  • Monday 5th January – Sunday 25th January 2026

Times:

  • Monday to Thursday: 7pm to 8pm
  • Fridays: 7am to 8am
  • Saturdays: 9am to 10am
  • Sundays: 6pm to 7pm

Whether you can make it to every session or just a few, you are so welcome. Come as you are, bring your faith, your hopes, and your prayers — and let’s start 2026 together centred on Jesus.

We can’t wait to see you there.

And don’t forget, you can see in the New Year with us too at our Crossover service on New Years Eve. It’s not too late to book your tickets by clicking on the image below:

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Welcome Church Carol Services — A Truly Historic Sunday

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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:

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December 2025 – Updates & Prayer Requests

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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

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