Our sermon series for the Autumn, leading up to Advent, starts on September 7th.
Entitled ‘Jesus. Up Close. Unfiltered.’ , each week will focus on a person who encountered Jesus in a direct way and highlight what we can learn about God, ourselves and our relationship with him.
There will be small breaks in the series for Harvest, on October 5th, All Saints and Remembrance Sunday.
Come and join us!
Our new sermon series begins on 27th July when we begin Living the Kingdom: Lessons from the Road with Jesus.
Week 1: Teach us to Pray: Trusting the Father
Jesus invites u sin to a bold trusting relationship with God through prayer. Kingdom life begins with dependence on the Father.
Week 2: Rich Toward God: Breaking Free from Greed
life does not consist of possessions. Jesus challenges the myth of self-security and invites us to generous, kingdom-centred living.
Week 3: Little Flock, Big calling: Living Ready
Don’t be afraid - God’s Kingdom is ours. We are called to live alert and prepared for the Master’s return.
Week 4: A Disturbing Peace: The Dividing Power of Truth
Jesus brings not comfort, but transformation. Discipleship causes division because it demands a decision.
Week 5: Set Free on the Sabbath: The Compassion of the Kingdom
Jesus’ Kingdom brings healing, especially to the marginalised. Rules must never outrank mercy.
Week 6: A Better Seat: Humility and Hospitality in the Kingdom
In the upside-down kingdom, honour belongs to the humble and the host is found among the poor.
Issues never far from the thoughts of many of us. If you would like a way to focus and direct your prayer, A Rocha publishes a new, weekly prayer diary every three months which you can download from their website.
Pause and pray for God’s creation HERE.
A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. The also administer the Eco-Church awards - we are working towards silver!
Work is underway to create Fashion Museum Bath. The Museum will open in 2030, with construction starting on-site at the Old Post Office in 2027.
This will make the new museum our neighbour and coincides with plans form B&NES council to develop the area around the new museum (and therefore St. Mike’s) as the ‘Milsom Quarter’. The consultation period for this is now over but you can see more on the B&NES website HERE.
From the Fashion Museum:
We have been developing our vision for the Museum and have undertaken initial feasibility and design work for the Old Post Office to complete RIBA stage 2.
We have appointed award-winning architects 6a to lead the transformation of the building and JA Projects to work with us on developing ground-breaking new exhibition spaces. The next key milestone is to achieve RIBA stage 3 (spatial coordination) which will link to the submission of planning documents.
From Summer 2025, we will host a programme of community consultation events, workshops and talks to engage with a range of audiences and local partners about the future of the Museum.
You can find out more about the plans on the Fashion Museum website, and share your thoughts HERE.
Mountains loom large in the story of the Bible - not just as majestic landscapes, but as sacred spaces where heaven and earth meet, where the veil between God and humanity is pulled back.
From Eden’s lush garden mountain to Sinai’s fiery summit, from Jesus’ teaching on the Mount to His glorious Transfiguration, from the Mount of Commission to the final radiant Mount Zion in Revelation, the bible’s story is shaped by peaks and summits - places of awe, testing, revelation and hope.
This series invites you on a journey through Scripture’s most pivotal mountain moments.
this isn’t just a Bible overview - it’s an invitation. An invitation to climb higher, to see farther, to meet the God who still calls His people up the mountain today.
Hopefully you have noticed our lovely Spring flowers at the front of the building this year. Sadly they’re just about over, and the bees are demanding replacements.
Anything you might have in your garden, currently, or about to flower, that is bee friendly would be so welcome!
We plan to replant the tubs on May 6th so donations can be dropped off at the church or cafe before then - leave them outside the door if we’re shut!
Don’t make the bees angry…
The APCM (it’s the AGM equivalent for the Church of England…) takes place this year on 12th May at 7.00pm in the church.
It is an opportunity for us to gather as a church family to look back on the previous calendar year, celebrate our successes and look forward to the next 12 months.
It is also where we appoint Church Wardens and any new members of the PCC.
All are welcome, but please note only those on the Electoral Roll are entitled to vote.
You can read and/or download the minutes for the APCM 2024, in advance, HERE.
This year we must prepare a brand new Electoral Roll. This means that if you want to be on the electoral roll for St. Michael’s WIthout you MUST fill in a form even if you’ve done so in the past.
Forms can be obtained in person from Ruth, on a Sunday, from the Church Office, or you can download and print one HERE.
Please see the notes on the second page of the form for the rules concerning joining the Electoral Roll.
Completed forms should be returned to Ruth Holden, or the Church Office by Sunday April 13th.
Many thanks.
We invite you to take part in the 2025 Lent Cross Challenge!
The challenge provides a simple daily focus in the 40 days leading up to Easter and aims to keep the cross at the heart of Lent.
The idea is to spot, find, discover, make, bake or create a cross shape each day of Lent, which you could choose to photograph and make into a collage yourself, or share with church family via the weekly email. With enough contributions we could create our own collage for display, either in church or online.
Each challenge has a corresponding bible reading and it’s all available in the guide produced by the Diocese which you can find on the Lent Cross Challenge page HERE
We will also publish each challenge via the weekly email, in advance and if you would like to share your results, email them to office@stmichaelsbath.org.uk
Our next Sermon Series will look at nine ‘practices’ we can follow, forming the rhythm of daily life, which demonstrate our commitment to following the way of Jesus.
The Practices are:
Rest is the practice of joining God in the renewal of all things by doing our work with integrity, so that we can then rest by ceasing from work knowing that our identity is not in what we do but in what Christ has done for us.
Prayer is the practice of creating space daily for us to talk to God, talk with God, listen to the Holy Spirit and be with God – leading us to pray for the needs of the world and those around us.
Scripture is the practice of creating space daily for God to speak to us through His living and active word, the Bible, so that we are formed into a people for God’s Kingdom and purposes.
Fasting is the practice of praying with your body as you offer your all to God increasing our dependency on Him and in seeking for Him to bring breakthrough.
Gathering is the practice of gathering regularly as the body of Christ to worship God, celebrate communion, hear from the Bible and pray together.
Do join us at either 9.30 or 10.45 from 9th February, for this new series.
We are delighted to host a new season of Cafe Concerts by Trio Paradis in 2025. Held on the last Friday of each month, each event is a well crafted programme of interesting and accessible music, curated around a theme.
We also look forward to welcoming new member Ruth O’Shea on violin!
Our cafe is available to purchase drinks and cake before the concert starts so do come early to get a good seat…
January’s concert is a collection of music by South American composers to bring some sun to dark winter days… including dances (Tango, Rumba and more), alongside classical and reflective pieces. Composers include Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, the king of Argentinian Tango, Astor Piazzolla, fellow Argentinian Magdalena Garcia Robson, Cuban brother and sister composers Ernestina and Ernesto Lecuona, Mexican Manuel Ponce and Carlos Guastavino, ‘the Schubert of the Pampas’.
See you there!
The next Pray for Bath event is on Tuesday 4th March at 7.30pm, held in Bath Abbey.
Join Christians from across the city and beyond to pray for our communities.
It has been an annual tradition for many years now, that we host a pop up shop for Cards For Good Causes. We opened this year on 16th October and trade is off to a good start!
For those unfamiliar with the organisation CFGC is the trading arm of the 1959 group of charities - a multi-charity membership organisation which currently has 11 member charities:
These are:
By working together as a collective group, the member charities can ensure more of every penny paid by the customer makes its way to those that need it most. In addition, the Group encourages and promotes voluntary work by local community groups and the general public.
A broad range of charities participate each year with their individual range of cards and CFGC print their own multi-charity cards, as well as decorations, advent calendars and gifts which support all their charities.
You can read more about how the organisation works HERE.
As a host venue, we are supplied with the stock and run the shop each year between October and December. Of course we couldn’t do this without the support of so many volunteers who help with stock and serving customers!
In addition, St. Mike’s chooses to partner with a range of smaller, local charities who would not normally be able to provide the volume usually required for retail stores. This year our partner charities are Focus Counselling, Connect Bath (formerly Bath Open Christmas), Bath Mind (cards and colouring books!) and the Genesis Trust.
The shop is open during cafe hours - Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 3.30pm.
On Sunday 17 November 2024 St. Michael’s will join thousands of churches from diverse backgrounds and traditions across the UK to shout about safeguarding and help protect vulnerable people.
This initiative, spearheaded by Thirtyone:eight invites communities to come together to reflect on their own safeguarding journey, and to highlight and celebrate all the good work that is being done by so many behind the scenes.
“Protecting vulnerable people from harm and speaking up for their rights is an integral part of our scriptural mandate as Christians (Proverbs 31:8)" (Thirtyone:eight website). Sadly the church has not always done this well but we seek to address and change these issues as a matter of priority.
The theme for this year’s Safeguarding Sunday is ‘Let’s Talk About It’ - with a focus on open and honest conversation about what has gone wrong and what we are getting right.
What Is All Saints Day?
All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, is observed on November 1st (or the closest Sunday) in Western Christianity.
It is when we celebrate the honor of all church saints, whether known or unknown. It is a day set aside to honor all the saints who have lived righteous and holy lives in accordance with Christian teachings.
Though many associate the word ‘Saints’ with icons, statues or stained glass images the bible teaches us something different. God calls all who trust in Christ for salvation a ‘saint’ - therefore all those who follow Jesus are saints!
"Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Revelation 14:12)
While the focus and manner of celebration may differ across denominations, the common theme is celebration of family and remembrance of those who have passed
"To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours" (1 Cor. 1:2)
We are delighted to say that, after a series of successful monthly Cafe Concerts here at St. Mike’s we will now be a regular venue for Trio Paradis!
Trio Paradis are Jacquelyn Bevan (piano), Lisa Betteridge (violin) and Linda Stocks (cello) - a classical piano trio who perform Café Concerts at community venues across Somerset and Wiltshire: informal monthly daytime events, with music in a variety of styles, brought together in a themed programme.
No tickets required, but you are invited to donate to the retiring collection. Donations go to cover costs and towards the other work the performers undertake, including concerts in care homes.
You can read more about the trio, their work and the concerts on their website HERE.
Or watch them in action HERE!
We have an interesting time to come during August when a variety of speakers will share thoughts on a Christian book that has inspired them in some way.
Join us each week of August at the Cafe Church service to hear more!
Coffee served from 10.15am for a 10.45am service start.
EVERYONE WELCOME
Just a reminder that there is a short service of Morning Prayer in our side chapel, every Tuesday from 9.30am.
All are very welcome.
You may have noticed there are now three new planters at the front of the church! Wonderful for the bees, but a little more work for us...
With the approach of Britain in Bloom at the end of this month we would love to get everything tidied up and looking lovely (for the judges and the bees..), So if you have a bit of time to spare on Friday 21st June, from 10am please come along with your tools!
We would also be grateful for any plants to go in the older planters, as they're currently rather barren. Anything insect-friendly, and preferably currently in bloom, that you might have in your garden is so welcome.
Thank you so much!
In response to a number of requests here is last Sunday’s sermon, given by Jane Pleace, on the subject of generosity:
“Are we willing to submit our finances to God? Do we really trust him?
Jesus warned us about the dangers of wealth and possessions. He cautioned that money can become an idol that distracts people from pursuing God and righteousness.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus taught that “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.”
This is really challenging teaching and Jesus knows that. He understands we need money to survive but he wants to ensure we don’t become enslaved to money and miss out on God’s plans and purposes. Jesus encourages us to be generous and in return God will be generous to us….
Click to download full talk
The easiest way to give to St Michaels regularly (or as a one-off) is through the Parish Giving Scheme, Their website can be found here: https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/home/
Once there, click on the Give Now section at the top left of the menu and from there you can find St Michael's Church in Bath. From there it is a very simple process to Register and to then select your level of giving.
