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Church Groups
Drama Group
Home Groups
Alpha
Worship Bands
Lunch n Chat
World Concern Group
Eco Congregation
Drama Group
St Andrew’s has a thriving ad hoc drama group. We put
on sketches to enliven and illustrate services, as well as mounting larger scale
productions.
In 2006, we produced Estend Greene: a history with a
future, written by local writer Nigel Bird, depicting the Eastern Green story
through the ages. This was extremely well received, the church being full for
both performances.
In October 2008, we staged “Confusions” by Alan
Ayckbourn in the Eastern Green Village Hall, directed by Dan Persaud. Again, the
performances were of a high standard and the hall was filled with laughter.
Our most recent project was a follow up to the history play of
2006, with an updated version which was performed in the Spring of 2009, with
support from Heritage Lottery Funding.
We also have a small dance group. Enquiries about this
are also welcomed.
Home Groups
St Andrews offers home groups to all its members. They currently run on
Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday & Thursday evenings. The purpose of Home Groups
is as follows:
To study the Bible and help people to grow in faith
To provide fellowship so that people get to know one another better
To offer pastoral support, a place to share in confidence with trusted friends
If you want to know more, please contact the Vicar
Alpha
St Andrews runs Alpha courses once a year, usually in the spring. We meet at the
Vicarage, are served a wonderful home cooked meal, make new friends, listen to a
talk on a key aspect of the Christian faith and then take part in a small group
discussion with a handful of others who are seeking to know more and share their
doubts and questions.
Here are some comments about the last course:
“The talks were inspirational”
“I so much appreciated the warmth of the welcome, the setting and the wonderful
meal”
“I almost didn’t come, but I’m so glad I did”
“Getting together in small groups is such a good idea”
Some Alpha groups form such a close bond of friendship that they choose to
continue to meet once the course is over. The leadership of the church is
pleased to support this when it happens.
Phone Debbie on 76452262 to find out more
Worship Bands
St Andrews has two worship bands:
1. A youth band meets most Tuesdays from 6 till 7 p.m. in church, ages ranging
from 11-18. New members at whatever skill level are welcome. The youth band
leads worship at our bi-monthly Youth Service and sometimes at Family Service.
Phone Dan on 76422856 if interested.
2. An adult band that is always looking to recruit new members, both singers and
instrumentalists. We meet to practice in advance of the Family Service at which
the band leads the worship. Contact the Vicar if interested.
Lunch n Chat
Where: St Andrew’s Church
When: 2nd & 4th Wednesday of every month
From: 11.45-1.30
Who for: Anyone who has suffered bereavement and lives in the area
What we do:
Provide a simple lunch (soup and a roll)
A chance to talk to someone who will make time to listen
An opportunity to make new friends
A tranquil setting
No pressure to do anything or say anything
Cost: ₤1.50 per session
Come just once or come every time
We understand that when you’ve lost a loved one, you experience a wide range of
emotions, often unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. It may feel as
no one could possibly understand what you are going through. But others have
been through it, and so there’s no need to be alone. Taking that first step to
go out can often be the most important step of all.
We also know that if it’s some time since your loved one died, it may not be any
easier. In fact, in some cases, it feels worse than ever. Again, there are
people who do understand this and who have time for you.
Contact: Rosemary Pottinger 02476 461719
World Concern Group
We hold letter-writing sessions
appealing (sometimes successfully) for the release or proper treatment of
Prisoners of Conscience worldwide. Keep an eye out in
The Link and Pews News for details of our next
letter writing session
It
is quantity that makes the impact! Please
join us.
Eco
Congregation
In 2007, St Andrew’s Church was awarded the
Eco-Congregations Award as a mark of the progress we have made in putting care
for God’s creation at the top of our agenda. Just a few of the things that
commended themselves to the judges:
A new and far more efficient, zonal heating system
Installation of long life bulbs Special services with a focus on the environment
Lent Groups with an environmental theme The distribution of free energy
efficient light bulbs to a baptism congregation with the reminder: Jesus is the
Light of the World
The church will be reassessed in 2010
Environmental
Tips
Did
you know that you can dispose of any unwanted items without just having to throw
them away?
You
can advertise free of charge anything that you would like to see go to a good
home, using the website detailed below. The
new owner will come and collect from you so that there is minimum inconvenience.
Have a look at the site: you may even find something you need.
http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK/West%20Midlands/Coventry
God’s
Creation
It
is the Bible’s teaching that this is God’s world and it is the
responsibility of human beings to care for it: exercising stewardship.
As
a church therefore, we have attempted to show this care by the following:
v
Switching
to a green electricity supplier
v
Encouraging members of the
congregation to walk to church or engage in car sharing
v
Distributing free low energy
light bulbs
v
Holding services which focus
on the wonder of creation and our responsibility for it
v
Fitting a condensing boiler
and a zoned heating system
v
Distributing water saving
‘hippos’
v
Encouraging members to
exercise Christian stewardship in their own lives
We
are in the process of working towards becoming an eco-congregation and applying
for an award to mark this.
Our
World Concern group meets monthly to pray and plan environmental campaigns.
For further information, please contact David Hawkey on 02476 46545
Eco-tips
3: Go to a Farmers' Market
The farming community have been through difficult times recently and farmers'
markets provide an excellent way of supporting them. By
cutting out the middle man, more of the money ends up with the producer and you
can be certain of where the produce has come from and under what conditions it
has been produced. It also helps the
environment by reducing food miles and packaging. So why not try out one the
following markets for some fresh and local food:
Coventry, Spon St - 2nd Thursday, 9am - 2pm
Kenilworth, Abbey End - 2nd Saturday, 9am - 2pm
Leamington Spa, Pump Room Gardens - 4th Saturday, 9am - 2pm
Nuneaton, Market Place - 3rd Friday, 9am - 2pm
Rugby, Clock Tower - last Thursday, 9am - 2pm
Solihull, High St - 1st Friday, 9am - 5pm
Alternatively, visit one of the farm shops in the area - listings can be found
in the local business telephone directories.
Eco-tips
4: Pass on reusable items
When you're next having a
clearout, think about whether any of the items you no longer need could be used
by someone else. Many items can be found a new home though charity shops, jumble
sales, classified ads, etc. Furniture and other household goods can be
refurbished by the Coventry-based charity :-
·
Emmaus (www.emmauscoventry.com)
- they even offer a collection service: ring 024 7666 1466 if you have anything
to donate.
·
Coventry
and Warwickshire Freebay (www.communityfreebay.co.uk)
- The
Coventry Freecycle group (groups.yahoo.com/group/coventryfreecycle/)
Are
all good places to advertise other odds and ends, such as computer parts, DIY
materials, garden furniture, electrical items, car parts, office equipment, etc.
It is amazing what people can reuse!
THINK
RECYCLED!
We
are all aware of global warming and know that we need to do what we can to
reduce our environmental footprint. But it can seem like an impossible task -
surely it will take a lot of effort and/or money to make a
difference?
Well, to give us all a helping hand we'll be including an "Eco-tip" in
The Link each month, suggesting a simple action to take on.
Support
the kerbside recycling scheme - then buy recycled!
Here's
an easy place to start: if you're not already doing so, use the kerbside
recycling scheme. For a while now, we've had a fortnightly black box collection
for paper and cardboard. If you haven't got a black box, ask
the council for one (e-mail WasteMgt.Recycling@Coventry.gov.uk; freephone:
0500 83 43 33). We also benefit from being included in the pilot blue box scheme
for glass, aluminium cans and plastic milk bottles.
It is
important to support this pilot scheme to ensure that the council extends it to
the rest of the city. The boxes are collected on alternate weeks, this month:
4th Black box
11th
Blue box
18th
Black box
25th
Blue box
Recycling is a loop - it
only works if there is demand for recycled products. So don't forget to look out
for recycled paper pads, printer paper, envelopes, etc.
Remember -
Think recycled!
Green Energy
As part of our
commitment to the environment (God’s world), St Andrew’s has recently
changed electricity supplier to a green energy supplier.
After careful investigation on the internet, we have found a supplier and
tariff that is not going to cost us any more, but will help reduce our carbon
footprint significantly. If you
decide to go down this road, check carefully, since some companies advertise a
green tariff, but in reality they are only using customers to fulfill their
legal obligation to ensure that 5% of their supply is green rather than
generating anything new.
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