Students!

We have lots of students who call our church home.  Being at university for three years or more is quite a long time, even though it can seem to fly by! We think it's therefore really important that people find a church where they feel they belong, and can become more of who God has created them to be.

Whether you're part of our church already, or are looking for a church which fits for you, here's some infomation you may find helpful.

Lunches

As a church we like eating food.  So roughly once a month we all eat together after our morning meeting.  Food is all cooked and prepared so there's no need to bring anything.  Church lunches are planned for the coming term on 3rd October, 7th November and 5th December.

In addition to these Sundays when we all eat together, many of us love the opportunity to have students over for a meal in our homes. The likelihood is that someone will invite you round, but if this doesn't happen often enough and you would like food after the morning meeting, please feel free to ask Steph Arton who coordinates this for us.

Come Dine at Mine

Come Dine at Mine replaces our normal mid-week meeting on some occasions and is a great way to get to know people better. The whole church gets involved with different people hosting meals for others. We aim for a good mix of people who may not necessarily know each other too well so that we can build new friendships. Our first Come Dine at Mine last year was a huge success so we now have them fairly regularly. The next one is planned for November.

Mid Week groups: 16 - 20's

Students and youth meet together at 7:45pm every Wednesday at the church building.  This group is open to all young people aged from 16 into their  20's. We believe that it doesn't make a difference whether someone is a student, in school or college, unemployed or working; it is important that everyone is treated as an individual no matter what they are doing with their life at the moment! We aim to keep things relevant and for these meetings to be a fun place to be. Things to expect:

Fun
Worship
Bible Studies
Discussions
Laughter
The occasional cake
CAKE!
Did we mention CAKE?!!!

16 - 20's is run by Mark & Cara Stevens along with Luke and Steph Howson.

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...............Mark and Cara Stevens................................Luke and Steph Howson

Adopt a student

We understand that being a student can be quite difficult at times.  As a church we would like to make this change a little easier.  We want to offer students someone who will send regular texts, meet for food and someone to hang out with if needed.  To be a part of this, or for more information, please email us or speak to Steph Arton.

Getting Involved

Our heart is for students to be an integral part of the church, no matter how long they are with us for. We don't view students any differently from anyone else in the church so student are involved in all areas of church life.  If this is th eright church for you then there is plenty of space for you to find where you fit, and take an active part in church life, whether that's being involved in worship, kids' church, welcoming ,or even an area that we have not thought of yet.  If you would like to get involved please click here to see who heads up different areas.

Here's some thoughts from a current student

The Community Church has a very welcoming environment which, as a first year student, I found I really needed. I felt straight away that I was part of the family, and that I was free to be me there. I am regularly invited over people's houses for tea, both informally and through “Come Dine at Mine”, which is a great way of getting to know lots of people from the church – as well as getting some great food!

University is a great time of growth in one’s walk with God and, for me, The Community Church has been very good at creating an environment where that can happen: services are usually pretty worship centered, the talks are understandable, relevant and applicable, and as a community we seek to step into what the Holy Spirit has for us each Sunday.

There is a great openness to students stepping into roles of responsibility in the church if they want to: some students have become involved with the worship team, a couple of us have spoken on a Sunday and I think I’ve found my niche doing kids' work and helping with the sound equipment.

In short, what I love about being part of The Community Church is that I am a part of the family. I am supported, encouraged, and given responsibility, and I feel I can be relaxed and honest. I don’t feel like I’m in a category of “students”, but I am one of a group of people, seeking Jesus together.