St Andrew's Methodist

Minister with Pastoral Charge

Reverend Blair Kirkby — 01279 443400

Hall Lettings: Revd John Buxton — 01279 422661

We are a welcoming, friendly church family, worshipping God and sharing the good news of his love for all. We worship, pray and learn together about following Jesus Christ. We also meet for fellowship, fun and helping the local community.

St Andrew's Methodist Church is situated at The Stow and is opposite the Nuffield House Health Centre. The church is on the corner at the junction with Howard Way. For parking, there are lay-bys outside the Church, plus the two car parks marked (free at weekends.)

Worship at St Andrew's

• SUNDAYS: Our Sunday Service is at 10:30 a.m. and includes both traditional and modern hymns. Families with children are especially welcome. And please join us for light refreshments in our new hall after the Service.
• SUNDAY CLUB: offers Christian teaching for children and young people during the time of the main Service.
• CRECHE: For those under 5 years of age, our Crèche is available for children from the congregation.
• HOLY COMMUNION: All are welcome to share the Lord's Table with us, and our Communion Service is usually the first Sunday Service of the month. Holy Communion is also held on Maundy Thursday and Christmas Eve.)
• MID WEEK: There is a mid-week Service held on the second Thursday of the month at 12.30 pm and is followed by a simple soup lunch.
• SPECIAL SERVICES: There are Morning Worship Services held on Good Friday and Christmas Day and as a member of HAEBEA, we also join with our sister churches in their celebrations and share in hosting special Area Services.

Activities and Groups

In addition to the Services held weekly, our Church and Hall are used for a full range of church and community activities:

~ Bible Study Group meets on most Tuesday evenings, at 7.30pm in the Chapel.
~ Coffee Mornings: Our Saturday Coffee Mornings are held in the foyer and the new hall at St. Andrew's from 10am — Midday.
~ The Women's Friendship Group meet once a month, during the day, in members' houses, plus occasional lunch outings.
~ Guides: The 3rd Harlow (Methodist) Guide Unit meets on Tuesday evenings, during term time only, at 6pm — 7.30pm in St Andrew's Church Hall. We welcome girls aged 10 to 16 and aim to provide a variety of activities.
~ St. Andrew's Rugrats — STARS Mother and Toddler Group meets every Tuesday, between 10.00am and noon.
~ St. Andrew's Women's Fellowship which consists of mainly older retired ladies, meets twice monthly on Tuesday at 2.30 pm for afternoons of fun, fellowship and friendship.

A Brief History of St Andrew's

The Methodist congregation that now calls itself 'St Andrew's' started in 1952 with the arrival of its first minister, Rev Eryl Hughes. The church hadn't been built, so the services took place in the Moot House at The Stow. Harlow New Town had a growing population and soon the congregation had grown to over thirty full members. It was then that the construction of the present buildings was started. The Foundation Stone was laid on 27 June 1953 and the Grand Opening was on 30 October 1954. As a building, St Andrew's hasn't changed much in its 60-year history. The buildings you see above were Phase I of the project. Phase II was never implemented and a block of flats (St Andrew's House) now stands on the land on which Phase II might have stood. Finding our facilities too small to meet the demands of the twenty-first century, we were able to begin building work in 2008, starting with the demolishing of the original hall, and had the improvements finished in 2009. We now have a hall nearly double the former size, and the enlarged kitchen is much more functional.

About the Methodist Church

The Methodist Church is one of the largest Christian churches serving Great Britain, with nearly 230,000 members and regular contact with over 512,000 people. It has 5,023 churches in Great Britain, and also maintains links with other Methodist churches with a worldwide total membership of over 80 million. Its activities, both alone and with ecumenical and secular partners, are based on four aims known as Our Calling:

• To increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love
• To help people to grow and learn as Christians through mutual support and care
• To be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice
• To make more followers of Jesus Christ.