Pastoral Care
As a large church community a key part of our vision for pastoral care is ‘people caring for people’. Jesus encouraged us to love one another and to love our neighbours as ourselves.
In addition, we also provide some centrally run pastoral services which we encourage you to use. Do also point others towards these services.
A Listening Ear
Do you need a listening ear and someone to talk to? We’re here to listen to you, to encourage you, pray with you and prophesy over you in a safe and secure environment. Either in person or via Zoom.
Request an appointment through our Next Steps page.
Sozo
Sozo is a Greek word that appears in the New Testament of the Bible more than 100 times. In English it can be translated to mean to save, heal, deliver and preserve.
This word has now become widely associated with a form of prayerful ministry. A Sozo session is not a counselling session. It is not something you passively receive. Rather it is a time of interacting with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit for wholeness and pursuit of your destiny.
Sozo aims to connect you with God by dealing with the hurts of the past that stop you from knowing him. Because of that, people are often surprised by how much transformation they experience in a relatively short time. It is also a very gentle and safe ministry because it is about you partnering with God rather than a reliance on the expertise of someone else.
Sessions can run from one to one-and-a-half hours and are conducted by two team members. The Sozo team leader will guide you through prayers of forgiveness, help you to identify and break free from the lies and wounds that have affected you, and help you to connect with God. The other person on team will write down the promises you hear from God so you can take them away with you. You will need to be willing to be proactive in sharing pictures God may give you in the prayer time and to expect God to speak to you.
We are currently offering in-person sessions and online meetings on Zoom. God is not limited by technology. He is as present on a Zoom call as he is in a physical room.
To apply for Sozo you need to fill in this online application form. A Sozo administrator will then get in touch to discuss arrangements for a session with you.
Hardship Fund
Sometimes life springs unwelcome surprises on us. When those surprises hit our finances it can be hard to know where to turn.
When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, we set up a hardship fund to enable us to support anyone who suddenly found themselves unable to cover vital household bills, perhaps through illness or job loss. We have also covered repair or replacement of essential items, including kitchen white goods.
We are very aware that the economy of the UK continues to face difficult times. As a result, we are keeping the hardship fund available for small grants that can help you through an emergency.
If you are facing difficulties do get in touch using the form provided.
Embark
Professional counselling and psychotherapy
Many of us will face challenges in life, from bereavement to relationship breakdown, from depression to job loss.
Embark is a not-for-profit professional counselling and psychotherapy service that can help you talk about the emotional impact of such challenges in a safe environment.
Our counsellors offer integrative counselling with a person-centred approach. The Christian worldview of the service also offers the opportunity to consider spiritual or transpersonal issues.
Pastoral Support Team
We have a small team of volunteers who are trained to offer support in specific areas such as relationship breakdown or bereavement. We can also point you towards professional organisations in the area that provide help for a wide range of issues.
Please get in touch if you’d like to talk to somebody about support, using the form provided.