We're inviting you to come to church

Back to Church Sunday is an initiative that was started by the Diocese of Manchester in 2004, in response to research which showed that up to 3 million people in England would come back to church (or start going to church for the first time) if they had an invitation.

It has now grown to become the largest single local-church invitational initiative in the world, taking place in churches across denominations worldwide.

It works because it is so simple, it is one friend inviting another friend to church.  

At St Martin's we have been involved in Back to Church Sunday for the last five years, and during that time we have seen people join the church, simply because someone invited them.  

This year we want to extend an invitation for people to join us for Back to Church Sunday for a special all age harvest festival service on the 30th September 2012 at 10am.  Whether you have been to church before, or this is your first ever visit, you can be assured of a very warm welcome.  

Last year Lisa and Mike came to St Martin's for the first time on Back to Church Sunday, this is what they said about the experience:

Lisa and Mike

What was your experience like the first time you came?

To be quite honest I was very nervous the first time I came to Saint Martin's.  My idea of church was one that was serious and quite scary.  When I arrived people were very welcoming and made me feel at ease almost straight from the start.  Back to church Sunday provided me with a great way if getting into church as I felt invited to start off with (I don't think I could have just attended otherwise) may I say the bacon sandwiches also helped!! 

How have you found being part of the church?

Being part of the church has been so much better than I thought it would be.  The church itself I feel is quite relaxed and young.  Families are made to feel really welcome.  Indeed I now feel part of a big family and have met many nice people and made some great friends.  The church has been very supportive in my journey of finding and learning about God and worship (Simon is fantastic).  I have never felt preached at and have been able to take my journey at my own pace.  I feel really lucky to have found a church that I really love. 

Of course you don't need to wait for Back to Church Sunday to come to St Martin's, you would be welcome at any time!  We do however recognise that coming to church for the first time can be quite daunting, but we would like to make coming to church as easy as possible. 

There are different styles of service to suit different people, from very informal services with contemporary music to more traditional services. If one service does not suit you, then please try another! Children are welcome at any of our services, and at the 10am service on Sunday they have their own special groups that they can join, we also have a creche for the very small children.

If you would like to come along to one of our services but feel nervous coming on your own, or have difficulties getting to St Martin's please contact us and we would be very happy to help you.