Extras needed

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31

It always surprises me that football fans can argue even about their own team. They will frequently disagree on how well someone played on Saturday and whether they were played out of position by the team’s manager. And yet come what may, they will come together like ants in support of their beloved team because they know their team needs them.

Supporting one another is also something that Actors do regularly as there are few roles requiring a single individual. In fact, most films and TV drama require a host of “actors” that no one has ever heard of or is likely to see again – though occasionally, the same “extra” faces pop up again and again in film franchises like James Bond where I’ve spotted the same faces in many different films.

The simple fact is that without all those “extras” sitting on the beach in a Bond film, walking through the market in Notting Hill, standing at the bar in Coronation Street, or filling out the ranks of servicemen and women in The Glenn Miller Story (yes, I know I`m showing my age!), none of those productions would have happened.

The same is true in everyday life. Few of us are “stars”. We are not all meant to be leaders, football team managers, or chairman of the board, but we are all called to support the team with our own contribution because it’s the only way to ensure we can see the full picture. In other words, we all have a part to play.

1 Corinthians shows us that we are really one body with many parts and that the body cannot function properly without each and every part. It tells us also that no single part is any more important than another.

In our life as a church family, we are all needed and necessary to enable us to function in the way that God intended and desires. But we are all equipped differently so that we can serve and complement each other. The music group may well be applauded for the worship they help us to offer to God but when it comes to everyone wanting a cup of coffee after the service the person standing in the kitchen pouring drinks for us is just as important. We may listen carefully to the leader of the service and those who bring God’s Word to us but the person who unassumingly leads the prayer group is equally important to the whole body.

We need each other because God created us to function together. When we’re all serving in the place God called us to our performance will glorify God in a way that pleases Him and one day enables Him to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us all in your image and giving us different gifts to serve together as a family to glorify you.

Neil Bromage, 25/09/2023

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and when

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our worship leader. We typically have two songs followed by a children's slot. The children and youth will then normally go off to their respective groups. If you have children you will be able to spot and speak to one of the leaders - they will be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt! There will usually be a time of prayer and communion. We normally have another time of sung worship followed by a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

When our team is available we serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 12pm, after the service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

sunday services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids/teens:

Creche - from approx. 6 months to 5 years (decided on a child by child basis)
Limitless Kids (4/5 - 11/12 years)
Limitless Youth (school years 7-11)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for two worship songs and the “Kids slot” and then go to creche or Limitless Kids. Limitless Youth may go out at the same time as the children but sometimes stay in the service to take communion before going to their class. Children can be picked up by parents after the service ends (but not before 12pm).

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a couple of groups that meet every week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to Join a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries and regularly support various missionaries who are part of the Elim Missions work:

Toddlers & Co weekly group
Foodbag provision
Open Doors Team
Church in the Cafe
Youth Community Outreach

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at the church.

Best Wishes
The Gatehouse Church Team

About us

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you. (*Mandatory Fields)

*Name:

Telephone:

*Email Address:
*Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.