Programme

Sundays   Midweek  Youth Work  Social Mission

Sunday Services

You will receive a warm welcome at any of our services. Dress is casual. An offering is taken at all services but we don't want visitors to feel they have to contribute to our funds.

Morning Worship. Our morning congregation is usually about 150-200 people. HSBC is built on a reformed, expository ministry, with a contemporary style of worship. Children of all ages are welcome and we run a crèche and Sunday school (Click here for more details).   

Occasional Evening Events - We do not have a regular Sunday evening service, although we do have occasional special events. Instead, we use Sunday evenings for fellowship.

Communion is held from time to time in the morning service, normally on the first Sunday of the month, and as special evening services once per month. 

Preaching Programme:

The complete programme (including dates that have already passed) is being kept on this website to show the range of subjects covered in the preaching programme. We are busy looking for our new minister.  In the mean time we are asking various folk such as retired ministers and local pastors to help us by visiting and preaching.  Our aim is to maintain the strong depth of biblical teaching we have become so used to during the 13 years of Phil's leadership.

The most recent sermons can be listened to on the web, and CDs with the sermons on these subjects and from our extensive library can be purchased. Go to our "Listen to Sermons" page for more details.

Sunday worship is divided into two sessions as per the following plan:

The adult options for the first session and the main sermon topics are as follows:
 

Starters and the Sunday Schools (Kings Club and Wayfarers) will meet in Delta House from 9.55 to 10.40;  Crèche will meet in the Church Hall at the same times.

Cold drinks will be served in the sanctuary from 10.40 onwards.

All ages meet together in the Sanctuary at 11.00 for family praise and worship.

From about 11.30 onwards the children will go back to Delta House for "The Zone", an activities based social time.

Tea and Coffee will be served at the end of "The message", at about 12.15pm.

Sunday evenings - Communion

Communion is held as a special evening service generally on the third or fourth Sunday of every month at 6.00pm in the sanctuary, and is normally followed by a Church Business Meeting.

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Children on Sundays

Hockliffe Street has a lot of facilities for children on Sunday mornings.

Between 9.55 and 10.40 we offer a range of classes for children and young people up to the age of 13 based upon various different groups and classes as below.

After the mid morning break, children of all ages join the main 11.00 service for the first thirty minutes or so. There is a small area set apart for the toddlers during this time. There are also bags with small toys and books throughout the church which parents are welcome to use if they find they need something to amuse their pre-school children. Towards the end of this period we have a special children's spot in the service, and we celebrate with children if they have just had, or are about to have, a birthday.

After the children's spot they leave for "The Zone", a further period of socialising, with crèche, starters and 5-11 year olds doing different activities.

Crèche (0-3 years)

This operates in rooms in our church hall. Crèche is staffed on a rota basis by parents of young children so they are used to dealing with this age group, and they are happy to look after visiting children, although if a child does become particularly distressed the crèche team may ask the parent back to help.

Starters (3-5 years)

This group meets in Delta House, adjacent to the church, and has organised play and teaching on a Christian theme.

Kings Club (School years 1-4, age 5-9)

Kings Club meets in Delta House. Between 9.55 and 10.40 they meet together as a group for part of the time and then sub-divide into smaller groups for activities targeted at their age groups.

Wayfarers (School years 5-7, age 9-12)

Wayfarers also meet in Delta House, and follow a similar format to Kings Club.

Youth activities

For those in years 8 & 9 at school (age 12-14), our Youth Worker runs a special group called Launch Pad. This is held in Delta House on alternate Sunday mornings whilst the Sunday School sessions are taking place (10.00-10.40). Launch Pad aims to teach these young teenagers about the church, including an understanding of the Bible, of prayer, communion and baptism.

See also under Mid-week Youth Work.

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Midweek Area Fellowship Groups

Area Fellowship Groups provide a wonderful way to get to know, share with and support other Christians within the church. There are groups meeting all across Leighton Buzzard, Linslade and the surrounding villages. They meet on Wednesdays or Thursdays as small groups in the evenings, at least twice a month. There is also a group meeting on Wednesday mornings. Please contact the church office where details of venues and times can be obtained, and we could help you in deciding which group would most suit you. Alternatively, details can be found in the Members Area.

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Other Midweek Activities

In addition we have meetings that are targeted at particular groups of people. A few to highlight are the following :-

Church Prayer Meetings

The church meets together for prayer on the second Monday of each month - see Notes & News for details. In addition, a time of open prayer is a part of the Sunday evening communion services held generally on the fourth Sunday of every month, and in the other weeks the focus of prayer is through the individual fellowship groups

The JOY Fellowship

This is a ladies group that meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month in the Church Lounge, from 2pm to 4pm.

They enjoy Christian Worship together, which includes Prayer, Bible readings and singing combined with light-hearted activities, which include speakers, quizzes and crafts and concludes with tea, cake and fellowship.

They chose the name JOY, meaning:
JESUS first,
OTHERS next,
YOURSELF last.

All are welcome to come and join them. For more details, contact  Val Lamb, Maggs Lawes, Dianne Norman, or email the church office.

Men's Fellowship Breakfast

For the men of the church we have a Men's Fellowship Breakfast held at 8.30am in the Church lounge on the first Saturday of most months.

The programme for Autumn 2009 is as follows:

For further details, contact Bob Bansback or email the church office.

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Mid-week youth work

In addition to the Sunday children's activities (Click here for details) we have two specific mid-week groups:

Ages 9-13 years old (school years 5 to 8) - WOW (Wayfarers on Wednesday) is a youth club for the middle school age children. This meets on Wednesdays in the Church Hall from 7:30pm to 9:15pm, with a varied programme of activities. The emphasis here is on allowing the children to have fun together in an environment where Christian principles are upheld; it also lets them form friendships with the other Wayfarers and their leaders, and is a place where they can bring friends as well.

Ages 12-18 years old (school years 8/9 upwards) - This is our main youth programme for the upper school age group. It takes place on Tuesday & Friday evenings. The meetings are quite informal and offer an opportunity to discuss issues, worship God and study the Bible.  Our aim is to provide an opportunity for fun whilst allowing the group to get to know God and each other better.

None currently planned

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Social Mission

The social mission of the church is based on 'Open Door' and Toddler Activity Groups,  both of which attract a large number of people. In addition, the Ministerial team provide Pastoral care as needed. Wedding and Funeral services can be arranged.

Open Door A free coffee and snacks bar is held every Tuesday morning 10:00am - 1.30pm in the church lounge.  This is held on market day and all are welcome to join us. 

Mother & Toddler Group runs on Tuesday mornings in the hall from 10:00am to 12:00pm during term-time. All are welcome to attend but there is currently a waiting list as numbers attending each week are restricted to comply with health & safety regulations. Please phone the church office for details.

Pastoral Care in the Community Members of our ministry team, supported by some specialist advisers, provide individual care and support to the wider public as well as to people who go to church. They deal primarily with spiritual needs, and welcome enquiries from people of all faiths or none. However, they also seek to provide confidential care and support at times of crisis and special need such as bereavement, redundancy or divorce. Financial help is not normally offered, but gifts of clothing and food are possible in urgent need.

Counselling Services In partnership with a number of agencies we are able to offer counselling on a number of different issues in Delta House. Addaction offer alcohol & drug addiction counselling; there's a specialist children's counsellor available for helping with family problems and the New Directions counselling service can provide support in a number of general areas - see their leaflet for more details by <clicking here> or look at their website, www.ndcounselling.org. If you are interested in any of these services (or know someone who might) more details are available by phoning the church office (01525 371312) - they can put you in touch with the appropriate specialist.

Weddings Couples are welcome to ask to be married in the church if they wish to make the vows required for Christian standards. Although many of the church's ministry services are free, a fee to cover costs is charged for Weddings.

Funerals Funeral services may be held in the church. Standard charges are made for this through the Funeral Director appointed by the family.

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This page last updated on 28/12/2009