What to expect

We're not following a blue print for "how to plant a church". We're pioneering... praying, exploring, and sharing together as we respond to what God's doing in this place. So our midweek events are emerging in response to the gifts each person brings, with deep roots into the various Christian traditions.  So come as you are, walk with us for a while... experience church - but perhaps not as you know it!


We don't have a "church building" here in Northstowe, so our midweek events take place in the everyday places we find ourselves. Some are in people's homes. Others are in hired community spaces, often the Primary School. Some things happen in the park!  Read more below.

Mondays

Find us in School (daytime)

On alternate Monday mornings, Revd Beth and/or Revd  Stephen are joined by the year 5/6 Worship Gang in The Pathfinder Primary School as they lead Collective Worship. [The worship gang meet to plan these, and shape other aspects of school life, on Thursday lunchtimes]

At Lunchtime, up at Northstowe Secondary College, we've an emerging lunchtime club. Revd Beth and/or Revd Stephen take mindful colouring and labyrinth balls into the library, where they join in conversation with the students. Open to all Northstowe Secondary College students - just turn up!

Food and Faith (Fortnightly, 8pm)

A fortnightly group for young professionals in their 20s and 30s (ish!) navigating life, work, and faith together. Talk to Stephen for more... (contact@northstowe.church)

Parenting for Faith (online)

The Little Explorers group have booked to join a national “Parenting Babies and Toddlers” course, running over 4 Tuesday evenings (8-9pm) starting 13th June.

This course is for parents and carers of under-fives based on bite-size videos about nurturing your baby or toddler’s spiritual life. The sessions are suitable for those new to faith or just exploring as well as those familiar with Christianity. As a group, we will have our own breakout room throughout the session so that parents and carers can get to know each other better. We will have the choice of all joining from our own homes, or perhaps some of us meeting up to log in together.

If you have a little one, whether you can normally make our mid-week Thursday morning group of not, we’d love for you to join us. Talk to Beth, Stephen, Becky or Hannah for more, or email contact@northstowe.church

[No charge to attend - we’ve funded the group costs from Little Explorers donations: thank you to all who have donated to that!
 Topics include:
  • Getting going - unpacking what it means to nurture our little one’s spiritual development, why we might want to do that and why we’re better at it than the church is!
  • Keeping it real - exploring how we might be feeling about helping our child meet and know God and some simple, easy ways that it can become part of our day-to-day life with them.
  • Connection and communication - sharing some ideas to help our babies and toddlers connect and communicate with God.
  • Bible stories and bedtimes - ways to read Bible stories and how to help our littles ones feel connected to us and to God at bedtime.
  • Chatting to God -exploring prayer and how you and your little one can chat to God throughout the day.

Wednesdays

The Wednesday Group (Weekly, 8pm)

Are you looking for an opportunity to be still? To slow down and take a step back? To have space to ask some big questions or a space just to let those thoughts settle?
Last Autumn, some of us read the book ‘Cave Refectory
Road’, by Ian Adams, which set us exploring some simple and ancient spiritual practices as we  journeyed with others  finding out what works for them. Whether you've ever tried these things before, or not, you are most welcome to join us this term as we revisit favourite practices, and try out new ones, this time delving into Ian Adam's "Running Over Rocks"

This is a good space for asking questions, for trying out something new and for the companionship of being with other people who are also journeying.
  • Gather: As people arrive, we offer a drink and space to relax.
  • Pause: We light a candle, and a simple prayer is read aloud, giving people a chance to be still.
  • Explore: We pick up on the week's theme and discuss people’s experiences and ponderings. Each person has their space to talk or hold silence, an opportunity simply to share how their week has been or to share their thoughts on the chapter  No one has to speak and stillness is fine. 
  • Practise: We try and be open to trying the ideas from the book, and then feeding back the following week how it felt.  Some suggestions will work for some. Other suggestions can simply left behind.  This is space for you to find your gems amongst many pebbles.
We meet at 8pm on Wednesday evenings during the school term. (Don't worry if you can't make every week. ) We gather in a private home in Over.  Rachel A is leading the Wednesday night group.  simply email contact@northstowe.church and we'll put you in touch with the right people.
Running Over Rocks is an invitation into a journey of discovery. Through reflections, images and strikingly beautiful poems, Ian Adams - author of the bestselling Cave Refectory Road - explores fifty-two spiritual practices to enable us to live with joy, grace and purpose through good and tough times alike and so to bring good to the world around us. These practices draw on an ancient wisdom but are rooted in the everyday material of our lives, revealing that any transformation of the world for good must always begin with ourselves.

Thursdays

Little Explorers (Weekly, 9.15-10.45am)

"The calmest baby group I've ever been to"
"The highlight of my week"

Bringing together babies, their parents and carers, and pre-school big siblings, we offer time for you, your baby and God.

During school term, we gather in the Pathfinder Primary School Training Room at 9.15 - 10.45 on Thursdays mornings.

We start with hot drinks (bring a travel cup), before getting stuck into songs and stories in Circle Time by 9.45, with free-play, messy-play, crafts, and space for YOU to journal and reflect, before heading back to the Circle for our closing songs.

If you plan to bring a big sibling, please let us know in advance.

To help cover costs, we suggest a donation of £3 per family.

Open to everyone with a "little explorer": no need to be part of a church. The team leading Little Explorers are DBS checked and trained by Pathfinder Church Northstowe.
Find us on facebook

Chicken Soup for the Soul (Monthly, 8-9pm)

Once a month we gather - often at Revd Beth or Revd Stephen's homes, sometimes around a campfire (weather permitting), for tens min of contemporary wisdom (perhaps a video, or poetry, or guided meditation); ten mins of silence; and then we share in the ancient poetic "service of Completion" - Compline. Message us to confirm the venue.

Download the Church of England's Daily Prayer app to get the words to Night Prayer back-lit on your phone, or visit the website: Join us in a service of Daily Prayer | The Church of England

 

Sundays (weekly, 3.30-5pm)

Head over to our Sundays page for more...

Occasional Pop Ups

We're also exploring how and when our Musicians can gather. Some of us love to join in with the Allotments. We've a keen team of cyclists
And we're about to update our regular prayer dates...

WATCH THIS SPACE for more.

And if there is something you would like to help establish where we can be praying, exploring, and sharing... get in touch!

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Pathfinder Church, Northstowe