Our Church Family
Here at All Saints people are at the heart of Church life so we aim to provide services and activities that meet the needs of everyone – whether you are young or old, part of a family or on your own. Some of these will be together as a church, and others for more specific groups.
Children welcome
If you are looking after a young child you may feel anxious about bringing them to church - be assured, children are especially welcome as part of our church family.
Our children and young people always seem to feel comfortable and at home in the building, and enjoy the broad range of groups and activities we run for them, including crèche and Sunday Club. Activities bags are available for young children at the back of church and if you want to take a restless child out of the service there is plenty of space to walk around in the church centre – or the garden if the weather’s fine.
If your children have already been baptised and admitted to communion then they are welcome to continue to do so here – whatever their age.
Everyone who works with children, young people or vulnerable adults – whether paid or voluntary – is vetted and has a current Criminal Records Bureau disclosure (CRB check).
Special needs
The church is equipped with a hearing induction loop. Large print version of notices, the order of service and song words are available for all Sunday services. Our buildings meet all accessibility requirements.
Adults with learning difficulties are welcomed and cherished at All Saints. We don’t run separate activities for people with special learning needs because we include them in everything we do as far as we are able, including home groups and the Church weekend away.
Weekly services
On Sundays we generally have two services at All Saints Church – 9am which is a traditional service of Holy Communion; 10.45am which is a larger and more informal service where our music group leads sung worship and where we provide activities and facilities for children and young people.
Monthly All Age Worship
On the first Sunday of each month we have a special all age service. We include a high degree of participation and aim to keep this to about an hour so as not to try the patience of the little ones. Baptisms and Thanksgivings take place within these services.
Midweek
There are a whole range of activities for younger and older children:
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B-it Theatre Company Saturday morning, Wednesday and Thursday evening drama groups
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Friday Club Third Friday 3.30pm
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Messy Church First Thursday 3.30pm
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Pathfinders Wednesdays 5pm at Hamilton Street Methodist Church
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Toddler Praise Third Thursday 9.30am
We don’t operate in isolation and work closely with other local groups for primary and secondary age young people, these include:
Trackers (7 to 11-year-olds) Hoole Baptist Church Thursday 6-7pm
D'Biz (11 to 16-year-olds) Hoole Baptist Church Thursday 8-9.30pm
Coffee Bar (11 to 16-year-olds) Hoole Baptist Church Thursday and Friday 4.5.30pm
Visit www.dbiz.org.uk or www.hbc.org.uk to find out more about these groups.
School links
The Church values it's close links with the Hoole Church of England Primary School and three of our Church family members are Foundation Governors. The Church building hosts many school services and performances. You can access the school website by clicking here.
Protecting our children
Everyone who works with children, young people or vulnerable adults at All Saints – whether paid or voluntary – is vetted and has a current clean Criminal Records Bureau disclosure (CRB check).
Time to pray
We believe it is important to come together as a church to recognise our dependence on God in prayer and to wait on him for direction. We have a number of occasions in the month to help us to do that, to find out more please click here.
Adults and families
Alpha
The Alpha course is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed, non-threatening manner in thought-provoking weekly sessions. It runs for seven weeks three times a year.
Care group
Caring for one another is key to our life as a church family so our volunteer Care Group is on hand to provide help and support to any of the church family who may need it with the aim of offering a ‘good neighbour’ service. Please contact us on 07711 425 366.
Church weekend
Our annual church weekend away is one of the highlights of the All Saints calendar.
For two nights each spring around 120 members of the church family decamp to the stunning surroundings of Cloverley Hall near Whitchurch in Shropshire.
Costa – the ultimate ‘stay-cation’
Our Costa series of holidays started in 2008 to provide a stay-at-home holiday for senior citizens – and each year goes from strength-to-strength with a committed team of organisers coming up with new and exciting ideas every summer.
Home groups
Home Groups are an integral part of life at All Saints because they give members a chance to learn together, study scripture, develop faith and make friends. Groups meet fortnightly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the day and evening. Some meet in the church centre, others at the leader’s home and some move between the homes of group members.
Marriage preparation
Marriage is a big step – and an important one. Once the fun of planning the ‘big day’ is over, the guests have left and you’re home from your honeymoon, what happens next? At All Saints we don’t just support you as you prepare for the wedding ceremony but also as you begin married life together by running marriage prep courses twice a year. To find out when the next one takes place, call the office on 01244 322056.
Music group
All Saints is blessed with a large number of talented singers and musicians who make up our music group and we are always looking for new people to join us.
Our main role is to lead sung worship at the 10.45am service each Sunday with a mix of modern songs – new ones and old favourites – and traditional hymns. At this service you will find a range of instruments being played including keyboard, guitars, bass guitars, violins, cornet and even the occasional drums.
We hold special events and services throughout the year, these include Lent Suppers and the occasional Harvest Hotpot Supper, as well as one-off celebrations. You would be right in thinking that quite a few of our events revolve around food!
Students
We love having students at All Saints so if you’re a student at one of the colleges and universities in and around Chester we would love to have you worshipping with us each Sunday morning. We know that being away from home has its challenges – not least eating proper meals – so we offer lunch on alternate Sundays during term time and have great fun eating, chatting and relaxing together. To find out more about what we do for students, wing an email through the Church office to Elaine or Rick Hemmings, or call us on 01244 322056.
Our welcome to you
We want you to feel part of things as quickly as possible and would love to invite you to our Welcome lunches or evenings. Please call the church office on 01244 322056 to find out more and book a place.