St. Chad's, Patchway
"We worship Jesus as Lord, sharing His love with each other, our community and the world".Patchway is largely an "outer estate" district on the northern fringe of Bristol, originally developed in the 1930s but with several further estates added since, including a large area of private development from the 1960s separated from the rest of Patchway by the dual-carriageway A38. The present population of the parish is 11500, but this is set to increase to around 17500 in the next few years with new development on the Patchway side of Filton airfield. The church buildings are centrally located to the original development. The Church of England and Methodist congregations in Patchway united as one in 1975 and have used the former Church of England building for worship ever since. Money from the sale of the site of the former "Wesley Hall" was invested in the 1980s in extensive adjoining premises including a "Wesley Room", for the use of St. Chad's own and community groups.
Total membership is now approximately 107: a majority are of retirement age but there has recently been a welcome increase in the number of younger worshippers. There is a full time Vicar in addition to a Methodist Circuit Minister. A Trainee Youth Worker is working alongside us to try to encourage growth in the children's and young people's work. Under leadership from the Diocese of Bristol, St. Chad's and three neighbouring C. of E. churches, have recently formed a local "mission partnership" intended to assist with developing lay leadership and providing mutual support between these churches. The present Methodist minister has been a full member of the thrice-yearly meetings.
The teaching and ethos of the church is evangelical, i.e. there is a firm belief in the authority of Scripture, the importance of teaching from Scripture and in being open to the Holy Spirit in all aspects of church life. St. Chad's is very conscious of its responsibility for Christian service and evangelism in Patchway and beyond, and arranges, often in co-operation with other local churches, a number of outreach events in the course of a year. Worship reflects our denominational traditions, with an emphasis on being accessible to those unfamiliar with church language. Lay people are involved extensively in leading, reading lessons, intercessions and preaching. There are people available for one-to-one prayer after each service, and there is a quarterly service with a special emphasis on healing.
Weekday activities for adults centre around a number of daytime and evening home groups, the Tuesday Fellowship (largely for ladies, with the occasional brave gentleman) and two small weekly prayer meetings. Youth activities include the "Bible Bunch" (7-11) and "Pathfinders" (11-14), which include many from non-church families. Brownies and Rainbows meet on the premises and parade at monthly "All age Worship" services. Two Pre-Schools and an Out of School Club also meet on the premises, as do a number of other community groups. The current ministers are part of an ecumenical lay and ordained team who take turns to conduct weekly assemblies in five local primary schools.
