students
For many years students have been an important part of our church family. In fact, quite a few of us first came to Bath and Hay Hill as students and have stuck around.
We like to integrate our students as much as possible with the church. We recognise that students tend to spend most of their time with other students and don't necessarily need to do that at church too. Instead we encourage you to engage as individuals with the broader church community here and to discover how you may participate in the life of the church.
Our main meeting is at 10.30am on Sundays - a mix of worship and teaching. We try to make this accessible and relevant to people wherever they may be on their spiritual journey, regular church-goers or not.
We also meet on alternate Wednesdays at 7.45pm at the church. This enables us to give more time than we might have on a Sunday to things such as prayer, discussion, worship and specific teaching. Sometimes, the evening might have more of a social dimension.
To help you get to know other members of the church (and get fed from time to time!) we are operating a "student adoption" scheme. Students who would like to be "adopted" can use the form on Sunday's news-sheet or email admin@hayhill.org.
student adoption
To help you get to know some people in the church we run a "student adoption" scheme. If you have decided to settle at Hay Hill you can sign up to be adopted and your adopter will then invite you for a meal every now and again!
Apart from getting fed, this is a good opportunity to find out more about the church and keep in touch with the world beyond university. Adoption often leads to mutually supportive friendships that last beyond student years.
We usually place at least two students with each adopter so that you always have some familiar company.
More details about student adoption will be announced in early November by which time we hope you will have decided whether to settle at Hay Hill.
getting involved
We welcome students getting involved in church life and are grateful for the enormous contribution they make. If you are new to Hay Hill we would suggest that you take a few weeks (but not a few months!) to decide whether this is the church for you before getting too heavily involved, and then look in the weekly news bulletins for more details.
Here are some (but not all) of the opportunities for joining in:
Children's work: Hay Hill Kidz runs every Sunday morning for children aged 4 to 10. If you enjoy working with children, colouring, gluing etc. then this could be the place for you. Our Child Protection policy requires all volunteers to be checked for suitability.
Catering: you will notice that we serve refreshments after our service. Helping with this once in a while is simple and a great way to meet people.
Music: we have been blessed with many musicians and singers, and try to create an opportunity for all to get involved. You should be reasonably competent and have a desire to worship God through your music. Home groups: students are welcome to join our existing home groups, but we also encourage you to participate fully in your Christian Union small groups.
Culture Watch: this is a new group within the church that will be meeting to discuss our society's cultural and how it impacts our faith.
Football: The young-at-heart men have a friendly hour of football every Monday evening. We also have a team playing in the Bristol area churches league.
Friday 'Call In': Every Friday from 11am coffee is served in the ground floor hall followed by a light lunch and 'thought for the day' - everybody is welcome to call in!
finding a church
It may be that you are new to Bath (or new to church) and will be looking around to find a church that suits you. This is an important decision and one that you should give careful consideration. You will probably want to visit a few churches, but we recommend that you try to settle in one before the end of the first term.
Useful questions to ask when visiting churches are:
- Will I be able to express myself in worship here?
- Will I grow spiritually here?
- Are there people I can relate to who will care for me and challenge me?
- Will I be able to serve God here?
The decisions of friends, location of the church and other factors may also influence your choice. We encourage you to allow God to lead you to the church where you will thrive. We would be pleased to help if you need advice or have questions on this issue.
christian unions
We support the Christian Unions at Bath University and Bath Spa University College and encourage you to actively participate in them.
