Navigating Life with the Psalms Series

Navigating Life with the Psalms Series

Our emotions can be mystifying. Science struggles to fully explain their origin and for Christians, they can be both life enhancing and seriously undermining! God created us to experience emotions, but wants to give us godly ways to manage them.

The Psalms—ancient Jewish poems of prayer and praise— can give voice to some of our deepest emotions. They are timeless, profoundly human, and deeply spiritual prayers that can help us process life. One aspect of the Psalms is how they can help move us along when we get stuck! They guide us on journeys from sorrow to joy, fear to faith, longing to fulfilment, despair to hope.

Over the next few weeks we will be enlisting the help of the Psalms to help us process some of our most common emotions. As we take the opportunity that summer brings to recharge our relationship with God, we want to dig into the literary and psychological genius of these three thousand year old prayers.

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at:

• An Attitude of Gratitude - 6th July

• Overcoming Fear - 13th July

• Navigating Uncertainty - 20th July

• Contending for Contentment - 27th July

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Navigating Life with the Psalms - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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Vacancy for WTC Hub Director

Thank you for your interest in this role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead Westminster Theological Centre’s (WTC) Bristol Hub in partnership with Woodlands Church Family. The Hub Director role involves facilitating and supporting growth of the Hub and providing an environment and foundation for students to succeed in their studies.

WTC Theology is a pioneering theological college with a vision to integrate the best of scholarship with the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to transform, heal, and release God’s people into His purposes for them. We deliver transformational theological education within prophetic, worshipping and learning communities throughout the UK, in partnership with local churches. 

This is a very varied role, which includes networking with church leaders across Bristol and the wider region to raise the profile of WTC, recruiting students, facilitating and growing the learning and worshipping community, and growing a Hub culture in which students learn and thrive in their studies. Together with an ability to build communities, the successful applicant will possess excellent interpersonal skills with strong relational and/or professional networks in the churches across this part of the UK. The ideal candidate will be entrepreneurial, a self-starter, well organised and methodical. They will be an outstanding networker, with an ability to implement a recruitment strategy leading to a healthy intake of students each academic year.

The successful applicant will see this role as part of their call to ministry, and as such it is a genuine occupational requirement for the Hub Director to be a mature Christian.

The successful candidate will be contracted to Woodlands Church.

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ABOUT THE ROLE

This is a part-time, permanent post attracting an annual salary of £8,300 for 1.5 days per week. (FTE £27,700). Flexibility is required for working hours, with a requirement to work on Mondays between 4 and 10pm.

Occasional Saturday and Sunday availability is also required, as is a 48 hour stay at bi-annual Residentials and attendance in person at the third HD training day during June/July each year in Cheltenham.

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How to apply

To apply, please email an up to date Curriculum Vitae together with a covering letter explaining why you feel you are suitable for this post to DHO@wtctheology.org.uk.

Closing date for applications:
5pm Wednesday 2 July

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 16 July.

The successful candidate will ideally attend the WTC Residential on 1–2 September.

Vacancies in our Youth Team

Join our Youth Ministry Team

The Woodlands Church Family (WCF) is a vibrant, growing family of churches with eight sites located across the city of Bristol. Our vision is to see Bristol transformed through the love and power of God as we create spirit-filled, visible communities of faith in neighbourhoods across the city.

Each congregation is distinct in their style, but we all share the same vision, mission and values to be communities which are welcoming of everyone, authentic in our faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit and expectant of all that God will do in us and through us. 

Central to our plans to reach this city for Jesus are young people! In Bristol, there are 90,000 young people who don’t have regular contact with church or faith. We would love to see this change! 

As we’ve grown, so too has our team, and we have several exciting opportunities for joining our youth ministry team.

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ABOUT THE ROLES

Candidates should be highly motivated, enthusiastic, able to take initiative, work well in a team and be committed to see the church community grow in their faith and reach the city for Jesus.  

The following positions are available at Highgrove Church in Sea Mills. Find out more about each role below:

SENIOR YOUTH MINISTER
£27k - £30k (pro rata) | Full or Part Time Role
View Role Summary & Terms
View Job Description

YOUTH MINISTER
£25k - £27k (pro rata) | Full or Part Time Role
View Role Summary & Terms
View Job Description

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Occupational Requirement
These roles have an occupational requirement that the post holder be a follower of Jesus and to be a worshipping member of the Woodlands Church Family (if not already) to ensure protection of our strong Christian ethos and values, and our charitable objective of advancing the Christian faith. We also want to ensure all team members thrive and flourish in this environment. 

Right to Work in the UK
We have a legal responsibility to ensure that all our employees have the legal right to live and work in the UK. Therefore, please only apply if you are eligible to work in the UK as we will have to verify this before you can start work.

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How to apply

To apply for either of these roles, download and complete the Woodlands Church Family application form:

Please send your completed application to our HR Team at hr@woodlandschurch.net.

If you would like an informal conversation to discuss questions about the role, please contact the Lead Recruiter, Jack Saunders at jack.saunders@woodlandschurch.net.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Wednesday 9th July 2025. However, this vacancy will close once we have sufficient applications.

If shortlisted, the first interviews will take place online on the 14th and 15th of July 2025.

If you are taken through to the second stage in the interview process availability all day on the 20th July 2025 will be required. We will consider other interview dates for candidates not able to make the 20th July 2025.

Vacancy for WCF Trustee

Thank you for your interest in joining our Board of Trustees

The Woodlands Church Family (WCF) is a registered charity, governed by a board of trustees. Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that the WCF achieves its core purpose. Collectively, they hold responsibility for setting the strategic direction of our churches’ ministry, ensuring that the work and goals are set in line with our vision, and oversee the overall management and administration of the churches. They work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, supporting them through their day-to-day leadership and challenging decisions if necessary.  

To find out more about this role and have an informal conversation with the Chair and/or Vice-Chair before submitting an application, please email Catherine Penn, Secretary to the Board of Trustees at catherine.penn@woodlandschurch.net. We welcome your interest and can arrange a time for this.

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ABOUT THE ROLE

This role is a voluntary position. For terms of office, time commitment duties and person specification please see the WCF Trustee Role Description.

One of the benefits of volunteering is being able to access learning and development opportunities relevant to the role. We ask you to undertake the following training within the first 12 months of your role:

• Safeguarding

• GDPR (Data Protection and Confidentiality)

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KEY TERMS

Our volunteer roles require a commitment to be a follower of Jesus and a worshipping member of the Woodlands Church Family.  

Vetting trustees  

All prospective trustees must be asked to provide two references: their church leader and one other person of good standing, with professional knowledge of the individual. 

All prospective trustees must be DBS checked. 

All prospective trustees must declare any conflicts of interest. 

Term of service

All trustees will be expected to serve a four-year term. At the end of four years, they may be invited to stand again on approval from the remaining members of the Board. There is no limit to the number of terms a trustee may serve. 

 A trustee may be invited to resign after one year if they or the Board recognise that the appointment has not been a success, or at any point if their actions or behaviour put the Board at reputational risk. 

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How to apply

Our application process includes the offer to have an informal conversation with the Chair and/or Vice-Chair Ed Marsh before submitting an application. If you would like to take this opportunity please email Catherine Penn, Secretary to the Board of Trustees at catherine.penn@woodlandschurch.net.

To submit an application, please complete an application form and submit a CV with covering letter to the Secretary to the Board of Trustees for the attention of the Chair Ed Marsh by midnight on the 24th June.

Shortlisting and interviewing 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, ideally in person, but with a virtual option where applicable. Interviews will take place on the 3rd and 4th of July.

Following the interview, the successful candidate will be invited to attend a meeting of the Trustees on the 17th of July, before giving a formal acceptance of the offer. 

June Prayer Calendar

Pray each day

Each month, you’re invited to pray for church and all that is happening with our monthly Prayer Calendar. You can view and download the calendar below as a PDF.

The Holy Spirit for Everyone Series

The Holy Spirit for Everyone Series

As a church, we want to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. As Pentecost Sunday approaches on the 8th June, we will be thinking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. But there’s more to it than that.

Living the Christian life is impossible without the help of the Spirit. Our character growth depends on the fruit of the Spirit. Our prayer life depends on the unction of the Spirit. Our ministry depends on the power of the Spirit.

On the day of Pentecost the promise of the Spirit was for everyone (Acts 2:39). This series looks at some of the aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit - for everyone.

Our talks in this series at Woodlands Central will look at:

• Everyone’s Invited – 1st June

• Good News for Everyone – 8th June (Pentecost and Global Partners Weekend)

• Generosity for Everyone – 15th June

• Freedom for Everyone – 22nd June

• Worship for Everyone – 29th June

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• The Holy Spirit for Everyone - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Everyone’s Invited:
1 June at 11am with Clare Thompson

Good News for Everyone:
8 June at 11am with Johnny Walker

Freedom for Everyone:
22 June at 11am with Clare Thompson

Everyone’s Invited:
1 June at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

Good News for Everyone:
8 June at 11am with Dave Mitchell

Freedom for Everyone:
22 June at 6.30pm with Matt Dobson

Final Spring Bible School session on Genesis

Here is the audio for the final Spring Bible School session on Genesis, looking at “Where is Jesus seen in Genesis”?

Spring Bible School - Genesis part 3

Here is the audio for the third session on our Spring Bible School. Here we cover Genesis ch12-50

May Prayer Calendar

Pray each day

Each month, you’re invited to pray for church and all that is happening with our monthly Prayer Calendar. You can view and download the calendar below as a PDF.

Spring Bible School - Genesis Part 2

We continue our journey through Genesis looking at the Fall, Cain & Abel, Noah & the flood, and the Tower of Babel as we see the impact and spread of rebellion against God.

Vacancy for Children's Ministry Coordinator

Join our Children’s Church Team

The Woodlands Church Family (WCF) is a vibrant, growing family of churches with eight sites located across the city of Bristol. Our vision is to transform Bristol through the love and power of God as we create spirit-filled, visible communities of faith in neighbourhoods across the city.

Each congregation is distinct in their style, but we all share the same vision, mission and values to be communities which are welcoming of everyone, authentic in our faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit and expectant of all that God will do in us and through us. 

As we’ve grown, so too has our team, and we an exciting opportunity for joining our team.

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ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Woodlands Church Family Children’s Ministry Coordinator to join our team working 1.5 to 2 days a week. This role will work across our Children’s Ministry and closely with our Children’s Ministry Leaders.

We’re looking for candidates with extensive experience of children’s ministry with the ability to think strategically, take initiative, work well in a team and be passionate to see children grow in their faith.

Key areas of work include:

1. Training

2. Support

3. Coordination

Full details are contained in the job description below:

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KEY TERMS

You can find out more details about these roles and full terms by downloading the document below:

Occupational Requirement
These roles have an occupational requirement that the post holder be a follower of Jesus and to be a worshipping member of the Woodlands Church Family (if not already) to ensure protection of our strong Christian ethos and values, and our charitable objective of advancing the Christian faith. We also want to ensure all team members thrive and flourish in this environment. 

Terms

• This is a fixed term contract (FTC) position contracted at 1.5 to 2 days a week.

• The salary will be £30K - £32.5K pro rata, depending on experience.

• The annual holiday entitlement is 25 days pro rata, plus 8 days bank holiday pro rata.

• The role will be based at one of our WCF sites and travel between the different sites will be required.

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that all our employees have the legal right to live and work in the UK. Therefore, please only apply if you are eligible to work in the UK as we will have to verify this before you can start work.

Relocation
If relocating to Bristol, Woodlands Church Family will reimburse reasonable relocation expenses.

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How to apply

To apply, download and complete the Woodlands Church Family application form:

Please send your completed application to our HR Lead Julia Shrimpton at hr@woodlandschurch.net.

If you have any questions about these roles, contact our HR team on hr@woodlandschurch.net.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 9th June 2025. However, this vacancy will close once we have sufficient applications.

If shortlisted, interviews will take place during the two weeks following the close of the vacancy.

Our Culture Series

Our Culture Series

This May and June, all of our congregations across the Woodlands Church Family are sharing a preaching series called Our Culture where we’ll be looking at four values that shape our life together.

Our talks in this series will look at how we aim to be:

• Welcoming

• Authentic

• Empowered

• Expectant

As a church family spread out over eight sites, we're increasingly trying to call together the distinctives that help us understand the shared mission and journey that we're on. It's difficult to boil all of our culture and values down into simple, memorable phrases, but we're going to do our best in this series.

A particular distinctive about the Woodlands Church Family is the ‘both/and’ idea and concept that runs through so much of what we do in our theology and our practice. And you'll find it running through this sermon series as well.

We want to unpack some key things that you'll find and experience if you come into any of our celebrations, gatherings and communities around the city and region.

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week. We hope you find the questions useful to help you look at these values in more detail.

• Our Culture - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Our Culture: Welcoming
4 May at 11am with Tim Dobson

Our Culture: Authentic
11 May at 11am with Hazel Askew

Our Culture: Empowered
18 May at 11am with Rachel Riddall

Our Culture: Expectant
25 May at 6.30pm with Clare Thompson

Our Culture: Welcoming
4 May at 6.30pm with Dave Roderick

Our Culture: Authentic
11 May at 6.30pm with Nigel Savage

Our Culture: Expectant
25 May at 11am with Dave Mitchell

Our Culture: Empowered
1 June at 6.30pm with Dave Mitchell

Spring Bible School - Genesis 1

Here is an introduction to the book of Genesis and a closer look at the creation narrative

Spring Bible School - starts 22nd April

Here at Woodlands we love the Bible. It is an inspiring, supernatural book, but at times hard to understand. Woodlands Bible School helps you to grapple with different books of the Bible and themes within it. This spring we are going to take four evenings to take a deep dive into the book of Genesis.

Join us from Tuesday 22nd April at 7.30pm in the Foyer at Woodlands Central. All welcome

April Prayer Calendar

Pray each day

Each month, you’re invited to pray for church and all that is happening with our monthly Prayer Calendar. You can view and download the calendar below as a PDF.

8am Talks

Here are a selection of messages shared at our 8am services, with the most recent talks appearing at the top of the list…

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Reading John's Letters Well with Dave Roderick (Mar 2025)

This month Dave Roderick takes a look at the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John. You can listen to the audio from the link below

Dinner with Jesus Series

Dinner with Jesus Series

As we lead up to Easter we are looking at Jesus in the gospels through the lens of meals he shared with people. We get to see Jesus’ heart toward others and how He used meals to minister to those around Him. Meals welcome others into our lives and help others feel invited and included.

This seven week series will help us see how we can use meals, like Jesus did, to reach out and connect to those around us. In our discussion notes below, we’ve included a handful of questions for you to discuss as a group as well as a challenge to apply the teaching in a practical way each week.

Our talks in this series will look at the following topics:

• 16th March – Supper with Sinners

• 23rd March – Would you like a fish sandwich?

• 30th March – The Uninvited Guest

• 6th April – Who’s coming to the dinner party?

• 13th April – One Last Meal Together

• 20th April – Easter Sunday

• 27th April – Breakfast on the Beach 

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Dinner with Jesus Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Supper with Sinners
16 March at 11am: Dave Mitchell

Supper with Sinners
16 March at 6.30pm: Tim Dobson & Ella Harbord

Would you like a fish sandwich?
23 March at 11am: Rachel Riddall

The Uninvited Guest
30 March at 11am: Hazel Askew

Who’s coming to the dinner party?
6 April at 11am: Rachel Riddall

One Last Meal Together
13 April at 11am: Nigel Savage

Easter Sunday
20th April at 11am: Nigel Savage

Would you like a fish sandwich?
23 March at 6.30pm: Rachel Riddall

The Uninvited Guest
30 March at 6.30pm: Dave Mitchell

Who’s coming to the dinner party?
6 April at 6.30pm: Matt Dobson

One Last Meal Together
13 April at 6.30pm: Dave Mitchell

Easter Sunday
20th April at 6.30pm: Rachel Riddall

Prophecy Mini-Series

Prophecy Mini-Series

As a charismatic church, from time to time we press in on teaching around our values on the work of the Spirit and the kingdom of God. Last year, we focused on healing and this March we are looking at prophecy.

We are a prophetic people and we are all encouraged to pursue the gift of prophecy. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14 - “...eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy."

This mini-series over two weeks will explore the prophetic:

• What do we mean when we talk about prophecy?

• How do we discern and weigh prophecy?

We hope that these talks will help us find our way forward as individuals and as a community.

Talks in this mini-series are titled:

• 2nd March: The water we swim in

• 9th March: Test everything

Watch this 90-second video with Dave Mitchell explaining the vision for the series.

Download our discussion notes to go deeper with the topics each week.

• Prophecy Mini-Series - Discussion Notes (PDF)

See you on Sundays or catchup on the livesteam!

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MESSAGES FROM THIS SERIES

Clare Thompson | 2 March 2025 at 11am

Nigel Savage | 2 March 2025 at 6.30pm

March Prayer Calendar

Pray each day

Each month, you’re invited to pray for church and all that is happening with our monthly Prayer Calendar. You can view and download the calendar below as a PDF.