Victoria Methodist Church, Bristol

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Victoria is situated at the city end of Whiteladies Road, near the University of Bristol and BBC. Our minister is Revd Debbie Godefroy. She can be contacted by 'phone on 0117 962 1200. Her monthly letter comes from our Magazine. We worship at 10:30am and 6:30pm on Sundays. Details of services in November, December, January and February We have a wide range of weekly activities and act as hosts to Bristol MethSoc. Debbie is part of the Bristol University Chaplaincy team. Our Mission statement is: "The purpose of Victoria Methodist Church is to respond to God’s Love in Christ and to live out that love in God’s world ."

There are strong historical links between Bristol and John Wesley, who first preached in the open air here. The oldest Methodist building in the world, John Wesley's New Room, is in the centre of Bristol.

Here is a prayer written by John Wesley, it appeared in ‘Thoughts upon Slavery’, in 1744

God of love,

Whose love embraces all humanity, whose mercy is over all, and who has mingled of one blood all the nations of the earth,
have compassion on those who have no helper,
who are outcast, downtrodden, and by the sins of men held captive.

Arise, burst their chains asunder,
and, more especially, break the chains of sin.
By your love, release us, free us all, that all may be free indeed.

Services/ Activities/ MethSoc/ History of Victoria/ Magazine/ Other Web Sites/ Podcasts

You can contact us here: e-mail

Last update:18.11.08

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Online Bible Study

Recently, the web team at Methodist Church House launched an online Bible study called A Word in Time at www.methodist.org.uk/bible

A Word in Time follows the readings in the Methodist Prayer Handbook and offers commentary, explanations and questions to ponder on the selected passages.

Writers from all around Methodism have written a week of studies, providing the reader with a tool that allows them to make sense of the Bible and its relevance to 21^st century life. This new application brings together the 40,000+ readers of the Methodist Prayer Handbook along with online disciples in their search for daily spirituality.

In December, an audio version of A Word in Time was launched, giving readers the chance to listen live to the Bible reading and study, or download the day’s offering to a computer or mp3 player to be listened to on the journey to work, or while making dinner or at a time more convenient to them.

A prayer from the Methodist Prayer Handbook

Jesus, abject and despised, let us not be ashamed to follow you.

Jesus, hated & persecuted, let us not be afraid to walk in your footsteps.

Jesus, blasphemed and condemned, let us be counted your friends.

Jesus, mocked and scourged, let us bear all things patiently

Jesus, crowned and derided, let us not be overwhelmed by our injuries and grief. Amen

John Wesley, 1703-91

A Word in Time is a daily Bible Study linked to the Methodist Prayer Handbook on the Methodist Church web site.

Victoria Methodist Church

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Services

Please note that our Morning Services
now begin at 10:30

November

2nd	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mr John Wing
	6:30pm	Evening Worship – at Brentry Church
9th	10:30 am	Morning Worship - Revd. Dr Jonathan Pye
	6.30pm	Evening Worship – at Westbury on Trym Methodist Church
16th	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mrs Pam Roberts
	6.30pm	Evening Worship – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
23rd	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mr. John Barnett
	6.30pm	Evening Worship - Mr Ken Napier
30th	10:30 am	Morning Worship and Holy Communion – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	6.30pm	Evening Worship and Holy Communion - Revd. Debbie Godefroy

December

7th	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Miss Christine Stones
	6:30pm	Evening Worship – Mr. Ken Napier
14th	10:30 am	Morning Worship and Holy Communion – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	5.30pm	Giving Tree Service at Tyndale Baptist Church
21st	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Rev. John Clapham
	4.00pm	Carol Service followed by Tea
25th - Christmas Day	10.00am	Christmas All Age Worship
28th	10:30 am	Ecumenical Morning Worship at Tyndale Baptist Church
		No evening service

January 2009

4th	10:30 am	All Age Worship for Epiphany - Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	6:30pm	Evening Worship – Mr. David Speirs
11th	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mrs Pam Roberts
	6.30pm	Evening Worship – Dr. Vicky Davies
18th	10:30 am	Covenant Service including Holy Communion – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	6.30pm	Evening Worship – Miss Jenni Gill
26th	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mrs Rachel Fletcher (University Chaplain)
	6.30pm	Evening Worship - Mr Ken Napier

February

1st	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Dr. Vicky Davies
	6:30pm	Evening Worship – Mr. John Barnett
8th	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Mr. David Speirs
	6.30pm	Ecumenical Service at Holy Trinity, Westbury on Trym
15th	10:30 am	Morning Worship and Holy Communion – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	6.30pm	United Service at Brentry Methodist
22nd	10:30 am	Morning Worship – Revd. Debbie Godefroy
	6.30pm	Evening Worship – Miss Christine Stones

March

1st	10:30 am	Morning Worship - Mr. John Barnett
	6:30pm	United Service at Westbury on Trym Methodist

Victoria Methodist Church

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Activities

Day	Activity	Time	When	Where	Contact
Sunday	Worship	11:00am & 6:30pm	-	-	-
-	Junior Church & Crèche	11:00am	-	-	Pam Roberts 0117 973 6904 Cath Bant 0117 974 3266 (créche)
-	MethSoc	8:10pm	-	The Manse	Debbie Godefroy 0117 962 1200
Tuesday	Women's Fellowship	2:45pm	Last Tuesday monthly	-	Sheila Lang 0117 924 7478
-	Bible Study	7:30pm	-	15 Montrose Ave Redland	Mary Hill 0117 942 2193
-	Prayer Group	8:15pm	-	15 Montrose Ave Redland	Mary Hill 0117 942 2193
-	Women's Night	7:30pm	Alternate Tuesdays	-	Phyllis Slade 0117 951 3119
Other Groups	House Groups		-	-	Janet George 0117 942 1706
-	Enjoying Art Group	-	-	-	Sarah Ball 01275 392034
	Vic Rambling Group				Ian Campion-Smith 0117 973 8026<>
	Book Club		Alternates Sunday/Thursday	Hodgkin House	Pam O'Hara 01275 373691

Victoria Methodist Church

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Other Events

Victoria Methodist Church

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Podcasts

The sermon given by Revd Andrew Mottram on the morning of Sunday 3 February 2008, in the context of our current review of our premises. The file is in MP3 format, size 10.0 Mb, and can be heard here

The sermon given by Revd Jonathan Pye on the morning of Easter Sunday 8 April 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 6.0 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Debbie Godefroy on the morning of Sunday 11 February 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 6.3 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Mr John Barnett on the morning of Sunday 4 February 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 5.9 Mb, and can be heard here (The last few sentences are missing from the recording, so the text is available for download here as a pdf)
The 3-part address given by Revd Debbie Godefroy at All Age Worship on the morning of Sunday 28 January 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 6.9 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Debbie Godefroy at the Covenant Service on the morning of Sunday 14 January 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 5.9 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Mrs Clare Campion-Smith on the morning of Sunday 7 January 2007. The file is in MP3 format, size 4.9 Mb, and can be heard here Lunchtime Lecture on "Weaving the Threads " given by Revd David Deeks on Tuesday 24 October 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 11 Mb, and can be heard here
Lunchtime Lecture on "Recognising the Go-between God " given by Jane Stacey on Tuesday 17 October 2006. There are two files in MP3 format, size 4.6 Mb and 14 Mb. The short file omits the time during which a film was shown and the questions after the talk and can be heard here. The long file includes the time during which a film was shown and the questions after the talk and can be heard here .
The sermon given by Mr Derrick George on Sunday 1 October 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 2.7 Mb, and can be heard here
Lunchtime Lecture on "Christian Witness and Inter-faith dialogue" given by Revd Edward Williams on Tuesday 10 October 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 9 Mb, and can be heard here
Lunchtime Lecture on "Refugee Action " given by Claire Stern on Tuesday 3 October 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 10.1 Mb, and can be heard here
Lunchtime Lecture on "Euthanasia" given by Revd Jonathan Pye on Tuesday 26 September 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 13.2 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Peter Grimwood on the evening of Sunday 24 September 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 4.2 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Colin Hayes on the morning of Sunday 24 September 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 6.9 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Debbie Godefroy on Sunday 10 September 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 4.0 Mb, and can be heard here
The sermon given by Revd Colin Hayes on Sunday 3 September 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 4.5 Mb, and can be heard here

Our first podcast was the sermon given by Revd David Deeks on Sunday 30 July 2006. The file is in MP3 format, size 5.3 Mb, and can be heard here (To download, right click the link and then click 'Save Target As...')

Victoria Methodist Church

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Bristol MethSoc

A Welcome to Students!

Bristol Methsoc is the Methodist society for University students in Bristol. We are supported by Victoria Methodist Church, please find out more on our own web site

President - Helen Rollinson

Secretary - Ryan Thomas
Treasurer - Stephen Hatch

Victoria Methodist Church

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VIC Magazine

Our magazine is published monthly - some recent articles may be displayed here.

A Letter from our Minister

Dear Friends,

By the time you are reading this I should be back at work – well the doctor has prescribed ‘light duties until the end of December’. That means I will endeavour to do the morning services each Sunday and a some events during the week and see how we go.

I think if I had known how long it was going to take and how much pain was involved when I first damaged my back in August I would have been very disheartened! (Perhaps sometimes not knowing is a blessing). However I am assured that all will be well as long as I do as the doctor prescribes. The MRI scan has shown a ruptured disk and that it is slowly healing itself.

Thinking about the pain and reflecting on it I realise that it is a gift. That may sound strange but just think for a moment how terrible it would be to live totally pain free. Pain is a warning of trouble in the body, there are parts that need to be protected and guarded so they can heal. The alternative is the fate of the leprosy sufferer who has lost all feeling in limbs and other parts, exposing her/him to danger and terrible deformity - no pain but what replaces it is much worse.

Pain can be a part of growing up too. I remember being told that the pains I was feeling in my teens were ‘growing pains’, I was not impressed at the time so I stopped growing with the result that you see! If a Church is growing it too will experience ‘growing pains.’ One of the ways of dealing with them is to stop growing and the pain will go away. However, stagnation leads to putrefaction and that to death. Therefore pain can have some value, even if it is not pleasant. If some pain is a warning and a protection then other pain may have to be worked through and becomes a challenge.

My little niece has just got her first two teeth. She used to sleep well through the night and my sister thought that she had a model baby! Then there were teething pains! You can rub things onto the gum to help with the soreness and hope that the baby will sleep, but however tired or helpless you are you know that one day it will all be OK because the teeth will come through the child will be equipped for the next stage in its gastronomic life. It reminds me of the writer of Hebrews (5:11-14) when he talks about the need to move from drinking milk as children to eating solid food as adults, he equates this with the development of faith and the knowledge of right and wrong and good and bad.

We are living in amazing times, what a lot is happening in the life of Vic and the Circuit. There will be growing pains and teething troubles and maybe even the labour pains that bring to birth the new Church for the 21 st Century. There will be the warning pains too, but at the end of the day there will be a new vision of mission and a new diet of spirituality.

It has been said that there is ‘no salvation without pain’ our salvation cost the pain of the passion and cross of Jesus. It was his love for us that put him there. There is pain in love but also hope.

If you are experiencing pain at this time, then ask God to show you how to cope with it and allow him to share your pain and lead you through it. Let us as brothers and sisters in Christ love each other and carry the pain together – of the World, of the Church and of those we know, praying that God will help us to learn and grow through the experience as we place ourselves in his hands.

Yours in hope... Debbie

Victoria Methodist Church

Directions for Singing

Here are John Wesley’s original instructions for singing from his ‘Selected Hymns’ of 1761. They serve as a reminder that singing was, and still is, an important part of Methodist worship.

i. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

ii. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; if you have learned to sing them otherwise, un-learn it as soon as you can.

iii Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

iv. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

v. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

vi. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

vii. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

Victoria Methodist Church

Other Web Sites

Other Methodist Pages

• Methodist Church in Britain
• A Word in Time
• Bristol District of the Methodist Church
• Bristol (West) Methodist Circuit
• Methodist Recorder
• Bristol Methodist International House
• Methodist Relief and Development Fund

Other Pages

• Christian Aid
• Traidcraft

Victoria Methodist Church