April in Bloom

Welcome to our Monthly Newsletter

From the Editor

Together, and Reaching Further

What a month it has been! As you read through, I hope you'll sense the thread running through it all — a beautiful spirit of togetherness.

From Maundy Thursday to 360 of us gathered for the Easter Fun Day, from four baptisms in a packed church to the Holy Spirit moving powerfully at our Alpha day — there's such joy in being together. And it's spilling outward, into new friendships, curious hearts, and generous giving that will fuel all God has for us ahead.

Read on, give thanks with us, and let's keep reaching wider together. Yo

Ministry Spotlight

Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday we gathered in the parish centre to remember the Passover the disciples shared with Jesus. Zillah Chester prepared a wonderful array of authentic middle eastern food, and a beautifully arranged Passover table to help us envisage what it must have been like on that evening the day before Jesus was crucified. After a time of conversation and fellowship, we shared a moving time of worship, readings and communion. Later we walked together to the church building, as we remembered the disciples leaving that meal and heading with Jesus to the garden of Gethsemane. 

 It was a beautiful and powerful way to walk in the footsteps of those disciples, and imagine what they must have felt. David Shervington

Easter Fun Day

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus with our community. Around 360 people gathered on the church lawn for a short, joyful service, followed by the ever-popular duck hunt, inflatables, and outdoor games.

Although the wind meant the large inflatable slide couldn’t make an appearance, it certainly didn’t dampen the spirit of the day. There was a real sense of joy and togetherness, with new friendships forming and familiar ones growing even stronger.

We are incredibly grateful to the many people who generously gave their time and also those who donated chocolate eggs as prizes. So many commented on what a thoughtful and generous gift it was from our church - thank you for helping make the day so special. Helen

Baptisms on Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday we had the absolute joy of baptising four wonderful people, and it really was such a special moment for our church family. Each of them shared their story, and it was incredible to hear how different their journeys have been—yet all pointing to the same amazing truth of how God has been at work in their lives, bringing transformation, hope, and new beginnings.

The church was full, which made it even more meaningful. It was so encouraging to see so many people there, cheering them on, supporting them, and celebrating everything God has done. There was a real sense of joy and togetherness as we marked this important step in their faith.

We’ll continue to be praying for all four of them as they move forward, asking that God would keep guiding them, strengthening them, and drawing them closer to Him each day.

And if you’ve been thinking about baptism or are just curious to find out more, we’d love to chat! Do grab Tim or Josh at some point—they’d be really happy to talk it through with you. Janet

APCM 2026 

It was wonderful to gather together as we celebrated all that God was doing amongst us in 2025 at our APCM (read 2025 Annual Review). We thanked our PCC who had completed their term and not re-standing, namely Helen Cole, Catherine Fewings, and Neil Seagrave. We also thanked Margaret Taylor for her time serving as Church Warden for the last 4 years. We welcomed new members to our PCC: Natasha Rees, Milid Chiti and Amy Wilson; and a new Churchwarden to serve alongside Jonathan Coppock, Alison Smailes. We’re so grateful how God has provided in so many ways and how God is blessing us as a community, as we long to see every life transformed by Jesus. Tim

Men’s Ministry Social

Last Saturday around 40 men went to Sovereign Snooker Club in North Camp for an evening of pool, darts, shuffleboard, table tennis and an opportunity to connect with each other. It was a brilliant night and it was great to see men from across services and various groups interacting with one another. We are excited already for the next men's event in June - look out for more information coming soon! Josh

Holy Spirit Day

On Saturday 18th April we hosted our Alpha Holy Spirit day. We used our church building and had a wonderful day of discussion and prayer. It was a joy to gather together at the end of a fantastic Alpha course. There was a real sense throughout the day of the Holy Spirit's presence with us as we grew in our understanding of who He is, how He works and we were led by the Holy Spirit to see and encounter more of Jesus. Thank you for all those who were and have been praying for the course. We saw Jesus moving and transforming people in different ways.  Let's continue to pray that all those who did the course would discover more of Jesus' love, grace, truth and power whilst they desire to get to know Him more. Josh

Giving Sunday

March 22nd was Giving Sunday and the results have been very encouraging, see the headlines below. Thank you to everyone who has already responded … and for those who haven’t yet, there is still time to change that Standing Order! Though the numbers here look good, we can’t get over-confident for the year, as we know that sadly there will be some members of the congregation leaving Farnborough so there will also be some reductions in income to come in the rest of the year. As of 26 April:

• One off gifts of £23,445 from 18 donations (one restricted £12k donation)

• New giving per month of £706, from 7 givers

• Increased regular giving per month of £540.20 from 25 givers So a total of 51 responses, generating £34,696.8 for 2026, excluding gift aid.

  Steve Moores

Church Notice:

• Join us on Wednesday 13 May, 10.30am–12 noon, as we welcome The Rt Revd Nason Baluku, Bishop of South Rwenzori Diocese. Hear how God is at work through his life and ministry, and unite with us in praying for the global Church. All are welcome as we come before the Lord together, expectant and faithful.

News from Shamira Japitana in Manilla - Mission/Youth Intern at St Peter’s 2007/9.

New premises for The Source in Aldershot - in Mission News this week.