FAITH IN THE COMMUNITY: Come and join our new family service
by the Rev Katherine Message, team vicar, Harbour Church Copnor
WE’VE launched a brand new congregation in Copnor – and we’d love you to be part of it!
It’s part of the Harbour Church network, which is based at St George’s Church, Portsea, All Saints in Commercial Road, and St Alban’s Church in Copnor.
Earlier this year, I was appointed as team vicar with responsibility for St Alban’s Church, and one of the things I wanted to do was to launch a brand new service for families who live in this area. So we started ‘The Ten’ in September – an all-age service at 10am on Sundays.
So far we’ve had around 20 adults and 20 children for the first few weeks. The children have enjoyed the bouncy castle – and I hope everyone is enjoying the contemporary worship and the warm welcome we’ve offered. That welcome includes coffee and pastries each week, plus the chance to worship and learn from the Bible together.
It’s not the only change at St Alban’s. We’ve refurbished the inside of the church with some strategic funding from the national Church of England. There’s already some new chairs and flooring, which makes the space as flexible as possible for family activities, and soon there will be a new café and welcome area as you come in.
The church’s kitchen and toilets will also soon be improved. And we’ve retained its historic font, which used to be in St Mary’s Church, Fratton, and was the one used to baptise Charles Dickens in 1812.
I’m really pleased that the refurbishment has made the building more welcoming, and also pleased that so many local people have already chosen to join us.
I was involved with the previous all-age service here, which used to meet at 4pm on a Sunday. So this new 10am service means that Harbour Church families who live in the Copnor area don’t need to travel all the way to Portsea for a service. They’ll form the basis of our new congregation.
If you think that you know what church is all about, I’d encourage you to join us and prepare to be surprised. Among the things we have coming up soon are the Harbour Church Christmas spectacular – a show that includes drama and music to tell the Christmas story.
It’s a Harbour Church annual tradition, but this year we’ll be hosting it. Performances will happen on December 14th in St Alban’s Church, with shows at 10am and 3pm.
ST ALBAN’S CHURCH, Copnor Road, Copnor, Portsmouth, PO3 5AL