Family Church
The United Reformed Church believes in the ministry of the whole people of God: women and men, young and old, ordained and lay.

Whilst we recognise particular ministries we are committed to supporting and developing a wide variety of ministry that is exercised by and on behalf of the members of the United Reformed Church.

The Children’s and Youth pages contain information and resources relating to particular work amongst and by the younger members of the church.

Community Based Church
Whilst our community is not a straightforward one, it is stable and full of people and God’s opportunities.

It is also an area in which we recognise our responsibilities. Therefore, we work to bring a sense of the ‘otherness of God’ to it by making our Church a place that can be used by local people to meet their needs.

We offer our facilities for community events and activities currently we do this through private bookings (e.g. public meetings, Slimming Club, children and neighbourhood parties) and through our own more focused work (e.g. Friendship 2000 [seniors] Toddler Group, Wacky Wednesdays, One Soul, Wednesday Fellowship, Messy Church, Sunday Discovery Zone).

In this way we not only strive to meet people’s immediate needs, but also to raise their awareness of our Church and its relevance, so that we can begin to meet their spiritual needs as well

We have a fully refurbished building well situated and with a variety of spaces available to be used by the community.

Witnessing Church Aware of its Mission
About four years ago we began to look seriously not just at the Church we had, but at the Church we wanted, recognising that if we ceased to develop, our complacency would soon lead to decline and then who would witness? Therefore, we identified the need for real growth and challenged ourselves to discover and take appropriate action.

Thus began a new journey of mission for our Church, an adventure which is still continuing. As part of this we gave everyone the opportunity to contribute their views and ideas and from these, we established a ‘mission group’, led by our ministers, that would galvanise this new momentum and begin to formulate ideas and action, whilst reporting back to Elders and other members and evaluating progress. Within this, we also set ourselves targets by which we were willing to be judged, two of the most significant being (on a measurable and perceptional basis respectively) to achieve real and sustained numerical and spiritual growth.

So far we have been encouraged by the results, but realise we are only at the beginning of work which must be pursued and sustained.

Worshipping Church
We see the way we worship, in its broadest context, but particularly on a Sunday, as crucial to our own personal spiritual growth and well-being and the success of our witness as a whole. To do this we have attempted to:

Be more welcoming, with such things as coffee before the service as well as after, together with designated ‘welcomers’ to ensure anyone new to our congregation is made to feel as comfortable and valued as possible (without going over the top!).

Make better use of technology, e.g. recorded music, a data projector.

Use drama and dance wherever appropriate and possible.

Involve young people more in worship and in the leading of worship. We believe all age worship (which happens at least once a month) is a real strength of our Church.

Sustain our commitment to weekly communion, but be flexible as to when it takes place e.g. morning or evening or even at a breakfast gathering.

Evaluate our progress and surround our work with prayer.

Our evening worship is attended by much smaller numbers, but, whilst we would obviously like the group to grow, we have chosen to take a positive view and give this particular service a clear definition as a more contemplative time. On some occasions we plan ‘special’ services, using a different format and involving large numbers. This often brings in many people, including those who only have limited contact with us. On these evenings our Church is often full.

Other forms of worship take place at different times and on other days.

Caring Church ~ Personally
A strength of our Church is our friendliness, the welcome people receive and the pastoral care we provide, at almost every level.

This may be on a Sunday morning over coffee or through a more formal visit by either the Minister or dedicated lay pastoral visiting team.

A Caring Church ~ Globally
At Bulwell, we have a very strong sense of our responsibility towards people’s needs both locally and across the world as a whole.

Our positive action in this area is very important to us. We are, for instance, involved with the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee, St. Hannah’s orphanage in Baghdad and the Bible Society.

We are actively involved in Christian Aid in our area, are a Fair Trade Church and are not afraid to get involved in issues on a political level.

We also help local charities and are longtime supporters of ‘Framework’, a local organisation which supports the homeless.