Sunday Gathering
If you have not been to Church for a while, the Community Church is for you. We try to make it easy for you to come and discover the encouragement and hope that comes from connecting with God. That way you can experience the music, encouraging messages, warmth, friendliness and enjoyable atmosphere that make up the Community Church.
The service starts at 10.30am each Sunday with everyone being together in the main church for songs of worship, prayers, video clips and other features. One of our pastors or other gifted speakers will bring a message during which the children will go to age-related groups to receive fun, engaging interactive lessons from experienced Sunday teachers.
We don’t take offerings during the service as we want you to come and receive, not feel obligated to give. We do, however, have a box by the door for regular attenders who want to give to help support the church to maintain all the great work that takes place each week. If you would like to give online, head to our Giving Page.
On your first visit you are bound to have questions: How do I get there? What should I wear? Will my kids enjoy it? What will it be like?
The Community Church is a friendly place made up of individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds, where people make you feel at ease and welcome. You will find that the music is up-beat and the messages are practical. Each week we look at real life issues that help you throughout the week. We want you to connect with God, who gives personal hope and practical help for living. We are more concerned with helping you in your needs than what you wear. So just come in what you feel comfortable so that you can relax. Most people come in casual dress.
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Our 'Serving' booklet download
Meet the Team
We know that, like the Apostle Paul said, the Church is a body made up of many different parts, all with our own part to play. That's why we have a great team of people who all play their part to make sure that the Community Church is a healthy and thriving Church. You can meet some of us below.
OUR STORY
Come and join us on our journey.
The closure of a Church in Station Street in 1999 could have resulted in the building being sold off and lost to the community but God had other ideas. Church leaders from Newent, a town north of the Forest were keen to maintain the Christian witness in Cinderford and commissioned Tim and Katrina Cracknell to replant the Church with its launch in 2006.
Tim and Katrina didn't know what to expect. All they had was a dream to start a different kind of Church for the area, targeting those who didn't go to Church. A dream of a place where everyone, including the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated and the confused could find love, acceptance, hope, help and encouragement. A small nucleus soon gathered including a handful of 80+ year olds who were the remnant from the closed Church, another family of 5 and Tim and Katrina. A decade later things are very different! The Church has continued to grow and get younger with each year as new families have joined the vibrant community of faith and many lives have been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes God is at work in the Forest of Dean!
Initially the original Church building was refurbished at a cost of £150,000. No mean feat considering there was only £400 in the funds when the project started! As numbers grew it soon became clear that the small building and lack of parking rendered the premises unsuitable for Sunday morning services. The church then moved for Sunday mornings up to the Forest High School which kindly allowed us to use its Spotlight Theatre for 7 years whilst at the same time during the week the old building in Station Street became a hive of activity hosting various events each week. The key focus for the Church has been to be a genuine community of faith which is active in its own local community.
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In 2016 the Lord opened the way for 2 Parragate Road property to be purchased, which adjoins the old Church building in Station Street. This was a wonderful answer to prayer and the £300,000 project saw the transformation of the newly purchased site into a spacious car park, complete with two substantial portacabins for extra room space and internal modifications were also made to the original church building. This has enabled Sunday services to be moved back to the Station Street Church site and opened up an exciting new chapter in the story of the Community Church.