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Welcome to Redland Park United Reformed Church on Bristol’s
Whiteladies Road. Redland Park is a church with all ages represented
in the congregation. What is more Redland Park is also genuinely
multi-ethnic with a number of African households as well as a
thriving Korean congregation that meets at the same time as
ourselves on a Sunday morning. Though normally the Koreans worship
in their own language at several times in the year we have joint
services wherein we use both English and Korean. Projected
sub-titles are used to help when the language being spoken is not
your own. The Korean Church is now also a United Reformed Church,
having been received at General Assembly in 2010. We are currently
in the process of seeking a full-time Korean minister to serve the
Korean Church. This will open out many new possibilities in terms
of joint ministry and mission. The Korean Church website can be
accessed from our Homepage, but the address is also here:
www.bristolchurch.org
Like the congregation the church is
light, bright and warm and is always ready to extend a welcome to
new friends. We aim to practice real and genuine hospitality.
Gradually we are learning what it means to be church in the
challenging context of the 21st century. To this end we undertake
creative outreach projects in partnership with the local community.
Green issues are the front of much of what we do and with that we
have done much work with our local primary school and also
Sustainable Redland. Cell Church is also part of our response to the
21st century. We have three cells running at present, this involving
some 40 people. See our
cell church page for more details. From 2011-2012 we are running
a London 2012 Inspire project called Redland And Clifton Energised,
www.racenergised.tumblr.com
Our main service is at 10.30am on a Sunday morning. Therein we
integrate traditional and modern elements through worship songs and
hymns, the church choir and projected images. We hold occasional
ecumenical services and always seek to do something different in
format for the high days and holy days. We work closely with our
friends at Victoria Methodist Church and Tyndale Baptist Church,
both on Whiteladies Road. Both churches have a very similar approach
and ethos to ourselves. We work together on various projects.
Every other week (second and fourth Sundays) there is the 6pm
Prayer and Praise service, which is informal and free flowing. This
is also a time for open prayer and for study. This service is
lay-led.
I’ve been at Redland Park since September 2001. My wife, the
Reverend Helena McKinnon is a member of the South Western Synod
Training Team, specialising in spirituality and retreats. My two
daughters, Isabella and Lucy keep me on my toes.
One of my favourite hobbies is cooking. So if you drop by the church
sometime you might well be invited to come round and experience some
manse hDougie
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