TYPICAL WEEKLY PROGRAMME
Sunday, 11:00 a.m.
Sunday morning is usually our best attended service of the week including people of all ages from teens to eighties from Newark and surrounding areas. Hymns and Christian songs, both old and new, are sung. We aim to combine the worship of God (with dignity but not dullness), preaching of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a broadly-based teaching of the Bible.
Preaching from the Bible takes a prominent place; usually the sermon will be one of a series in which we study systematically a book of the Bible. During 2005, the morning sermon most weeks was based on a section of the prophecy of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. During much of 2006 we worked our way through a part of the New Testament, the apostle Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth, addressing the major themes which he covered in that epistle. Earlier in 2007 we had a series of studies in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, while at the end of 2007 we examined some major themes from the New Testament under the general title, "Such a Great Salvation". In the second half of 2008 we commenced a series on our Lord's "Sermon on the Mount".
Not every week is the same. On the third Sunday of each month we have a Family Service, in which the children are present instead of going upstairs to Sunday School after the second hymn. In the middle of a long series of sermons we may break for a few weeks to cover other subjects. On the first Sunday of each month we include a communion service, usually after the sermon, and periodically have a baptismal service (of teenage or adult Christian believers, by immersion).
Sunday 6:30 p.m.
Sunday evening is sometimes referred to as our "Sunday Evening Bible School" and includes either one or two short teaching sessions, preceded by worship in song and a prayer.
For several months we started with a presentation (often using a digital projector) of some aspect of the history of the Christian church - starting with studies in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament and then continuing down the centuries; we hope to recommence this series and bring it up to the present time.
The main component of the evening is a study of a Biblical theme - for example, in mid-2006 we looked at characters from the Bible and learned lessons from their lives; this was followed by a series on the Ten Commandments and several weeks on the life of Christ as recorded in the Gospels. Then we studied the "Pastoral Epistles", the three letters written by the apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus in the latter years of his ministry prior to his execution in Rome.
We've spent time studying the Old Testament "Tabernacle" and the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews. A series of studies under the title "The Names of God in the Bible" was especially profitable, and as this page is being updated (Nov 2008) we are about to commence learning lessons from ancient Israel's travels through the wilderness: "From Egypt to Canaan".
Following these meetings quite a number of people usually sit or stand around for anything up to another hour drinking tea and coffee and either discussing points from the studies or simply enjoying one another's company.
Monday
"Little Fishes" is a children's programme for the under-5s and their parents or carers, held on the second Monday of each month at noon for an hour and a half, including lunch. This is led by the pastor's wife, Mrs. Mandy Meachem.
The Ladies' Prayer Fellowship has been an important weekly feature in the life of this church for many years. This is a group of women from NEC who meet together to pray for the church and its activities, and also for Christian activities elsewhere, including both home and overseas missions. The leader of this is Mrs. Ann Bann.
Tuesday
The Ladies' Bible Study is a recently launched initative. It was noticed that many younger women have difficulty in attending the Bible Studies on Sunday evenings due to responsibilities with children and in the home. A special meeting was therefore started on Tuesday mornings under the leadership of Mrs Angela Davies and the pastor's wife, Mrs Mandy Meachem. (This meeting takes place, not at the church building, but at the Pastor's home. Please enquire for details).
Wednesday
Each Wednesday morning during school terms the church building is visited by very small children and their parents for "Pelham Toddlers". Technically, this is not a church activity but simply uses the church premises. However, the majority of staff are church members.
Thursday
Thursday evening is our regular church prayer meeting, often accompanied by missionary reports, a Bible study talk and (on the 3rd Thursday of each month) communion. If you are visiting the area, and want to join us for this, we suggest that you phone in advance as we sometimes combine with other evangelical churches and occasionally meet in homes, so the meeting may not be on our church premises.
The usual (though not inflexible) pattern for Thursdays evenings is now to have an emphasis on themes as follows, on different weeks of the month:
- 1st week: Prayer for the Christian church in Newark and area
- 2nd week: Overseas mission and persecuted Christians around the world
- 3rd week: General prayer, Bible study and communion
- 4th week: UK Christian mission and public policy issues
- 5th week (when there is one): Subjects as announced
Friday
Friday evenings are for young people. S-Club-6 and Explorers (two age ranges in parallel) for children aged between 5 and 13 run from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m..
This is followed at 8:00 p.m. by the Young People's Group for mid-teens to early-20s.
Note: The young people's group now meets at 2.30 pm on Sunday afternoons.
During school holidays there may be breaks in these programmes; check before travelling.
Children under 16 should ensure that their parents or guardians know where they will be, and have given permission.
Whether you live in the town, in the countryside around, or are visiting the area, you will be made welcome. We would love to see you.
Newark Evangelical Church
Corner of Portland Street and Pelham Street,
Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. England
Phone: 01636-676560
© 2006,2007, Newark Evangelical Church