Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church

Our meetings

There are four types of meetings that we put on, and we'd love to see you at any of them. You can come to our Sunday Worship services when the whole church is gathered together to sing, pray, read the Bible and hear it explained and applied to us; or there's The Living Room for a more informal opportunity to find out about the teaching in the Bible; or you can come to one of our many groups (small groups, large groups, prayer groups, activity groups, kids groups, international student groups, all-age groups...); or perhaps if you'd simply like to come and sit in our building to meet us and chat about anything at all (or just sit quietly if you prefer) - we'd love to see you at our Drop-In Cafe.

Sunday Worship

We have two Sunday worship services every week:

• 11am - 12.15pm, including a Creche and Sunday school.
• 6.30pm - 7.45pm, with refreshments afterwards.

You're welcome to come to either or both. We normally have about 150-200 at these meetings, a wide mix of ages and people coming from near and far to be there. Some of us have been coming for over 40 years, and plenty others for less than 5 years. We see new people every week and we enjoy welcoming many students during University term time.

A typical Sunday service involves a mixture of singing old and new songs, praying (led from the front), reading the Bible (we usually follow through a series in the Bible over the course of several months), and our minister will teach us from the message in the Bible for about 30 minutes. We always have welcomers at the door so if you come for the first time, they will be delighted to help you familiarise yourself with the building.

The Living Room

The Living Room is a more informal meeting in our downstairs facilities for anyone who is interested in finding out more about Christianity and how to understand the Bible. It is also a popular meeting place with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks and food. The Living Room is like a cafe and you can come just to meet friends or you can join one of our Bible courses. Here's how it works:

6pm - we meet for a time of informal singing and prayer.

6.30pm - while some may go upstairs to our evening worship service, there will also be a Bible study option in The Living Room. This will either be a bible introductory course like Alpha or Christianity Explored, or it will be a simple discipleship group.

8pm - The Living Room Cafe is open for drinks, food, chat. We have table-tennis, pool and other games available. If you're an international student, this is an ideal opportunity to come and practice your English and meet British people. Everyone is welcome.

9.30pm - Close.

For more information, contact Douglas Humphris.

Prayer & Groups

 There are loads of options to join a group, which is a great way to get to know some people a lot better. We also have a weekly church prayer-meeting every Wednesday evening, 7.30pm-9.15pm for the whole church, and we spend some time all-together and some time in groups. Here are the group options available to you:

• Young mums' Bible study group. Monday mornings, 10am-12noon. A creche is available for babies and toddlers. Contact Fiona Wilson if you're interested.
• The Guild - 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month in October-March. Contact Ellen Penman to find out more.
• Home Groups - there are some homegroups that meet fortnightly for Bible study and prayer. Contact Elspeth Jones for more information.
• Prayer Groups - every Wednesday evening we meet in prayer groups. Every member of Sandyford Church is automatically a member of one of these prayer groups, and anyone else is welcome to come and join and group. These are great times for praying for one another and for issues that we're concerned about, it's an important time for us as a family. These are also important times for praying for our missionaries - those who have gone overseas to preach the gospel.
• The Y-Club - Thursday evenings, 6.45pm-8.15pm for primary-age kids. Our team are all "Disclosure Scotland" checked in accordance with the "Child Protection Policy". The club attracts many local kids and some from further away. The time includes Bible teaching and games. For more information, contact Neil Ritchie.
• The Walking Group - first Saturday of the month. We tackle a variety of easy and more ambitious walks and hills. If you enjoy getting away into the hills, you'll love this group. Contact David Blenkinson for more information.

Drop-In Cafe

The Drop-In Cafe is open every Wednesday morning, 10am-12noon. Everyone is welcome to come along, and stay as long as you like in this friendly informal atmosphere. Our team provide tea, coffee, hot chocolate, toast, home-baking and fruit all for free. This is a great way to meet other locals, and some of the church members. About 20-30 come every week, some are regulars, and some are there for the first time. You will always be given a welcome and spoken to by one of the team. You'll also be given space if you need to spend some time in quiet.

For more information, contact Ruth Lunan.