What We Do
Sundays
Our Worship Services
Everyone is welcome. We love having visitors!
Each Sunday we join together to worship, pray, learn from the Bible, deepen our relationships to God and enjoy each other’s company. Some of us at Gateway, including leaders, didn’t grow up going to church so we remember what it’s like to be new.
Whether you join us with no church background or from a different church tradition, we want you to relax and take part as you wish. Our worship style is contemporary and informal. We pray that you would encounter God’s presence – people’s experiences vary and include having a sense of peace or joy or coming home to sensing that what is being said is ‘just for me’.
Morning service: 10:30am
Evening services: 6:30pm (2nd and 4th Sunday each month)
Children and Youth
We want to see young people come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Each Sunday service includes opportunities for children and young people to meet together and learn about God’s love for them along with some fun activities, crafts and games.
Life Groups
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John10 v10
Small groups are a great way of getting to know people, encouraging each other and deepening our faith and understanding as we share insights and lives together. Each ‘life group’ has around eight to twelve people and meet weekly for much of the year except in the Autumn. Most groups meet in evenings in homes and a midweek daytime group meets at the church. You can contact the Church Office for more details.
In the Spring ‘term’ the groups follow a common theme which relates to Sunday teaching. In the Summer ‘term’, groups choose their content, some with a Bible study theme at the heart of the session, others with more of an emphasis on a variety of activities from worship and praying to sharing life-stories, meals and activities.
The groups also serve together in aspects of church life or organising events such as barbecues or carol singing for their neighbourhood.
Whatever the activity, life groups provide a great place to develop deep friendships and a real sense of belonging.
Autumn Courses
The Autumn Courses and Activities offer a wide range of opportunities to get to know a new group of people and either explore a new activity or topic or return to something you love in a new setting. For further details click here.
Prayer
Prayer is the life-breath of any church. It is where and how we build an ongoing relationship with God, both in our personal lives and in our community life as a church.
Personally
Many people pray in a crisis, but we encourage one another to make prayer a regular part of our daily lives, not just asking, but expressing ongoing relationship, deepening friendship with God. We are all learners in this. But help is available from leaders and other members.
Together
One way that church has been described is ‘The community of prayerful love’. Many groups that serve the church including the leadership team and the pastoral care team meet together regularly to pray. There is an open invitation to pray before Sunday services.
In Life Groups
A regular activity of central importance for our Life Groups is prayer. Being in small groups gives opportunity for everyone to take part in praying for each other, seeking God’s guidance for the church and praying together for the world.
Tuesday (once a month) 7:30pm – 8:30pm
All our Life Groups come together on the second Tuesday of each month to give an opportunity for the whole church to meet together for prayer. In the context of worship, we intercede for the life and mission of the church, and a variety of topics of local, national or international concern.
Thursday 9:00am — 9:30am
A small group of the church family meet together on Zoom. We have a varying range of topics that we pray for, depending on what God has placed on our hearts. If you would like to join us, please contact the Church Office email (seen in the contact page).
At Jack and Jill
Once a month on Saturday morning at 8:30am, except in the winter, we pray from this iconic setting on The Downs overlooking Burgess Hill and the surrounding localities. From this unique vantage point, our prayers are very much outward focussed for people in our local area – for their wellbeing and flourishing. At the heart of this is the desire for people to come to know Jesus for themselves.
Leadership
The leadership is committed to leading this church through prayer. The deacons meet regularly for prayer and the Eldership meets every week for prayer.
Worship
God has created us to be “a people who declare his praise,” (1 Peter 2:9) and here at Gateway we work together to do that the best way we can.
We recognise that worship is far more than the songs we sing when we meet together, and believe that God is looking for us to live lives that honour and worship him in everything we do.
When we meet together, on Sundays or in small groups during the week, we want to offer our very best to God, through music and song, prayers and readings. Through our worship, we can welcome Jesus amongst us and experience a closeness with him, where he can speak to us and lead us on in our journey with him.
We actively encourage participation and engagement in worship whatever your age or however far you are on your faith journey. In recent months, we have been encouraged by seeing a greater freedom in worship as people express themselves in song, contribute prayers and share stories of what God is doing in their lives.
God is worthy of all our worship: “Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)