I’m New

We understand that it can be quite daunting when you visit a new place for the first time. If you’ve not been to a church before you may not know what to wear, what happens, or what to expect. When you arrive you’ll be greeted at the door by someone from our church and given a warm welcome.

You can get an insight into what a Sunday meeting is like by watching one of our services on-line. The past four weeks are available on YouTube and you can find the AM service from this link (https://www.youtube.com/@woodlandschurchderby)  and the PM service from this link (https://www.youtube.com/@woodlandspm7284/playlists)

If you are thinking about coming to Woodlands regularly then we’d encourage you to try both services before making a decision. Both services are similar in that the bible is studied and people of all ages meet with God and each other. The morning church is much larger and meets at 9am and 11am.

We aim to make our Sunday church services accessible and inclusive to everyone. The building is easily accessible, with step free access from both sides of the church. If you are in a wheelchair we will make sure that there is space for you.

We have a number of disabled car parking spaces. We have accessible toilets on our ground floor and a lift is available for those who need to use it to access our underground rooms. We also provide a T-loop system.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any other questions.

Most people in the church will wear what they would wear every day. A few people wear suits, some are smart-casual but most are in casual clothes (and shorts in the summer!)

In our 9am and 11am morning service our seats are arranged in rows and when the service starts there will be around 200 people in the building. You can sit anywhere you like and before the service people will chat to you and make you feel welcome.

Our 4pm afternoon service has fewer people, usually between 40 and 50, seated in smaller groups around tables. Like the morning though you can sit anywhere you like and people will chat to you and make you feel welcome.

No. No collection is taken during a service.

No. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to come. If you want a bible there will be one available at the door, toy bags for pre-schoolers are available on request,  all the words are presented on a screen at the front, and free tea and coffee are provided at the end of each service.

Absolutely! About thirty minutes into our services our children and young people will leave for their groups for age-appropriate teaching. We have a whole floor underneath the main hall which is where our children are taught by DBS checked and safeguarding-trained teachers. If you have children with you feel free to come downstairs with them to see what’s going on. One of our stewards will help you find the right group for your children but if your children would prefer to stay with you that’s perfectly fine.

Once a month we have an “all age” service where everyone stays together.

Every services has a leader who will start the meeting and introduce the various parts such as songs, a video, prayers, a talk, or communion. When the church sings the words are projected onto a screen at the front but you don’t have to join in unless you want to.

Our 9am morning service is normally finished by 10:15am following which there is free tea and coffee served. During the tea and coffee the people attending our later service will start to arrive.  This service starts at 11am and will finish around 12:15pm following which more tea and coffee is available! It is not uncommon for people to still be catching up at 12:45pm

Once a month we share communion which is when we remember Jesus by sharing bread (gluten free) and wine (alcohol free). It will be explained what to do at the time and you are not expected to take part. If you are unsure what is going on don’t be afraid to ask someone sitting near you on the day.

Our afternoon service is normally finished by 5pm with time to chat afterwards over a brew.

If you choose to visit our 7pm service this is generally smaller, more intimate, and more varied than our other services. One Sunday evening of the month is a prayer and praise evening, another Sunday may be a training night and some others more focussed teaching.

If you have any further questions then please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to give you more help.