All about us
St Andrew's is a vibrant, friendly church part of the Free Church of England and situated within the Southern Diocese of the Denomination. We offer a variety of services to suit different styles of worship. But, at our heart is a commitment to biblical teaching, spirit filled worship, prayer, making God known in our community, and children's work.
Our purpose is to play an important part in building the Kingdom of God in Bentley and beyond, by getting to know Jesus better ourselves, and by making Him better known to others... Our purpose commits us to discovering new ways of being God's Church for the 21st Century and fulfilling His plans and purposes.
We are fortunate to have a modern building with a range of facilities which are used throughout the week. The church is equipped with audio-visual equipment, including a data projector and loop facility. The building is wheelchair accessible and has a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities.
So, whether you've been a follower of Jesus all your life or whether you are someone who is searching and wants to know more then we'd love to meet you.
'You really are welcome to come, experience and join in all the good things that are happening here at St. Andrew's'.
Our purpose is to play an important part in building the Kingdom of God in Bentley and beyond, by getting to know Jesus better ourselves, and by making Him better known to others... Our purpose commits us to discovering new ways of being God's Church for the 21st Century and fulfilling His plans and purposes.
We are fortunate to have a modern building with a range of facilities which are used throughout the week. The church is equipped with audio-visual equipment, including a data projector and loop facility. The building is wheelchair accessible and has a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities.
So, whether you've been a follower of Jesus all your life or whether you are someone who is searching and wants to know more then we'd love to meet you.
'You really are welcome to come, experience and join in all the good things that are happening here at St. Andrew's'.
A little bit of history
It was a happy day for a little community of Bentley, comprising of 933 houses, when the Revd G K Naderer, Mr Norris and Mr Roberts conferred together on the possibility of establishing a Church. St Andrew’s was set at the edge of the post war building development. The area was very much Black Country and set three quarters of a mile from Junction 10 of the M6. On Saturday afternoon, January 16th 1943 at 4pm in a tiny wooden hut in the middle of an industrial town, St Andrew’s was officially opened and soon became known as the church on the doorstep. On 13th March 1943, St. Andrew’s acknowledged their first baptism, Alan John Perry, born on the 8th February 1943 to parents Thomas and Alice Perry of ‘Belmont’, Wolverhampton Road.
Having obtained temporary buildings which were used to good effect, St Andrew’s soon became a thriving church, especially with its youth, attracting a Sunday school of over 180 children in the mid-fifties and with 13 Sunday school teachers.
But the year 1955 marked a very special occasion for St Andrew’s. The incumbent at the time, the Revd Percy Edmonds, writes in the Year Book: “My Dear Friends, I am glad of the opportunity to send this message to all readers of St Andrew’s Year Book. I trust this publication will be of some lasting value in your home, and also in the church. This is the year of the Public Appeal for our new Church Building Fund, and I thank all kind friends who during the year will contribute regularly and generously towards the £10,000 needed. Our congregation is steadily growing, and I welcome others to join us in worshipping God, to whom we owe everything that is dear to us.”
On Saturday 17th November 1956, the Church witnessed the laying of the foundation stone of the new church by the Rt. Revd G W Forbes Smith. During July 1957, the church was almost complete; the ceiling painted pale blue and the walls dove grey were a pleasing appearance. On Saturday 10th August 1957, St Andrew’s, Free Church of England, was officially opened in its new building. From that day to this, St Andrew’s has continued to reach out to the community, holding fast to the faithful word of the Lord and building its life very much on the power of prayer. Someone once said, “Show me your prayer meeting and I will tell you the power of your Church”. Well, we’re glad to be able to tell you that we continue to thrive in the community of Bentley. St Andrew’s is well known by many members of our community as the church with the colourful board.
1997 not only saw the start of exciting things for us, but it also saw us demonstrate our faith like our founding members as we planned to build our church hall. Under the leadership of our beloved minister and now Bishop, many members of the church put their skills and talents to good effect, fundraising earnestly towards the staggering total of £160,000 - collecting pennies in Smartie tubes, climbing the height of Everest on a step machine, losing pounds not just from their pockets but also from their waist line. Our small church was blessed beyond measure by our Lord through faithful and simple prayers – ‘give us the dosh’. In the 2000th Year of our Lord our Church Hall was opened and Dedicated to the glory of the Lord by the Rt Revd Kenneth Powell.
Having obtained temporary buildings which were used to good effect, St Andrew’s soon became a thriving church, especially with its youth, attracting a Sunday school of over 180 children in the mid-fifties and with 13 Sunday school teachers.
But the year 1955 marked a very special occasion for St Andrew’s. The incumbent at the time, the Revd Percy Edmonds, writes in the Year Book: “My Dear Friends, I am glad of the opportunity to send this message to all readers of St Andrew’s Year Book. I trust this publication will be of some lasting value in your home, and also in the church. This is the year of the Public Appeal for our new Church Building Fund, and I thank all kind friends who during the year will contribute regularly and generously towards the £10,000 needed. Our congregation is steadily growing, and I welcome others to join us in worshipping God, to whom we owe everything that is dear to us.”
On Saturday 17th November 1956, the Church witnessed the laying of the foundation stone of the new church by the Rt. Revd G W Forbes Smith. During July 1957, the church was almost complete; the ceiling painted pale blue and the walls dove grey were a pleasing appearance. On Saturday 10th August 1957, St Andrew’s, Free Church of England, was officially opened in its new building. From that day to this, St Andrew’s has continued to reach out to the community, holding fast to the faithful word of the Lord and building its life very much on the power of prayer. Someone once said, “Show me your prayer meeting and I will tell you the power of your Church”. Well, we’re glad to be able to tell you that we continue to thrive in the community of Bentley. St Andrew’s is well known by many members of our community as the church with the colourful board.
1997 not only saw the start of exciting things for us, but it also saw us demonstrate our faith like our founding members as we planned to build our church hall. Under the leadership of our beloved minister and now Bishop, many members of the church put their skills and talents to good effect, fundraising earnestly towards the staggering total of £160,000 - collecting pennies in Smartie tubes, climbing the height of Everest on a step machine, losing pounds not just from their pockets but also from their waist line. Our small church was blessed beyond measure by our Lord through faithful and simple prayers – ‘give us the dosh’. In the 2000th Year of our Lord our Church Hall was opened and Dedicated to the glory of the Lord by the Rt Revd Kenneth Powell.
Present Day
Over the past 20 years under the leadership of our minister we have steadily watched our church grow from strength to strength. We now have a very strong and committed worship team, with Bishop Paul, Presbyters, the Revd Mark Spiers, the Revd Paul Reynolds, and our Family Praise Leader Matthew Spiers. We also have a strong and dedicated Church Council, faithful and true, working tirelessly under the watchful eye of our Lord.
We give thanks for their loyalty and service, along with the many members of our church that run our youth groups, with 30-40 youths, our lunch club and friendship group, prayer meeting and bible study, our coffee and chat and our team of cleaners that keep the Lord’s house looking so beautiful.
On the 29th July 2006, members of the Free Church of England, friends from across the seas and St Andrew’s, witnessed a very special occasion at Christ Church, Wallasey, with our minister the Revd Paul Hunt becoming a Bishop. The day will, remain fresh in our hearts for many years to come, especially the packed church on the following Sunday where we were able to mark the occasion by presenting Bishop Paul with a beautiful silver chalice inscribed with his favourite text taken from John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” and a Westminster chime clock with the words “My time is in Thy hands” (Psalm 31).
Our times are very much in the Lord’s Hands now, and as a church we look to Him for continual guidance in all that we do.
Revd Mark Spiers
We give thanks for their loyalty and service, along with the many members of our church that run our youth groups, with 30-40 youths, our lunch club and friendship group, prayer meeting and bible study, our coffee and chat and our team of cleaners that keep the Lord’s house looking so beautiful.
On the 29th July 2006, members of the Free Church of England, friends from across the seas and St Andrew’s, witnessed a very special occasion at Christ Church, Wallasey, with our minister the Revd Paul Hunt becoming a Bishop. The day will, remain fresh in our hearts for many years to come, especially the packed church on the following Sunday where we were able to mark the occasion by presenting Bishop Paul with a beautiful silver chalice inscribed with his favourite text taken from John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” and a Westminster chime clock with the words “My time is in Thy hands” (Psalm 31).
Our times are very much in the Lord’s Hands now, and as a church we look to Him for continual guidance in all that we do.
Revd Mark Spiers