Welcome to St Mary’s church, Fishponds!
Nestled in an oasis of green in the urban sprawl of northeast Bristol, next to Fishponds Park, the congregation of St Mary’s Fishponds has been worshiping God and serving our community for over 200 years. We offer a warm welcome to anyone who wants to come, wherever you are on your journey through life and faith, through hospitality, worship, prayer and pastoral support. As half of the benefice of All Saints and St Mary, we work closely with our partner church All Saints. We believe in a God who is compassionate and surprising, just and merciful, and we would love you to join us.
Urgent Special Message from Rev’d Lizzie and PCC
St Mary’s Church heaters were serviced on Monday and they did not pass their tests. This means that we have no heating in church currently. As we “ride this wave” and make short and long term decisions as a church about temporary and permanent heating options then please be advised for the meantime:
- Services will continue as normal in Church.
- Wrap up warm!
- Bring a Hot Water bottle if you want, and if any spare ones then perhaps consider lending one to the church for visitors.
- Bring a blanket/and or cushion.
- Coffee/Tea will be in the parish room – it is warm in there!
- I promise to keep the sermon short. 🙂
- Prays for all and Thanks to Wardens and PCC for all helping this week.
Blessings – Revd Lizzie and St Mary’s PCC
Coming Up
This week:
- Week beginning Sunday 1st February 2026
Photo by Roman Suslov on Unsplash There is something about how rituals originate and begin that I find really interesting. This week the Feast of Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation) is celebrated by the Church. Various rituals and ways of marking this feast have been given to us as a church over the years, mainly to do with blessing and light. St Marys will have Choral Evensong connecting us to some of the traditional canticles and music that has been formed over centuries. All Saints has developed its own tradition of encouraging people to bring a candle to our Holy Communion at 10.30, which is then blessed and lit and taken back to our homes and communities as a symbol of God’s light in the world. It is a feast that is warmly welcomed particularly at this time of year when many of us are longing for longer daylight hours and warmth.
Rituals often come from a human need, a need to mark an occasion, a moment, a season. They say something, about stopping and noticing. They are often simultaneously solemn, creative and celebratory – things that we all need in balance to continue the creator’s formation of us in our daily lives. May we all know the blessing of this feast as we begin February and mark this pivot moment between Christmas and Easter.
Services this weekend – 1st February
10am – St Marys – Creative Church
10:30am – All Saints – Candlemas Holy Communion with Hymns and Junior Church
6:30pm – St Marys – Choral Evensong for Candlemas
The Week Ahead
Mon 2nd Feb
10:30am – Tiny Tots, All Saints
Tue 3rd Feb
10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish Rooms
Wed 4th Feb
9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints
Thu 5th Feb
10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s
Fri 6th Feb
11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’s
Sat 7th Feb
10:00am – Coffee Morning & Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café, All Saints
12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s
Sun 8th Feb
8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints
10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s
10:30am – Messy Muddy Church-St. Valentine, All Saints
7:15pm – Generations, All Saints
Blessings
Revd Lizzie
If you wish to worship at home, you may find this service helpful.
St Mary's, Fishponds 