New church to serve North Swindon communities

First published 9th August 2021

This September, Pattern Church Swindon with the Diocese of Bristol will launch a new church called The Well, to serve people living near Thamesdown Drive in North Swindon.

Services will be held in St Francis Church of England Primary School, Swindon, as well as online.

The Well plans to provide groups for children and young people during the main morning services and a range of mid-week activities, beginning with a toddler group and free debt advice in partnership with Pattern Church's Crosslight centre.

The first Sunday service will be on 12 September at 10.30am, followed by a family celebration with a barbecue and a bouncy castle planned.

Pattern Church Swindon was established in 2018 as a new church for the Swindon area and moved into the redeveloped Pattern Store building in 2020. It was one of two new churches set up by the Diocese of Bristol, known as resourcing churches, to reach people currently unconnected to church and transform local communities.

The Well will be the first new church from a resourcing church in the Diocese of Bristol.

The Well will be led by Revd Paul Freeland, who moved to Swindon with his family in 2019. He said: “It's such a privilege to be involved in bringing The Well to North Swindon. My family and I live here and we love it. As a new church we have a vision to worship Jesus and build community in North Swindon and we can't wait to get started.”

Rt Revd Lee Rayfield, Bishop of Swindon and lead for Resourcing churches in the Diocese of Bristol, said: “When the Diocese of Bristol purchased and then renovated the iconic Pattern Store in 2018, it was with the intention of creating a different kind of C of E church – now known as Pattern Church – which would serve the whole of Swindon and become an agent of social transformation.

“One significant element of this has been to support the establishing of churches which will help build community life in areas where there has been a great deal of new housing.

“With similar values and approaches at its heart to Pattern Church, The Well will seek to be a source of support, friendship, Christian witness and spiritual life for the variety of people living in North Swindon, not least those newly moved into the area, and those looking for new bearings in their life in the light of the pandemic.”

Sign up for updates about The Well here: thewellswindon.org/sign-up

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