Volunteer

We are so grateful to all those who contribute their time and energy to making our parish what it is. Parish life is only possible because of the numerous voluntary roles that around 50 people take on, big and small. If you are thinking of giving more of your time to the parish, we hope that some of the opportunities below might be of interest. If there is something else you have in mind, please contact the clergy.

St Paul’s 9.30 am coffee team

We are always keen to welcome volunteers to our coffee team, which enables people to meet and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee or a soft drink after our Sunday service. Please contact Vicky Scott, hospitality@stmatthewstpaul.org, to find out more.

St Paul’s 9.30 am welcome team

There’s always room for more volunteers for this important role. Welcomers keep a careful eye out for newcomers, particularly making sure that they have someone to talk to after the service. Please contact the clergy to find out more.

St Paul’s 9.30 am sound and streaming teams

At St Paul’s we live-stream each week and have a good sound system that enables people to hear clearly; this includes a hearing loop. We are grateful to the volunteers who currently stream and staff the sound desk and would welcome more members to join the teams. Do chat to one of the clergy if you would like to learn these skills.

Parish maintenance team

A range of tasks are undertaken, some skilled and some as simple as sweeping and weeding. If you are interested in joining, please contact Nick Page, pagesymons@gmail.com.

Flower team

We are fortunate to have a small but talented team of flower arrangers at both St Paul’s and St Matthew’s. New members are always gladly welcomed to help with weekly and special-event flowers. We are happy to train people who aren’t experienced arrangers but feel they can be creative. Please contact Sarah Eadie, sarah.eadie@hotmail.co.uk, for St Paul’s or Linda Russell-Smith, waldrons@ntlworld.com, for St Matthew’s.

Weekly flowers: each week, with the exception of Advent and Lent, we generally have several arrangements on display. At major festivals such as Christmas and Easter we make additional pedestal and windowsill arrangements.

Special events: if you are interested in commissioning flowers in memoriam or to celebrate a special event, please be in touch with the flower team leaders. We are happy to prepare special displays and arrangements for weddings. We are also able to offer specific arrangements for funerals, but as these are often midweek and can be at relatively short notice, it is dependent upon the availability of arrangers.

Easter lilies: For some years we have displayed Easter lilies beneath the east window at St Paul’s. Each of the stems is given in memory of someone, and the names of those remembered are displayed among the lilies. As well as looking beautiful, the arrangement is a poignant reminder of the powerful Easter message: that the death and resurrection of Jesus offers each person the gift of eternal life.

A lily can be requested and a donation made (minimum £3.50) at any time during the year, and the name will be included in the following Easter display. Please give your donation to Katy Palacio in the parish office; cheques should be made payable to ‘St Matthew’s PCC’, and do complete a gift-aid form if you can.