Southport

First of all, welcome!  We’re glad that you’ve found us.

In the sections below you'll find out a little bit more about what's going on at Southport Salvation Army.  Right now things are a bit strange, but there are still ways that you can connect with us.

If you'd like to join our Sunday Worship, either online or in person, you'll find information on how and when you can do that.  We're also offering the opportunity to learn more about prayer and the Bible, and you'll find more details about both The Prayer Course and The Bible Course.

Perhaps you'd like to observe from a distance for a while - we've also got a link to our Facebook page, where we share a bit more information about the life of this church.

Maybe, though, you'd like to get in touch in person.  You might want to introduce yourself, ask a question, or even offer some of your time as a volunteer.  If so, you can call us on 01704 547805, and you can email us at southport@salvationarmy.org.uk.

We really hope that you'll feel the warmth of the welcome at Southport Salvation Army.  As the sign in a friend's house says, "When you're here, you're family!"

SUNDAY GATHERING - 10:30am

Church is about far more than an hour or so on a Sunday morning.  It's not a building.  It's a group of people living out their faith in the everyday.  But we still place value on the act of gathering as a group of people who want to learn to live more like Jesus wherever we find ourselves during the week.

Our Sunday gathering is for people of all ages and for people whose faith in Jesus is strong, half-hearted or even non-existent.  Every week we try to make sense of the Bible and to understand why and how it is 'Good News' for the 21st century.

Since Easter Sunday 2021, we've been able to open our building so that people can come together on Sundays.  If you would like to join us, please get in touch to book your place, as spaces are currently limited.

If you prefer to join us online, just visit our YouTube channel or our Facebook page.

You can join us live on Sunday at 10:30am or at any time after that.

There is time for prayer, for music and for reflection.  There is also a talk which will  help you to make sense of life and faith in the everyday, from Monday to Saturday as well as on Sunday.  We try to make everything easy to understand and we focus on the possibility of having a relationship with God, rather than being tied up by rules and weighed down by guilt.

Since Easter Sunday 2021, we've been able to have a small congregation of people in our building for our meeting at 10.30am.  That's the good news!

The bad news is that social distancing must be observed, you won't be able to sing, and you will need to wear a face mask while in the building.  Our first priority is to do everything we can to help you to feel and stay safe.

It's not a perfect scenario, but's a big step in the right direction!

If you would like to join us, please get in touch during the week before to book your seat.  Contact details are as follows:

Phone: (01704) 547805

Email: southport@salvationarmy.org.uk

Life at Southport Salvation Army covers all the generations and everyone's welcome.

For the very young we have 'Messy Tots', which runs on a Tuesday afternoon for parents/carers and their small children.  Numbers are currently restricted, so please get in touch if you are interested in becoming part of this fantastic group.

For children and youth from year 7 upwards, we have 'ReConnect', a worship gathering for the youth.  They're currently asking - and discussing - some of the Big Questions of life on alternate Sundays.

Contact us on (01704) 547805 and we'd love to tell you more about these activities, as well as ways in which we are helping families in the community.

Have you ever thought that the Bible might be living, active and useful for anything other than propping the door open?  Well, we find those descriptions of the Bible in the Bible!  If you're interested in exploring the big story of the Bible and seeing what difference it might make to your daily life, we recommend this book - "Whole Life, Whole Bible".

Click here to find out more.

If you're struggling to get hold of a copy of the book, let us know and we'll be glad to help!

We are currently running The Bible Course.  This is an eight-week course that helps you to get to grips with the big story of The Bible.  If you'd like to get a taste of what the course is all about, just click here.

The course starts on Monday 25th January.  Because of the current restrictions, we will be running it online. If you would like to take part, please email us ASAP: southport@salvationarmy.org.uk, or phone us on 01704 547805.

In this section you'll find reflections on some of the Psalms found in the Old Testament.  The Psalms cover the whole range of human emotions, from joy to despair, elation to anger, and everything in between.  Two members of our congregation have been writing a reflection on a Psalm every week.  We hope you find them helpful.

Prayer - what's that all about?  Good question.  Someone once said, "When I pray, it sometimes feels like I'm sending emails to a non-existent inbox".  Is anyone listening?  Then again, lots of other people are convinced that God really is there, he really does want to hear from us, and he really is listening!

If you're interested in exploring prayer, we run 'The Prayer Course' on a regular basis.  It's described as 'A simple guide to prayer for normal people'.  No previous knowledge is required and all are welcome.

To get more of an idea about the course, click here.

And if you'd like to know when the next course is running, email us ASAP: southport@salvationarmy.org.uk, or phone us on 01704 547805.

GOOD NEWS!

* * Our shop and coffee shop are OPEN * *

SHOP OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday 10:30am - 4:30pm, Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm

COFFEE SHOP OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday 11:00am - 3:00pm

(From Monday 17th May you will able to sit inside the Coffee Shop.  Social distancing will be in place, so that you can enjoy your refreshments safely.  Current guidelines on the wearing of face masks will apply).

Our services aren't just about the things on offer, they're also about the people who come in; people in real life situations, facing tragedies, difficulties, struggling to triumph over adversity.  But we are fuelled by the good news stories of people who have been through a tough time, but who have overcome their difficulties and are in a better place now.

The Salvation Army has a long history of offering support to people who are vulnerable or in need.  We don't judge or condemn.  We just help.

We know that things are getting hard for people - especially with cost of living rising - and we are finding that more families, people experiencing homelessness, students and older people are coming to us for support.  Our focus is on giving people a hand up, not a handout.

Working with other local agencies, we signpost appropriate services for assistance and advice; housing support, food parcels, drug and alcohol misuse, or any other issues.  On a more basic level, we offer a provision of clothing to individuals in need and have a small amount of blankets that we can hand out when needed.  We will provide goods to families or individuals referred by local agencies.

Clothing

We will happily assist those who need clothing, offering a reasonable amount of clothes from our shop stock to anyone in need.  This includes people coming out of prison, those returning home from hospital, families in poverty, and the homeless.  People are regularly referred to us by The Soup Kitchen, Southport Foodbank and the NHS.

Furniture

Thanks to the generosity of general public, we are able to provide a range of furniture to those in need, free of charge.  However, there are occasions when we are unable to help due to insufficient stock - this includes, but is not limited to, white goods (e.g. washing machines, refrigerators) which are very rarely donated in working order.  People are regularly referred to us by Social Services and other related agencies.

Fuel Grants

Our Community Fund allows us to offer emergency fuel grants.  Many people live with a pre-pay meter for gas and electricity which is loaded by a key or card and in a crisis people often have to make a choice between food or fuel; this is where we are able to help.  We will top-up a person's key and/or card upon receipt of a referral (we CANNOT give out cash).  People are regularly referred to us by Southport Foodbank, Parenting 2000 and Social Services.

Referrals

We accept referrals from many different services across Sefton: it gives us peace of mind to know the person seeking help is in receipt of advice or support from other professionals.

To refer someone for fuel or clothing, please send them with a letter of referral (and their fuel card/key as necessary) to The Salvation Army.

To refer someone for furniture, please send a letter of referral to southport@salvationarmy.org.uk, detailing:

client's name, address and telephone number;

furniture required (in order of necessity);

contact details of referee.

We will contact the client directly in order to arrange delivery of goods.  If the client is moving into a new property, please give us an indication of the expected moving date.

The Southport Foodbank operates at various locations around Southport on different days during the week.  We are open every Thursday between 3:30pm and 5:30pm.

If you have a voucher, come on down and collect your food parcel.  If you don't, you can chat to the advisor who is at every session.  We also have an advisor from Employment Plus at every session, who can help you with your employment questions.