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.

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!"

* * Our shop and coffee shop are OPEN * *

SHOP OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday 10:30am - 4:00pm

Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm

COFFEE SHOP OPENING HOURS

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

SUNDAY GATHERING - 10:30am

What's it all about?

Church is about more than an hour on 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 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.

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 meaningful relationship with God.

When and where does it happen?

We are now able to open our building in Shakespeare Street so that people can come together on Sundays.

Our first priority is to help you to feel and stay safe.  You no longer need to wear a mask during the worship gathering and you can sing(!), but we do ask that you wear a mask while moving around the building.

If you would like to join us in person, please just come along on Sunday in time for a 10:30am start.  There's no need to let us know, but if you are new you might like to drop us an email so that we can look out for you.  Contact details are as follows:

Phone: (01704) 547805

Email: southport@salvationarmy.org.uk

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.

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.

We also run The Bible Course at different times during the year.  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.

We're running The Bible Course on Thursday afternoons in September and October 2021.  If you would like to take part , please email us: southport@salvationarmy.org.uk, or phone us on 01704 547805.

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.

Have you ever wondered what life's all about and whether there really is a God?  If so, the Alpha Course is ideal for you.  The course combines top quality videos with time for food and discussion.  Alpha is open to everyone and you don't have to 'religious' to take part.

We are planning on running Alpha in early 2022, so watch this space for more details!

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 aged between 7 and 11 we have a brand new programme called Brass Roots.  (See below for more details).

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.

Would you like to give back to your community?  If so, we'd love to hear from you.  We have a variety of volunteering opportunities at Southport Salvation Army.  We're keen to have more volunteers in our charity shop, where you might be sorting clothes, rotating stock or working at the till.

We also need help in our coffee shop, where you'll get to be the friendly face of The Salvation Army as you prepare and serve simple refreshments, clear up and wash up.  Why not get in touch?

You can contact us by phone on (01704) 547805, by email - southport@salvationarmy.org.uk - or simply call by our building in Shakespeare Street and come to reception for a chat.

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 since COVID-19 happened - 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.

Little Miracles is a Baby and Toddler Bank run by Southport Salvation Army, supported by Compassion Acts.  The aim of Little Miracles is to support families experiencing financial hardship through referrals from third party agencies.

We can offer support in terms of clothing, nappies, formula, baby food, toiletries, and larger items such as prams/pushchairs, cots, highchairs, and nursery furniture.  Each parcel is packed with love and is given in the same spirit.

We are always happy to receive donations of excellent quality pre-loved clothes from new-born to 4-5 years; as well as prams/pushchairs, cots, highchairs, and nursery furniture.

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.