The Avenue Church
The Avenue, Newton Abbot TQ12 2BY Minister Rev. Edgar Daniel Telephone: 01626 353387 Morning Service 11.00 am Evening Service 6.30 pmMission Statement:
The aim of the Avenue Church is to preach the gospel, glorify God and to help people become disciples of Christ
The Avenue Church is a local Ecumenical Project made up of folk from the Methodist and United Reform Churches, but folk from various Christian traditions are regular worshippers with us. The LEP came into being in the year 2000, following an informal sharing agreement which ran for over 15 years.
The church building was erected in 1966, on the site of the Queen Street Methodist Church, when folk from that church and Courtenay Street Methodist Church joined together to form the new congregation. The accommodation is designed on simple straightforward lines, airy and centrally heated. In the sanctuary there is a gallery and a good pipe organ. For the hard of hearing, an effective sound amplification/loop system is in place. A laptop is used to project the words of hymns, readings and other Power Point presentations, but hymnbooks, songbooks and bibles are still available for those members of the congregation who prefer to use them.
The Avenue is a friendly church and the worship covers a wide range. There is scope and enthusiasm for further development of worship patterns. There is a monthly 9.30 am All Age Praise Service with an average attendance of between 30 and 40 people – mainly younger families – which is planned and led by a small worship group. The weekly Sunday Morning Service at 11 am has an average attendance of 130 adults and between 10 and 20 young people, who attend the first part of the service before moving into their weekly Junior Church programme. A crèche is also available.
The Evening Service at 6.30 pm, the nature of which is constantly evolving, has an attendance of between 25 and 40. There is a quarterly service of Prayer for healing and wholeness.
A prayer Labyrinth is frequently set up in the sanctuary to provide a quiet space for personal prayer and reflection.
A monthly Shoppers Service is held on the first Wednesday in the month. There is opportunity to share in occasional planned preaching to offer continuity.
The 4 part choir consits of about 20 singers. They normally sing an introit at the morning service and occasionally an anthem morning or evening. At Christmas and Passiontide the choir augmented by friends from the locality, provide appropriate music for the season – recently, Brian Hoare’s “Celebrate and Sing” and Graham Kendrick’s “Rumours of Angels”.
At Christmas time a candlelit Carol Service (usually the Sunday before the 25th) is held and a Midnight Communion Service on Christmas Eve. Both these services are well attended. An early evening Children’s Christmas Praise is a popular feature of the Avenue’s Christmas Eve worship.
The Avenue Church actively supports Christian Aid (e.g. hosting the Lent Lunches), Action for Children, Rowcroft Hospice (Torquay) and participates fully in Christians Together in Newton Abbot and District. As a Church, we are committed to World Justice Issues, promoting Fair Trade which includes our Traidcraft stall. Newton Abbot is a Fair Trade town.
