Portswood Blog | Portswood Church Southampton

Lent

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just

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Catholics?

3rd February 2026

Louise Flooks March 24

Growing up in a small Brethren church, Lent wasn’t something I was really aware of. If anything, I thought Lent was secular. People giving up chocolate so they could be healthier, before the deluge consumed over the Easter weekend. In the Evangelical church, Lent gets mixed reactions. Some see it as a positive thing, a chance to explore spiritual disciplines, long since lost from Protestantism after the reformation, other still see it as a dangerous step towards legalism, ritual and penance in place of grace.

Keeping Jesus at the Centre

10th November 2025

With Christmas coming fast round the corner. As much as we want to put off thinking about it, for as long as possible: you know, it won’t be long before so...

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Where's Christmas?

10th November 2025

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Start living this Easter

20th March 2025

Sim de Roemer 2023

Come and celebrate Easter with us.

An update from Portswood Church Environmental Representatives

6th January 2025

At the start of 2025 we would like to give an update from the Portswood Church Environmental Representatives - a group who share ideas and encouragement fo...

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Up close and personal - Christmas 2024

15th November 2024

Sim de Roemer 2023

We'd love for you to join us for our Christmas events this year. Our theme, ‘Up Close and Personal,’ reflects the incredible truth of God coming down to...

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The Book of Daniel: Resilient Faith

22nd October 2024

Peter Lambros March 2024

Where do we find our true identity and how do we hold on to it? Do our daily decisions draw us into God’s plans and purposes or away from them? How often d...

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Disappointment and Prayer

Louise Flooks March 24

As Christian’s we don’t get a, ‘get out of jail free card’. We experience the loss just like everyone else, but with a difference. Ultimately, eternally, G...

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Romans - Making Sense of life

13th April 2024

Gez Perry

We sometimes wonder about our calling or purpose in life, what are we here for, what do we want out of life? In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul writ...

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A servant king?

12th March 2024

Sim de Roemer 2023

Come discover and celebrate Easter with us at Portswood Church.

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‘Isn’t that a Catholic thing?’

5th February 2024

Louise Flooks March 24

Growing up in a small Brethren church, Lent wasn’t something I was really aware of. If anything, I thought lent was secular. People giving up chocolate so...

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O Come O Come Emmanuel

24th November 2023

Louise Flooks March 24

In the last few years, I’ve found myself whispering the words, ‘Come Lord Jesus, Come’, with increasing urgency. With escalating global hatred of ‘the othe...

Christmas - Come Home

9th November 2023

Sim de Roemer 2023

Christmas at Portswood Church 2023

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A Rule of Life

28th September 2023

Louise Flooks March 24

Since the birth of the Christian church Christians have been asking the same question? How do I live in the world, but not of the world? (John 17:15-16) Ho...

The beginning of wisdom

4th September 2023

Gez Perry

How can we avoid being foolish or unwise? Perhaps that's a question we've not really thought much about before. What help is there when we face big decisio...

Why do we do the Annual Family Fun Day?

Louise Flooks March 24

Portswood Church Fun Day is now a tradition spanning back almost 20 years! During those years, we’ve welcomed 100s into our building and reached out to our...

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Learning to love - Easter 2023

29th March 2023

Sim de Roemer 2023

Celebrate Easter with usat Portswood Church

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'Isn't that a Catholic thing?'

8th February 2023

Louise Flooks March 24

Growing up in a small Brethren church, Lent wasn’t something I was really aware of. If anything, I thought lent was secular. People giving up chocolate so...

Letting your light rise in the darkness?

What does God have to say about how we care for the poor? Well, quite a lot actually! Many will be familiar with these verses: “And if you spend yours...

Courage Encouraged

Having just celebrated the Queen's platinum Jubilee it seems appropriate to spend a few weeks looking at the story of another queen, one who experienced a...

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The big questions...

29th April 2022

Peter Lambros March 2024

Jesus is the King! But if he is truly the king when will he exercise his kingly rule? Why do we see so much death and suffering if he is the exalted one...

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Jesus is the King

Sim de Roemer 2023

This easter at Portswood church

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New series: What is church?

2nd September 2021

Gez Perry

Before moving to France, I didn’t know much at all about Strasbourg, the city where we lived for over 14 years.

So what is pastoral care anyway?

Sarah Bradley 2025

We strive to build up the fellowship, caring for one another in our day to day lives, offering support, prayer, guidance as well as practical help where ne...

Portswood Pod is back!

The core of what makes Pod special remains the same, an inviting, safe and non judgmental space where parents and carers can share and support each other.

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Destination K.O.H

29th March 2021

Our next teaching series takes us into the book of Hebrews. The writer reminds them of the good news of Jesus and his victory over all obstacles and diffic...

EASTER and BEYOND.....

19th March 2021

Louise Flooks March 24

We’ll come together to bear witness to Jesus’ death and look at the truth, reality and power of the resurrection.

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Worship Drop In is relaunching online in March 2021!

15th March 2021

Portswood Church has always been passionate about worship and finding space to engage with God so we have missed our monthly gatherings at Worship Drop In

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Update on our ICU gift baskets appeal

12th March 2021

We smashed our target and managed to raise £1,350 (we had been aiming for £1,000) enabling us to make 201 gift baskets with some left over!

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We are launching the use of the My Church suite app at Portswood Church!

Sarah Bradley 2025

Why are we making the change? On 25th May 2018, new data protection laws were introduced which put greater requirements on churches to manage, protect a...

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Showing love and appreciation to our hard working ICU doctors and nurses in Southampton

3rd February 2021

Weʼre raising £1000 to provide a gift of hand cream and send messages of support and appreciation to our hard working nurses and doctors in Southampton ICU...

Unleashed! Words, works and wonders series

29th January 2021

News series: Unleashed! Words, works and wonders - starts this Sunday 31st January 2021

Coronavirus - Our Response

We're no longer meeting in our building but we're still together as "church" and also seeking to serve the wider community.

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Southampton Churches Winter Shelter

20th November 2019

We’ve been challenged by the book of James in the last few weeks. James won’t let us just ‘believe’ the right things, but insists that actions

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James. Now to live the life

22nd October 2019

The book we’re learning from this autumn term is James. Written by James, Jesus’ half-brother, it’s a small letter found in very last pages of the Bible

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Thy Kingdom Come!

We're praying that the Spirit would inspire and equip us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our friends and families, our communities and networks...

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A miracle in slow motion

Quietly, all over the country, Christians are doing amazing things because Jesus has given them a heart to get alongside people in need and help them

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Connecting with Easter

15th April 2019

Next weekend is Easter! On the Sundays around Easter we’re taking time to look in a bit more depth at what Jesus’ death on the cross means to us.

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Advent Reflections 2018

29th November 2018

‘From Heaven you Came…’ Readings, reflections and prayers for Advent. People talk about ‘the Christmas rush’ and they’re not wrong.

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Simply Following Jesus

16th September 2018

I wonder if we make the whole business of being Christians – living with Him, and for Him – just a little bit complicated?

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Generosity and God

21st April 2018

We planned it as the holiday of a lifetime – well, 25 years of marriage. It was good too. The warm sun, the Med visible from the room with a

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Skipper or buoy?

15th January 2018

I'm sitting looking out at a boat, it is a beautiful little sailing boat, white, with a raised cabin with three fine portholes.

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Living in the light of Christmas

30th November 2017

Readings, Reflections and prayers through Advent. People talk about ‘the Christmas rush’ and they’re not wrong. But what if we were able to take time

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Apprenticed to Jesus

“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” I love getting asked this because it means I get to talk about what I’m part of here, at Portswood Church

A God who crosses borders

Since I was accepted as a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators, some people have asked me how I became interested in “cross-cultural mission”

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Gideons

25th April 2017

Gideons are probably best known for distributing Scriptures in what the founders called the “The traffic lanes of life” ie. hotels, hospitals,...

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The Hidden World

24th March 2017

Some scientists have theorised about the existence of universes parallel to ours and have called them ‘multiverses’.

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The prayer meeting battle

28th February 2017

If you think about it, prayer is amazing: The thought we can be intimate with the almighty God, creator and sustainer of everything blows my mind.

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The joy of the workplace

15th February 2017

Now anyone reading the title for this may be excused for thinking it was a sarcastic title, as let’s face it, not many people were counting down

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Church Family Party, 18th March

9th February 2017

Do you ever wish that there was more time to just be with each other without rushing away to the next thing?

John talk series

4th February 2017

During the coming weeks, we will complete the second third of John’s gospel, returning later to finish off in 2018.

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January Reflections

12th January 2017

Well it really felt like 2016 just came and went, didn’t it? Before we knew it the kids were doing the nativity, the carols were going, the Christmas

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January’s Bible teaching - Hope

11th January 2017

No matter how we feel about this or any other year, as Christians we’re able to be people of hope, and that is certainly something that’s needed as we go

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A few thoughts on Advent

2nd December 2016

Advent has begun... kids (and some big kids!) will be opening their Advent calendars each morning and the Christmas Countdowns started in the shops weeks a...

24/7 Week of Prayer

16th November 2016

If you happened to wander down the High Street at 3pm one night last week, you may have been surprised to see a light on in Portswood Church.

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Iris' story

13th October 2016

I was brought up in an orphanage. My mother went off when I was 2 years old. My grandmother looked after my sister and an aunty looked after my brother

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220 coming to faith by 2020?

5th October 2016

You may not know it, but this is one of Portswood Church’s strategic goals for the next few years. Some have reacted against this, saying we’re playing a

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Southampton City Mission

15th September 2016

Just over four years ago I was invited to join the Southampton City Mission board of trustees. I accepted the invitation and have had the great privilege

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Portswood Prayer Team

1st September 2016

Portswood Prayer Team is a joint venture of churches in Portswood/Highfield. Two Saturday afternoons a month, a handful of people meet at Portswood Church

Meg Lapworth – 'A very rich life'

26th August 2016

Recently Maureen, my wife suggested, ‘Why don’t you write an article about Meg Lapworth especially as she will be leaving us soon to go and stay with some

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Autumn talk series, Genesis, Who do you think you are?

19th August 2016

Our autumn teaching series takes us back into the book of Genesis. In this second section, we’ll journey with a grown up Isaac, through the life stages

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Francis Chan takes a refreshing and challenging look at what it means to live as a Christian in our culture today by taking a fresh look at the Gospels

Prayer Focus - Reading List

In the autumn we'll be running another 24x7 prayer room at Portswood Church. Between now and then we want to explore ways of helping one another to deepen

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A summer prayer adventure ...

Some prayer book ideas for younger people

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Faith, Church and the Twenty-Somethings

Working out our faith in a messy decade. It’s a strange feeling that ten years ago I was an 18 year old about to start university. Student life was great,

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Our Queen's Birthday Celebrations

Last weekend communities all around the country came together in celebration of the Queen’s birthday, we thought that a church fun day would be a great way

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The Queen’s 90th Birthday

To mark the occasion, of the Queen’s 90th birthday, Portswood Church will also be holding a ‘Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration Community Day’

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Formation School

Equipping and envisioning disciples of Jesus who then go on to to equip and envision other disciples themselves

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Open door

12th April 2016

‘Where everyone knows your name’ - if you want them to. Imagine what it would be like if Portswood Church could create a ‘safe space’

Walking the Streets

I found myself walking the streets last Christmas. I took the decision to use some time I had free to deliver flyers.

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The Reason Why

25th February 2016

It is commonly read or heard that the Christian faith is a ‘shot in the dark’, or believing without any evidence’ or we sometimes

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Lent 2016

2nd February 2016

The 10th February marks the beginning of Lent which traditionally is a time of detoxing the body and soul in order to fully appreciate the impact of Easter

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The Parenting Course

14th January 2016

We ran two successful parenting courses last term using Nicky and Sila Lee’s material ‘The Parenting Children Course’.

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Christmas at Portswood

3rd December 2015

It’s not long 'til Christmas and there’s loads going on at Portswood Church. We’re also running a social campaign called ‘What makes me feel Christmassy’

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A Big Family Get Together

17th November 2015

In some regards a church away day is like a huge family get together.

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The Parenting Course

12th November 2015

We really enjoyed being on the ‘The parenting children course’ that was recently run at Portswood Church. The course ran over five weeks

Book groups

6th November 2015

A few weeks ago, a group of young women in the church gathered around a dining room table, cake and coffee at the ready, each with the same book in hand

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The English Course

29th October 2015

Imagine coming to live in a country where you are unable to speak the language – or you thought you could until you arrived!

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What’s the Point?

15th October 2015

There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke. What is there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?

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The Lounge

1st October 2015

We’re very excited to be starting The Lounge, the new fortnightly Sunday evening event for young adults and students

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Belief

24th September 2015

Do you have that one friend your mind keeps flashing back to? Someone perhaps you weren’t that close to but still see as a friend? I do.

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Welcome back students!

17th September 2015

September seems to roll along so quickly, and with it the excitement for us as a church of our students returning to us after the long summer break.

Portswood Pod. Portswood Church Toddler Group

3rd September 2015

So what is the pod? The pod is the new name for our toddler group. We meet every Tuesday morning in term time.

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Naomi's week on camp

27th August 2015

Earlier this summer I spent a week sleeping in a tent, surrounded by children aged 9-12. Why on earth did I do such a crazy thing?

Building for the future

20th August 2015

Our vision for the re-development of the building has always had at its heart a desire to enable us to serve better the wider community

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Befriending Aliens!

5th August 2015

Befriending aliens - no, not little green men, but strangers and foreigners who are living among us. Imagine yourself living in a strange foreign land

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Highlights from Indonesia

The Indonesia team have been back for a while now, back to reality in its varying forms. So, what exactly did we do there?

Portswood Celebrated

On Saturday, Portswood Church opened its doors for our first "Celebrate" community day. The atmosphere around the church really captured the theme

Belonging

You may remember that back in February, Portswood Church launched a survey about 'Belonging'.

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Trip to Indonesia

17,000 islands, 3,200 miles east to west, 250 million people, with a Muslim majority of around 80%: that's Indonesia, where a team from church are heading

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How to pray for the new government

Today we got the election result and looked at the Proverbs 29:1-14, set months ago for this lunchtime's House of Prayer. It was astonishingly on target

The week after polling day

27th April 2015

Apparently records are being smashed in this election campaign. The charity CARE reckons that 325 local hustings meetings where candidates get the chance

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Blessed! 24x10 Prayer. 14th-24th May

25th April 2015

10 days of 24-hour prayer, leading us from the day of ascension to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (May 24th).

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Easter – Because HE Nailed it

23rd March 2015

Easter is at the heart of the Christian faith and at the heart of Easter is the cross. It’s for this reason that the cross has been the main symbol of Jesu...

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Fond memories of the 2015 Big Party!

22nd March 2015

So it happened! We had a great big party together again this year, it was great to see people of all ages dancing, chatting and having fun together!

Study notes on Lent

16th February 2015

Many Churches around the world use Lent - the 40 days before Easter to - as an opportunity to focus on the central event of Christianity

Photography club photowalk on Friday

16th February 2015

The photography club will be meeting this Friday (20th Feb) for the club meetup. This is going to be a Photowalk on and around the Itchen Toll Bridge.

So that was Christmas…

11th February 2015

We're now half-way between Christmas and Easter if my calculations are right. My memory is already fogging up but somewhere in the mix of misty recollectio...

Belonging at Portswood Church Survey

29th January 2015

What does it mean to belong to Portswood Church? We ran a survey to find out.

Finding Wisdom and Leaders' Breakfasts

23rd January 2015

Every now and then avid readers of our Sunday notice-sheet in Church will see mention of a leader’s breakfast.

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The Big Party!

20th January 2015

Following the success of last year’s big party, the guys from life in 3d (the church’s 20-30’s group) will be organising another big party this year on the...

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The 2015 Student Weekend Away

20th January 2015

We’re really excited to be planning a student weekend away this year! It’ll be great to just spend some time together, look into God’s word and have lot...

Hungry, waiting on God

10th January 2015

It is a place to individually dwell, but corporately seek God. It is a space set apart on a Sunday evening between 7-9pm to come and just be with your c...

2014 Carol Service Video

26th December 2014

A short highlight video of the 2014 Traditional Carols by Candlelight

Awayday - Keeping the difference

16th December 2014

We did it – we managed to get away for a whole day together at the beginning of half term. Getting together with a substantial proportion (over a 100 adult...

Looking forward to Alpha!

6th December 2014

Looking forward to Alpha. Got questions?

Building project update

3rd November 2014

Here is some information about the building project. We're nearly there now, we just need to do this and that.

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New Student Life Group

3rd November 2014

We’ve started a student life group, a small group every other Sunday where we’re looking into the bible and workout how it applies to life at university.

The Away Day

30th October 2014

We had a great away day