Our halls are available for private hire for

• parties,
• children's events
• weddings receptions,
• concerts
• meetings,
• functions,
• and classes.

With a large hall and superb kitchen facilities our main hall is perfect for any event and so if you are interested in hiring the hall at St Matthew’s, or would like to know more about our facilities, you can contact the Church Office or Enquire Here. Please note that all rooms have furniture which can be moved, though some items will require prior arrangement and permission.

Upstairs Worship Area

• The worship area upstairs has a large adaptable open area which is fully carpeted.
• Chairs can be laid out in a variety of configurations (Capacity about 100).
• At the sides are banked pews (Capacity about 50 each side) and there are a few pillar obstructions.
• There is a first class concert grand piano and a three manual pipe organ with 32′ stops.
• We have a good sound system with a hearing-aid induction loop and excellent acoustics.

As an alternative to the grand staircase, a lift provides access to the rear, the separate chapel and the soundproofed crèche room. A built in projection system is available by arrangement capable of showing text, illustrations and video. The Audio/Video facilities require the use of a trained operator.

DIMENSIONS

• Flat floor is 9.7m wide x 12.3m long with additional spaces either side of the stairs 3.4m square.
• The galleries (with fixed seating) are 3.4m wide x 14.3m long (N side), 18.0m (S side).
• The ceiling in the main area is at least 8m but the galleries come down to 3.4m minimum height.

Lower Hall

Downstairs there is a large hall with :

• Soft but durable vinyl floor covering,
• Full kitchen facilities rated 5* for food hygiene with a servery,
• Toilet facilities, and
• A small stage area.

During the week the hall is used by the St Matthew’s Playgroup and Toddlers Groups and makes an ideal venue for meetings and parties. There is no built in sound or video system.

DIMENSIONS

• An open area 9.7m wide x 12.3m long with spaces either side of the stairs which are not really usable.
• Under gallery spaces beyond pillars on either side 4m x 6.9m (N side) and 3.3m x 9.4m (S side).
• The ceiling has a minimum height due to beams at 2.6m but goes higher under the galleries.
• The stage is 3.2m deep x 5.4m wide x 2.65m to the ceiling with doors that can be fully opened.
• There are side wings that can be used with prior arrangement as they will need to be cleared.

Lounge

There is also a downstairs lounge with video facilities available that is suitable for smaller groups.

DIMENSIONS

• The lounge is 4.6m x 3.8m with a minimum height of 3m.

Chapel and Crèche Rooms Upstairs

The chapel and crèche rooms upstairs cannot be used separately from the worship area.

DIMENSIONS

• These are 5.1m x 4m and 3.4m high.

In 1984, the Anglican Church adopted five equally-important “Marks of Mission”: proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God; teaching, baptising and nurturing believers; loving service to those in need; transforming injustice and pursuing peace and reconciliation; and – last, but not least – striving to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustaining and renewing the life of the earth.

At St Matthew’s, in our worship, teaching, small groups, and daily lives, we try to live out all of these Five Marks of Mission, including signing up to Eco Church, an award scheme for churches in England and Wales.

St Matthew’s has now gained the EcoChurch Silver Award, and is working towards Gold. We have created a wildlife garden, and are working on our sustainability across all areas of church life, including our building. We also celebrate Harvest, together with teaching about Creation Care, and we support The Busoga Trust, which provides clean water and sanitation in rural Uganda.

These are exciting times. Do join us! 

For further information please see our booklet—Who's World is it Anyway?

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18 - 20

John and Gillian Robinson

John and Gillian Robinson set up the Place of Grace in 2011 in the middle of Bangkok’s disadvantaged communities, and are funded through Crosslinks (Bible Churchmen’s Missionary Trust Ltd). They run children’s and teenager’s clubs throughout the week, providing a safe place for children to play, alongside learning about the God who loves them. They also run a foodbank, where they pray for the people who visit, and tell them about God and a refuge where teenage girls can be safe.

The family came to visit us in June and their talk can be heard on our podcast stream.

Busoga Trust

The Busoga Trust is a Christian charity that installs clean water sources in central and eastern Uganda.

Changing Tunes

Changing Tunes is a Bristol based charity that uses music teaching, rehearsing, recording, performance, improvisation and composition to aid the rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-prisoners.

CPAS

CPAS is an Anglican evangelical mission agency working with churches, mainly in the UK and Republic of Ireland, whose mission is to enable churches to help every person hear and discover the good news of Jesus Christ.

Sisters of the Church

The Sisters, based in St Paul’s, Bristol, serve those in need in the local community in many ways; this includes working with single parent families, the elderly, the homeless, people living with addictions, refugees and asylum seekers, others struggling with poverty, prisoners, with One25 (working with women involved in prostitution) and at the Create Centre where life skills are taught.

Friends of Alalay (Santa Cruz)

Friends of Alalay is a UK-registered charity which directly supports the local Alalay Foundation that helps Bolivian street kids to help themselves.

Thousands of homeless children, many aged as little as three years, sleep on the streets or in the drains of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. They have to steal or beg for their food in order to survive.  Alalay provide educational and skills development and help to encourage good health by meeting the needs of ex-street children.  The charity works to identify, establish and monitor practical production projects which will become self-financing and teach new skills to the children.

Mosaic Middle East

We support the work being done in the Middle East by Mosaic (formerly FRRME—Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East), in particular the mission of St George’s Church, Baghdad, and their ordained Anglican minister, the Reverend Faiz Jerjes.

We provide financial and spiritual support for their aims to win to Christ those who are opposed to the Gospel, and to speak as God’s advocates for his persecuted Iraqi church.

Baptism is a sign of initiation into the Christian faith and entry into membership of the Church. It is the start of a journey into the Christian life.

At St Matthew’s we welcome the baptism of infants whose parents are willing to express faith in Jesus Christ. We are also pleased to offer thanksgivings for infants (see below).

We also celebrate adult baptism, where those being baptised are given the opportunity to give a personal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ.

If you would like to know more about baptism at St Matthew’s then please contact the Church Office.

Thanksgiving

We welcome families who would like to give thanks for their new baby before God, their families and friends and the Church. Thanksgivings are becoming more common for those parents who would like to mark the wonder of a new arrival in the family but feel that in all conscience they cannot express faith in Jesus Christ.

If you would like to know more about thanksgiving at St Matthew’s then please contact the Church Office.

Weddings

Weddings are always a time for celebration at St Matthew’s and getting married in church has just got easier thanks to a change in the law. Form more information visit Your Church Wedding.

We welcome couples who live in the parish, as well as those who are members of the congregation or on the electoral roll or have some connection through parents, previous residence, or baptism at St Matthew’s.

The worship area in St Matthew’s can comfortably seat up to 340.

If you are interested in getting married at St Matthew’s then please contact the Church Office.

Funerals

The loss of a loved one can be a time of great grief, shock, stress, and sometimes anger. Holding a funeral in a Christian church can be an opportunity to express some of those emotions in the context of a loving community, and receive support at a lonely and difficult time.

The first step in organising a funeral is to contact a funeral director, who will make all the practical arrangements on your behalf. However, if you’d like one of the clergy at St Matthew’s to conduct the funeral service of your loved one, or if you’d like to hold the service here, do contact the Church Office.

If at any time, no matter how long after the event, you’d like to talk through your feelings with a member of staff, do contact one.

When planning a funeral you may find the Funeral Costs Help site useful. Though we can’t endorse it, it does seem to be independent and impartial.

Fees

The 2026 Fees list details both statutory and extra fees for Wedding Banns, Weddings and Funerals.

Home groups meet together at different times during the week around this area of Bristol–see details below.

You can sign up for some of our Home Groups by clicking on the groups below. Alternatively, or if you would like to find out more, please contact Revd Richard Pendlebury.