Growing in Faith and Discipleship
At Holy Trinity we believe that Church should be a place of encounter, where we engage with the issues and challenges of modern life.
Whether you’re a regular member or an occasional visitor, one of the ways you can get more involved is by growing in faith and discipleship with us. As well as listening to the teaching in the sermon each Sunday, you could also join one of our popular courses or use the resources on this page.
What we Believe
Holy Trinity, Prestwood is a parish church within the Church Of England. Belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is at the heart of our faith. Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus reveals to us that God is our Father, and that God is available to us through the Holy Spirit.
Why? A Programme of Exploration
Why? is our new programme for exploring our faith together: a series of events intended to deepen our understanding of faith and discipleship. All the sessions will take place in one of our churches, and last 1.5 hours.
Most sessions will follow a structure of talk, table discussion, Q&A. There are some exceptions to this, which will be detailed in the event descriptions. Some will invite external speakers, and some will be led ‘in-house’.
Tools for Discipleship
There isn’t a prescriptive list of things to do to become more Christ-like, it will differ for everyone, but we want more people to come to faith and more believers to be noticing (and talking about) God in their everyday lives.
Everyday faith Discipleship Tools from the Diocese of Oxford is about seeing the world as Christ sees it, and experiencing a greater, fuller life in God from Sunday to Saturday – not just at church. It’s about renewing and re-igniting the everyday faith of every person in every church. We think that people grow in their faith when they can take responsibility for their development and develop a helpful structure within which to grow.
Here you'll find tools, stories and resources to inspire you. It's for people who have never been to church before and also Christians who are established in their faith. We want everyone to feel more confident and equipped to live out the good news of Jesus in all areas of their life.
Participate in God's Mission
The Diocese of Oxford's Learning Hub has some great resources for learners at every stage of enquiry. Grow in your everyday faith and become a confident disciple by joining one of three learning pathways from the Diocese of Oxford. This learning hub is open to everyone in the Diocese of Oxford and the content is designed to be accessible to all.
The learning pathways are free of charge and there are no mandatory assignments for you to complete.
Follow God in Everyday Life
Jesus said, ‘Come, follow me’. His invitation doesn’t just apply to some parts of our life, but to all of it. If you’d like to get equipped and encouraged to follow Jesus more faithfully, Everyday Faith reflections can help.
The Church of England's Everyday Faith Portal is loaded with devotional journeys to help you grow in your faith.
Covering a wide range of relevant topics, these short and practical journeys give you the chance to:
- reflect on a Bible passage
- connect the passage to your life
- commit your day to God in prayer
The Visual Commentary on Scripture
If you like art you will really enjoy The Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS). It provides new ways of exploring the Bible and Art. The VCS is a free, online resource that provides material for teaching, preaching, researching, and reflecting on the Bible, Art, and Theology. The website features:
- Over 1000 high-resolution images
- Artworks ranging from antiquity to the present day
- Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Apocryphal texts
- Commentaries by Biblical Scholars, Theologians, and Art Historians
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Kingdom Come is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. What started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.
It takes place in the ten days leading up to Pentecost each year.
What kind of courses do we run?
Throughout the year we run a varied programme of courses, groups and workshops to give us all an opportunity to deepen our understanding of God and our Christian faith, and to reflect on our lives, our world and our relationships with others. We want them to be interesting, varied, stimulating and fun.
For example, two groups recently met at Holy Trinity for five weeks to explore The Big Questions—Who is God? What is the Bible? Who are we? What is life about? The programme to date also includes Confirmation classes for adults and young people. We also keep an eye on the many other things happening locally which people might be interested in. We also organise quiet days and mini-retreats from time to time.
Is it for you?
Anyone can come along - you don’t need any special knowledge or qualifications, just a willingness to contribute to the group and to engage with and explore the big questions about life and faith.
Some courses are specifically targeted (e.g. for those enquiring about the Christian faith), and some will have limited places—usually because they’re taking place in somebody’s home.
We always encourage people to book a place on a course, or find out more.
What happens?
There is no single format, but often meetings last about an hour with a mix of teaching and discussion. Some courses are written and delivered by our own clergy and Education Group, while others follow a book or series of video clips. Everyone brings their own varied stories and experiences, so the emphasis is less on telling you the answers, than on exploring the questions together.
What does it lead to?
Our courses aren’t meant to be training or preparation for anything specific—so you’re not committing to anything beyond the meetings themselves. However, for some people this learning and exploration can lead to an explicit commitment of faith (through baptism or confirmation) or to thinking about other ways of getting involved at Holy Trinity and putting their faith into action.
How can I find out more?
The details of all our courses are in the weekly notice sheet or on the website, or send us an email.