Sunday 22nd December 


All our latest events, information and prayer needs
 
Our Vision: "We are a people being transformed by the unconditional love of God; seeking to bless our community, and longing for all to experience the hope we have in Jesus."
 

Saturday 21st December
 

 

Sunday 22nd December


The Fourth Sunday of Advent

9am - Morning Worship – Advent 4 (Luke 1.:39-55 – Ben Williams
           
           10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes

10.30am  - Holy Communion* – as above

          *The 10.30am service will be livestreamed via the Christ Church Bedford YouTube channel*

7pm - Contemporary Christmas Service - Hannah Applegarth
 

Services in the coming fortnight

 

Christmas Eve

Tuesday 24th December

4pm - Carols on the Lawn – followed by refreshments
11.15pm - Christmas Eve Midnight Communion – David Thomas
 

Christmas Day

Wednesday 25th December

10am - Christmas Day Communion Service* – David Thomas 
 
 *This service will be livestreamed via the Christ Church Bedford YouTube channel*
 

Sunday 29th December 2024


The First Sunday of Christmas

Sunday 29th December
9am Holy Communion – Matthew 11:28 - David Thomas
          10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Morning Worship – as above

(No Evening Service today)
 

Wednesday 1st January 2025


10am -  Morning Worship – Rachel Bennett
 

Sunday 5th January 


9am - Holy Communion – Epiphany – David Thomas
          10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - All Age – As above – Chris Somervell
7pm - Sundays@Seven –  Prayer and Praise
 

Church Family News



Please note: -
  1. On Christmas Day our service is at 10am
  2. On 29th December we will have services at 9am and 10.30am.
  3. The Church Office is closed between Christmas & New Year, re-opening on 2nd Jan.
  4. This notice sheet covers 2 weeks.  Next notice sheet Sunday 5th January
All Age Service: If you can, please bring a smart phone, or tablet, to the All Age Service on 5th January

Prayer Diary: January’s Prayer Diary will be available to collect from church on 24th December onwards.

Our giving at Christmas this year is going to be split between:
  1. Bedford Foodbank: Read more about their work here
  2. Prebend Street Day Centre: Read more about their work here. All the money we send will pay for the costs of keeping Prebend Street open.
Car parking: Thanks to Castle Newnham School, the south site school playground is open for car parking Sunday mornings (9.30am to 1pm).  In addition, we have arranged for the school playground to be available for parking on Christmas Day from 9am (Don’t forget the Christmas Day service is at 10am). To bless our neighbours, please use this or the church car park (Dudley Street) rather than parking on the narrow side streets and please always park with due care and consideration for others, not on the yellow lines.

Baptism, Confirmation, and Children’s Admission to Communion: In the new year, we are planning on running preparation classes for children (age 7+) and young people who want to be admitted to receive Holy Communion. We are also planning on running classes for anyone who is interested in baptism (any age) and/or confirmation (12+). Please drop an email to Vikki (vicarspa@ccbedford.org) expressing an interest. More details will follow.
 

Thank you from the Vicar

 
From AV to cups of tea, to cleaning and tidying and decorating and meeting. From singing loudly to not falling asleep while I preach (zzzz). A very big THANK YOU. The church is nothing without the people, and every single person who has walked through one of our many doors has made Christ Church what it is in 2024. May God bless everyone with some rest as the year draws to a close, and joy as we enter into 2025.
 

For your prayers this week


Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent: Eternal God, as Mary waited for the birth of your Son, so we wait for his coming in glory; bring us through the birth pangs of this present age to see, with her, our great salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
 
Prayer for Christmas Eve: Almighty God, as we prepare with joy to celebrate the gift of the Christ-child, embrace the earth with your glory and be for us a living hope in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen
 
Prayer for Christmas Day: Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen
 
Prayer for the First Sunday of Christmas: God in Trinity, eternal unity of perfect love: gather the nations to be one family, and draw us into your holy life through the birth of Emmanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

A Prayer for a New Year:
And the one who was seated on the throne said ‘See, I am making all things new.’  (Rev 21.5)
 
God of new beginnings, of hope and deliverance, dawn us with fresh opportunities, equip us for new tasks, fill us with eager longing, thrill us with fresh starts, that with the past behind us we may look to all that lies ahead with faith in Jesus, hope in you and love for all.  Amen
 
Children's Ministry and Events
 
THIS SUNDAY AT 10.30am (22nd December):

Please register your children before the 10.30am service at the sign in desk
 

 
COMING UP THIS WEEK:


COMING UP IN THE NEW YEAR:
 
 

 
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
 

For more information about our regular groups please look on our website here or contact Ruth using: children@ccbedford.org or 07554 537757

Youth Ministry and Events




For more information about our regular groups please look on our website here or contact Hannah using: youth@ccbedford.org or 07384 295757

 
18-30s Ministry and Events

For more information contact Laura Jewell our 18-30s Pioneer at 18-30s@ccbedford.org
 

What is happening at Christ Church and beyond


Carols on the Lawn: Please join us at 4pm on Christmas Eve outside church for a short service of Carols and Readings, followed by refreshments in the halls.


Go4Gold Film Clubs: On Friday 27th December 2024 & 3rd January 2025 from 2pm. Over the 2 weeks there will be an opportunity to come & watch the epic 1959 film Ben Hur (PG rated). Refreshments (popcorn and ice cream) included. Charlton Heston plays a Palestinian Jew who is battling the Roman empire at the time of Christ. His actions send him and his family into slavery, but an inspirational encounter with Jesus changes everything. Heston finally meets his rival in a justly famous chariot race and rescues his suffering family.
 
Church Walk:  Sunday 29th December. Meet at Christ Church at 2.30pm for a local walk followed by refreshments by the fire, at 56 Howbury Street.
 
Come Together: Combined Men’s Breakfast and Ladies Elevenses. Saturday 4th January 2025 at 10am at Christ Church. Praise and Testimony Share Time from the front and around the tables.  We’d love to hear how God has been and is at work in our lives.  There will be an open microphone at the front and also time to share at the tables and pray for each other.  There is no pressure to share so please do come along. No need to sign up just come and join us for the usual refreshments including the old favourite of bacon butties. 
 
Bedford Foodbank: The most needed food items at the moment are: Tin openers, pot noodles,  cup-a-soup, fruit juice (long-life), tinned meat (200g), tuna, sweetcorn and fruit, jelly, coffee and long-life milk.

If you wish to donate toiletries to Bedford Foodbank, our current needs are: toilet rolls, disposable razors, shaving foam/gel, sanitary wear, household cleaning sprays and washing up liquid. Many thanks for your generosity.

Please note: the next foodbank date at Christ Church is Tuesday 7th January 2025. 
 

 

Hello
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Our 9:00am service is traditional in style and lasts about 45 minutes.

Our main Sunday family service starts at 10:30am and runs for about 75 minutes, everyone gathers together at the beginning of the service. After a short time of worship together, we divide into different teaching and worship groups as children up to school year 11 leave.

At our all-age services (60 minutes), everyone stays together for the whole service. Our weekly notice-sheet gives details of all important events happening in the near future and some guidance on topics for prayer.

Tea, coffee and biscuits are served after the service where there is plenty of time to meet new people and ask more questions. We are proud to be a certified Fair Trade Church.

Our 7:00pm Sunday evening service runs for about 75 minutes and adopts a more contemporary style with a focus on deeper worship and teaching.   

 

What happens to the kids at church?

Children

We have a fantastic programme for the kids at the Church on Sunday mornings during our 10.30am service:

Imagine -  Our weekly group for babies to 3 year olds, parents are welcome to stay with their child, if they like.  They meet in the main hall 
Wonder - Our weekly group for those in school years R-3. They meet in Rooms 2-3
Marvel - Our weekly group for those in school years 4-6. They meet in Room 5 (upstairs)
Youth - Our weekly group for those in school years 7-13. They meet in Room 7 (upstairs). Please register at the desk in the hub


The children and youth stay with their parents at the start of the service as we worship together for the first part of the morning. Someone will announce when the children and youth should go to their groups. You will need to go with your children and register them, the first time they attend. 

For more information about what is currently happening in the children's work please visit the Children's Ministry page and for the youth work please visit the Youth Ministry page.

What about accessibility?

There are parking spaces next to the church halls but for the 10:30am service a larger car park is available at Castle Newman School (south site) just a few yards along Goldington Road. We have step free access from both Denmark street and Dudley street and there is space for buggies and wheelchairs in the Hub area of the new halls. There are baby changing and accessible toilet facilities and a lift to the first floor. Our sound system incorporates a hearing loop.

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries: