Sunday 6th April 


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 5th April

 

2-4pm - Tibbs Dementia Foundation Spring Fayre: is being held in Christ Church halls. Admission adults £1, children free
 

Sunday 6th April

The Fifth Sunday of Lent

9am - Holy Communion - Lament: bringing all our emotions to God (Ps 6:1-10, Mat 26:36-46) – Alan Cottenden

          10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes

10.30am - Morning Worship – As above

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

7pm - Sundays@Seven –  Lord's Prayer 5: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – Vikki Thomas
 

Services in the coming week


Wednesday 9th April
10am -  Holy Communion – followed by refreshments
8pm - Lent Course: Same Sex Attraction (part 1) – In church

Sunday13th April Palm Sunday
9am -  Morning Worship – Praising God for who he is 1 Chronicles 16, Luke 19:28-40 Ben Williams
          10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Holy Communion – As Above 
7pm Sundays@Seven – Taizé Service – Ben Williams
 

Church Family News

                                                                                                                                             
Our Lent Sermons are on Prayer : -
Prayer booklet: To accompany our Lent series looking at prayer,  our curate Ben Williams has put together a booklet with different suggestions of ways of praying. This includes both traditional structured methods of prayer (such as services of Morning Prayer), as well as more reflective practices such as examen. For those feeling more creative, the booklet also contains a selection of different ways of bringing creativity into your prayer life, including using bubbles, maps, and pipe cleaners.

To download the booklet please click here

Clarry Bristow: Clarry’s funeral will be at Christ Church on Monday 7th April at 1.30pm.  

Communicating with Christ Church: Our broadband and telephone system is being updated this coming week. If you can’t get through, please use a different method or try again later.

Electoral Roll: Thank you for the 225 of you who recently completed Electoral Roll forms. Next week the draft electoral roll for 2025/6 will be printed and displayed so that you can check your name. Any questions? Please email on electoralroll@ccbedford.org

Taizé Service: Next Sunday at our evening service (7pm) we will be sharing in a service inspired by the Taize community. All are welcome at this reflective service as we prepare our hearts for Easter.

Safety on Sundays: We request that no children (Year 6 and under) play upstairs.

Date for your Diary: Annual Parochial Church Meeting, Wednesday 30th April, 8pm. More details next week.

Prayer Diary: The April Prayer Diary is now available: collect a paper copy from church.
 

Lent: We have two sessions left on our Lent Course “Relationships Matter”, coming up are two different perspectives on Same Sex Attraction on Wednesdays 9th & 16th April at 8pm. Our purpose is to start a conversation about what the Bible says about marriage, singleness and same sex attraction: to listen to the Bible and to how different people have interpreted it. To make sure we hear different experiences and perspectives, there will be a variety of speakers with opportunity for feedback and discussion.

Thoughts from the Vicar


I was recently at a Diocesan meeting in which some stats were shared about our diocese (St Alban's):
            25% of churches have zero under 16s. 
            7% of churches have 25+ under 16s.

One in every four Church of England churches, in our diocese, has zero children attending. In terms of sustainability that is a worrying statistic. For us here at Christ Church, we find ourselves being a part of that 7%. Two weeks ago we had 28 children and youth attend our 10.30am service, and 5 attend Youth @ 6. We are blessed! 

The work which Ruth & Hannah so faithfully do, goes beyond mere numbers and statistics. Whether it is creating safe spaces for our young people, programmes which will encourage and deepen faith, training volunteers, helping families, organising fundraisers and trips, researching new materials, encouraging the church & wider community. We are blessed!

Our Children's Minister and Youth & Student Minister are the focal point of much of our discipleship and mission. But they cannot do this alone. We all have a part to play. A huge thank you to you all for your faithful praying, awesome encouraging, servant hearted volunteering, and sacrificial giving. It is our desire to see our children and youth grow deeper in their faith, to see more families experience the love of Christ, to see God's Kingdom manifest in Bedford. Over the coming months, we are going to try and share a bunch of stuff about what is going on in the life of the church. So you know more of where your time, gifts and talents are going. To show what the vision and mission of the church looks like in practice.                 
                           
 

For your prayers this week

 
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Lent: Gracious Father, you gave up your Son out of love for the world: lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion, that we may know eternal peace through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pray for:
  • Teachers, Staff, Children and Families at the beginning of the Easter holidays.
  • King Charles following treatment for cancer.
  • South Korea and the impact of the wildfires.
  • Myanmar and Thailand following the earthquake leaving thousands dead.
  • The family and friends of Clarry, whose funeral takes place on Monday.
 

Holy Week and Easter

 


 
Children's Ministry and Events
 
THIS SUNDAY AT 10.30am (6th April): 
 
 
COMING UP IN THE EASTER HOLIDAYS
 
 
 
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
 

Church Walk: Sunday 6th April meet in the Hub at 2.30pm for a local walk and then return to church for refreshments.

Go4Gold Soup and Social Friday 11th April @ 12.45pm. There will be a choice of soups, bread rolls, cheese, yoghurts and fruit for a suggested donation of £2pp. This will be followed by a social in the Hub from 2-3.15pm (suggested donation £1pp). No booking is needed, you are welcome just turn up to one or both events.

You can also click on the pictures to book (rather than using the QR code).

Save the date: Saturday 10th May 7-10pm Celebrate 20 years of the Malawi Orphan Fund working with the Home of Hope. A fun evening of food for the stomach and for the mind. £20 (children £5). Tickets available this Sunday from Kathy Priddin.

Plant sale:   Saturday 24th May 2025. Please continue to take cuttings and plant seeds ready for the sale, then come and buy other wonderful plants to make your garden look great. We had a great time last year, let's make it even better this year.
 
2025 Ladies Weekend Away: Friday 26th-Sunday 28th September staying at The Garden House in Stamford. Ladies can come for the weekend or for the day on Saturday 27th for fun, food, fellowship, teaching and worship. Brochures with booking form now available in the hub, or download LWA or contact Rachel Bennett.  Early booking will secure your place.

2025 Men’s Weekend Away: Friday 17th - Sunday19th October staying at The Garden House in Stamford. Green brochures with booking form now available in the hub, or download here or from John Betteley.  Twin or single en-suite rooms available.  Book early.
 
+ Foodbank Extra Request: Sun cream SPF50. Particularly for children (but needed for all).
 

 

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: