Sunday 22nd September

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 September

3-5pm - Local Community Event for families with youth and children

Sunday 22nd September

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

9am - Morning Worship – Characters from the Old Testament: Joash repairs the temple (2 Kings 12:1-5)  – 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*

6pm - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 40 minutes

7pm - Sundays@Seven –  Sundays@Seven – Prayer and Worship Evening

Sue Marshall will be admitted and licensed as Reader at St Albans Abbey on Sunday 22nd September at 2.30pm, following the completion of 2 years of study. Please pray for Sue and the other 5 new readers. If you would like to attend the details are here and the service will be livestreamed on the St Albans Cathedral YouTube channel here

Services in the coming week

Wednesday 25th September

10am - Holy Communion – followed by refreshments

Sunday 29th September
9am - Holy Communion – Characters from the OT – The fall of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 17:1-23) – Tony Daniels
10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Morning Worship – as above
6pm - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 40 minutes
7pm - Sundays@Seven – Being Disciples 2- Faith, Hope and Love – Mhairi Brown

Church Family News

Congratulations: to Will Eves and Emma Oram as they marry at St Patrick’s, Wallington, SM6 0RZ on Saturday 28^th September.

Michael Brown: The funeral of Michael Brown of Dudley Street and a Lunch Club regular will be at Christ Church on Monday 30^th September at 2pm.

University of Bedfordshire Students: A warm welcome to students at the start of the academic year. This week, Ben (our curate) has been involved with welcoming students to the university. He has spent time handing out tins of baked beans and invitations to CCB.

Thoughts from the Vicar

Last Sunday morning, Jonathan Templeman spoke to us, and I was struck by his opposite P's. When we face situations that cause us to Panic, do we turn to God in Prayer? And when we pray, do we ask God to open our eyes to see his perspective?

I don't know about you, but I often can fall into the trap that I try and pray what I think the answers should be. Rather than turning to the Lord, asking for his help and wisdom, asking for my eyes to be opened to see something of the God perspective on things, on allowing God to be the one who works all things together.

There is a song which has become an ear worm for me this week. It is called Firm Foundation. The two lines which are stuck in my head are "Christ is my firm foundation, the rock on which I stand." And "He won't, he won't fail." There is a powerful reminder for me, to moment by moment, day by day put my trust in Jesus, to lean on him, he has proven himself faithful time and time again. And so as we pray, let us trust in the God who does not fail, and ask that our eyes would be opened to see things from his perspective. Amen.

For your prayers this week

Prayer for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity: Gracious God, you call us to fullness of life: deliver us from unbelief and banish our anxieties with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please pray for:

The University of Bedfordshire which has just had Freshers Week.
Students, lecturers and staff as the new university academic year begins.
Helen, B (Birgitte), & Luke the Chaplains.
All the people and businesses associated with the university.
Students and new people to Bedford, to find church communities that they can call home.

Children's Ministry and Events

THIS SUNDAY AT 10.30am (22nd September):

Please register your children before the 10.30am service at the welcome desk in the hub.

Today's Groups:

COMING UP THIS WEEK:

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

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 some dates for your diary

Fairtrade at St Andrews: Sunday 22^nd September celebratory sale (11am-5pm) and refreshments (2-4pm) in the main hall at St Andrew’s Church, Kimbolton Road.

(There will also be a service at Christ Church that evening.)

Go4Gold Social: Friday 27^th September 2-3.15pm. Refreshments provided. No booking needed, just turn up. All welcome.

Ladies Elevenses Time Saturday 5^th October 10.30 for 11am: Music and Testimony.

Autumn Church Garden Tidying Saturday 5^th October. 2pm Come and help tidy the church garden for the winter. Please bring your own tools and rubbish bags.

Ladies Weekend Away 2024: Friday 11th-Sunday 13th October staying at The Garden House in Stamford. Ladies can come for the weekend or for the day on Saturday 12th for fun, food, fellowship and teaching from Mhairi Brown and Sue Marshall with worship led by Ellie and Eilidh. More details and booking forms available here or from the Hub.

Tickets can also be purchased at malawiorphanfund.uk

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.

Volunteer Opportunity

@ Bedford Foodbank

Trustee

Bedford Foodbank
Voluntary Position (approximately 4 – 8 hours a month)

In 2023, we moved premises to a larger warehouse which is enabling our fantastic team of staff and volunteers to work in a better, safer environment, and our day-to-day operations can run more efficiently.

The Foodbank is committed to delivering a high standard of service to anyone who engages with our work. We operate our services with a Christian ethos, supported by local churches. You don’t need to be an active Christian to be part of the team, but understanding these values is important.

We have recently spent time reviewing our policies and processes, developing our strategy and identifying areas where we can strengthen our governance - and now, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join the team as we continue to serve the community of Bedford.

The Role

Along with the board of trustees, this role’s responsibilities are;

To oversee the governance of the organisation.
To work alongside the trustee board to ensure the organisation’s financial dealings are systematically accounted for and on time, independently examined and made publicly available when necessary.
Ensure Bedford Foodbank is accountable, actively complying with statutory accounting and reporting requirements and the law.
To ensure appropriate financial plans are in place for future budget allocations as well as looking after contractual agreements with external partners that award money for core costs and additional projects.
To help promote the organisation to a wider audience of potential funders and beneficiaries.
To ensure the food bank has appropriate procedures to: comply with current legislation and good practice; including employment, health and safety, equal opportunities, safeguarding & GDPR compliance/data protection etc.
Act with reasonable care and skill, giving your time, thought and energy to your role.
To serve as an additional promoter of the food bank in the community.

About you

A knowledge of and commitment to the work of the Bedford foodbank.

Benefits of volunteering

Using your existing skills to make a difference.
Meet new people who share your passion to eradicate poverty in the local community.
Make a real difference to the running of the food bank.

Support

A full trustee induction is in place to support the prospective candidate within their role.

How to apply

For more information, please contact Kirsty Middleton or fill in our application form here and return it to Kirsty Middleton (kirsty@bedford.foodbank.org.uk) by 30th September.

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.

Visitors click here

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?

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)
JTeam - Our weekly group for those in school years 7-11. They meet in Room 6 (upstairs)

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:

Men's Ministry
Women's Ministry
Students' Ministry
Seniors' Ministry
Foodbank (in partnership with Bedford Foodbank)