Sunday 17th November 


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 16th November


10am-2pm at Woodside Church, Dover Crescent Bedford, MK41 8QH Christmas Craft Fayre. It's free entry so just turn up!
 
 

7pm - Quiz Night: Register your team for The Big Quiz Night on Saturday 16th November, in Christ Church Halls at 7pm, raising funds for Tearfund (suggested donation £5 per person).  Click here to register and for more information. If you don't have a team it is not too late to just turn up and be allocated a team on the night.

If you are unable to join us but would like to donate to this cause you can do so here


Sunday 17th November

 
The Second Sunday before Advent

9am - Holy Communion – Sin, The Cross and Repentance: Repentance (Acts 2: 38-39 – David Thomas
           
           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 – Being Disciples 4: Holiness – Sue Marshall
 

Services in the coming week


Wednesday 20th November
10am -  Holy Communion – followed by refreshments

Sunday 24th November
9am - Morning Worship – Sin, The Cross & Repentance: How Do We Respond? (Matthew 7:1-5) – David Thomas
          10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Holy Communion – as above   
7pm - Sundays@Seven – Being Disciples 4: Holiness Response – Sue Marshall
 

Church Family News

  
Colin Burbidge: Colin, husband of Barbara, sadly died on Tuesday 5th November.. There will be a service of Thanksgiving for Colin’s life at Christ Church at 3.30pm on Thursday 28th November with refreshments afterwards at Oakhill Place, High View, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK41 8FB
 
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.

Carols by Candlelight Choir (Sunday 15th December): Anyone interested in singing in the choir at the Carols by Candlelight Service, please drop an email to Vikki (as above) expressing your interest. Rehearsal dates: 25/11 – 8pm, 01/12 – 4pm, 09/12 8pm.
 
 

Thoughts from the Vicar

 
 It has been something of a tumultuous week in the life of the Church of England. At the heart of it has been the issue of abuse. The stats for our country are scary - from April 2022 to March 2023 nearly 900,000 domestic abuse related cases were reported by the police. And in that same time period there were just over 50,000 prosecutions. Sadly, and to our deep shame, the church is a place full of abuse, whether it takes place by people in positions of authority, or people who commit abuse and sit in our pews. 
 
Often the signs are there in front of us, but for one reason or another we don't do anything about it.
 
Abuse can take many forms, this is not an exhaustive list but covers many:
 
Physical abuse,
Domestic violence,
Sexual abuse,
Psychological or emotional abuse,
Financial or material abuse,
Modern slavery,
Discriminatory abuse,
Organisational abuse,
Neglect and acts of omission.
 
If you are concerned about someone, or if you believe that you are being abused yourself; please do talk to myself, or our Safeguarding Officer (Pauline Carter) or the Wardens (Andrew Russell and Kay Berrington). There are also many helplines, for example:

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
Childline: 0800 1111
Stop It Now: 0808 1000 900
NAPAC: 0808 801 0331
Samaritans: 116 123
Family Lives: 0808 800 2222
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Respect Phoneline: 0808 8010 327
National Careline: 0800 0699 784
 
We believe that everyone is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), everyone is valued and loved (Matthew 6:26), and therefore we should care for one another (John 13:34). We will continue to work hard at trying to make the church as safe a place as it can be. This is a never-ending goal, but one which we cannot give up on.
 

For your prayers this week

 
Prayer for the Second Sunday before Advent: Heavenly Lord, you long for the world’s salvation: stir us from apathy, restrain us from excess and revive in us new hope that all creation will one day be healed in Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week we thank God for:

* Those who have the courage to speak out against injustice and abuse.
* Those commissioned to investigate allegations who seek to reveal the truth.
* Those organisations that seek to support victims of abuse.
* Families and friends who care for those broken by abuse.
* The victims of abuse, who shine a light on our failures and in so doing help to reshape the body of Christ to truly reflect our Lord and Saviour.

 
Children's Ministry and Events
 
THIS SUNDAY AT 10.30am (17th November):

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



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


Leaf Clearing: Sunday 17th November after the 10.30am service. Bring a rake, broom, garden bag, gloves and join the fun of clearing the leaves around the church.Church Walk: Sunday 17th November at 2.30pm meet in the Hub for a local walk.

Go4Gold: Friday 22nd November 2-3.15pm. Home from Tunisia Steve and Maria Guest and Rachel Bennett share their holiday adventures exploring the sites of the early Christian Church in North Africa. Refreshments provided.  No booking needed, just turn up.
 


Lunch Club Christmas Lunch: Friday 13th December at 1pm. If you, a relative, friend or neighbour, would like to come along to our Christmas Lunch for seniors, tickets (£10 per person) are now on sale from the Church Office and will be until Sunday 1st December.

At this time of year we receive details of many different activities. Rachel Bennett has put together a list of some of these events which you can view here.
 
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.
 
 

 

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: