Sunday 7th 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 6th December

10.15am

Sunday 7th December

The Second Sunday of Advent

9am - Holy Communion – 2 (Matthew 3:1-12) – David Thomas

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

10.30am - All-Age Worship – Nativity Service

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

7pm - Sundays@Seven - Advent Taizé – Ben Williams

Taizé Service: All are welcome to come along as we find a moment of peace and reflection in this season of Advent.

Services in the coming week

Wednesday 10th December

10am - Holy Communion – followed by refreshments

Sunday 14th December

9am - Holy Communion – Advent 3 (Matthew 11.2-11) – Michael Bishop

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

10.30am - Holy Communion – As above

7pm - Sundays@Seven - Contemporary Christmas Service – Hannah Applegarth

Church Family News

Our Christmas Cards for the parish: (including service times) are now bundled ready for delivery in the next couple of days. If anybody would like to grab a bundle and deliver them, we would be very grateful. Ideally we would like them delivered by 10th December.

Our Christmas Cards to those on the electoral roll will be available to collect from the Hub, shortly.

Christmas Cards to church members: If you wish to send a Christmas card to our church family, please place in the office slot of the pigeonholes and we will display them.

Help Around The Church: Are you handy? Do you have some skills, enthusiasm and time? We are trying to put together a group of people who can help with looking after our church building and grounds. From lawn mowing to fixing things to helping rearrange stuff. For more info talk to DT / email vicarspa@ccbedford.org

ChurchSuite: We use ChurchSuite to help us manage and organise life here at Christ Church. It is used for our church database, but also for our rotas and many of our communications with church members. We encourage all of those who consider Christ Church to be ‘their church’ to give us permission to hold their details on ChurchSuite.

Anyone on ChurchSuite with access to the Internet can then sign in to My ChurchSuite. This is a tool designed to help you access and engage with the life of the church. After logging in to My ChurchSuite you can check dates that you are serving on rotas, update your personal details (and those of your children under 18) and even search for others (you have control over what others can see about you). Some of us have uploaded pictures to help you link a name to a face (and we would encourage you to consider including a picture if you haven’t already done so).

We are encouraging everyone to log into My ChurchSuite this week and check their details are up to date. We know that some of you have moved house in the last 12 months, or maybe you have a new preferred email address or phone number. To log in you will need to use the email address that we have for you. If you can’t get in, please let us know: office@ccbedford.org or you can reply to this email. If you have never signed up to the ChurchSuite / Christ Church members list, let us know (as above) and we will look into adding you. Thank you.

Thoughts from the Vicar

We've been talking recently about how we can use our gifts. Many of us have things sitting around the house or in garage, which we use infrequently; but perhaps we could loan them out? As Christmas and the New Year approaches, many want to take the opportunity to clear out some clutter. Or perhaps you are looking for a way in which you can share some of your time or skills? I continue to be struck by that small verse in Matthew's gospel, freely you have received, freely give (Matt 10:8).

Now the gospel writer is talking in the context of the sending out of the disciples to share the good news of the Kingdom Of Heaven and perform signs and wonders. But I believe that the underlying principle has far wider implications. That a significant picture of God's kingdom is generosity. And if we are part of that, well we should be actively demonstrating that generosity. Often one of the difficulties we encounter is how to be generous.

So, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Free To All!

https://www.ccbedfordfreetoall.org

Free To All is Christ Church Bedford's platform for helping us share our goods and skills - either as gifts or loans. To offer something, as a loan or gift, use the "offer" panel. To request something, use the "request" panel.

To access this platform, go to the web address above and use your ChurchSuite login to connect. Please login, please share what you can. And let us see where this generosity leads us. Freely we have received, so freely we can give!

For your prayers this week

The Second Sunday of Advent: Almighty God purify our hearts and minds, that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God. Amen

Please pray for:

Rev Tim Robb, his family, and St Mary's Church at this difficult time following the recent announcement about his health.
All the preparations for the services taking place over the coming few weeks, that the joy of Christ would be shared.
Bedford Foodbank, and all those struggling to put food on the table.
The peace of Christ to be present in places of conflict and disaster, for all those agencies working to bring an end to violence and respond to natural disasters.

Children's Ministry and Events

THIS WEEK

This Sunday is an all age service at 10.30am, we encourage families to join us for the service. There are instruments and quiet toys available for children who join us.

ADVENT:

Red and green Christmas colouring sheet

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

Youth Blog

We have started a youth blog! Once a month (new post now up) we will give you an insight into our youth ministry. You will be able to read what we are getting up to and the fun we're having. So far we have blogged about our youth weekend away and what our youth alpha looks like in our Friday Nights Small Groups.

Find all our blogs on the church website in the 'youth ministry' section in 'connect' or follow this link: https://ccbedford.org/Groups/452353/Youth_Blog.aspx

Happy Reading! :)

Satellites 2026: We have announced that, next summer in 2026, we are taking our young people to a youth festival, satellites, down at the Bath & West showground in Somerset. This is an amazing opportunity for them to experience faith alongside so many other young people their age. If you wish your young person to come along, please book as soon as possible to access the standard ticket that they offer (price goes up on 27th February). For any more information about travel or prices, please feel free to contact the youth team: email either Hannah Applegarth or Sorcha Brown.

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

What is happening at Christ Church and beyond

Christmas Lunch Club: Friday 12th December at 1pm in Christ Church Halls. All the tickets have been sold and we are looking forward to a fantastic time together.

Bedford Youth Christmas concert: Friday 12th December, 7-9pm, featuring Bedford Youth Community Gospel Choir and other local young musicians for an inspirational Evening of Christmas Music at Three Rivers Church, Denmark Street. £5 on the door for charity.

shineyourlight.org.uk: There will be three opportunities to ‘come and shine your light’ and sing carols with other Bedford Christians in Bedford Town Centre on 13th December: 11am HOPE Gazebo in front of Peacocks, Allhallows; 12 Noon outside Primark, Midland Road or at 2pm at the Gazebo.

Waltz into Christmas: Dance4All invite you to an afternoon of dancing, live music and readings from 3-3.45pm on Saturday 13th December. For details contact Angharad Hughes

Help wanted: We have the opportunity to raise awareness and money for Home of Hope by selling refreshments at Waltz into Christmas (details above). If you are happy to provide cakes or help serve in the afternoon, please let Gillian Lindley know.

BBC Songs of Praise Shines Their Light! BBC One’s Songs of Praise will be coming from Bedford on Sunday 14th December in a special Christmas episode entitled Christmas Joy. Hosted by Laura Wright, the programme will celebrate the hope and wonder of the Christmas season, shining a light on stories that inspire joy across our community. During the episode, viewers will hear from Steve and Pip Elphick, reflecting on the remarkable 30-year prayer journey they’ve been faithfully walking in Bedford. Pastor Jonathan will also be sharing from the Shopping Centre, speaking about the exciting plans for this weekend’s Shine Your Light outreach. Together, these stories capture the faith, perseverance, and unity that continue to shape the town of Bedford and repeated across the Isles. To finish, the programme will feature a spectacular flash mob of around 200 Christians from churches across Bedford, joining their voices in a joyful rendition of “Joy to the World”.

Are you looking for something to do with your children once the schools break for the Christmas holidays?

Something to keep them occupied in the days leading up to the big day?

Following the success of our 2024 competition, Christ Church is running another Gingerbread House Decorating Competition on the 22nd December 2025.

For families with children and young people

You can also book via this link https://ccbedford.churchsuite.com/-/forms/mogb4mfp

Bedford Foodbank Shopping List: The most needed items at the moment are: tinned tuna/meat/rice pudding/sweetcorn, jars of coffee/cooking sauces, bars of chocolate, biscuits, laundry tablets & long-life fruit juice. Thank you for your donations.

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)
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:

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