Sunday 7th 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 6th April


10.30 for 11am - Ladies Elevenses (details below)
 


Sunday 7th April
 

9am - Holy Communion – John 20:19-31 - Ian Smith

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

10.30am -  All Age Worship – Hannah Prays to God (1 Sam 1:1-2:10) – Ruth Hulme

   *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 – Praise and Worship - Mhairi Brown
 

Services in the coming week


Wednesday 10th April
10am -  Morning Worship - followed by refreshments 
 
Sunday 14th April
9am -   Morning Worship  Samuel Listens (1 Sam 3) – Julie Bradshaw
           10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Holy Communion – as above
            6pm - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 40 minutes
7pm - Sundays@Seven – Prayer and Prophecy – Tony Daniels
 

Church Family News

 
Thank you to Ian Smith, Vicar at All Saints’ Renhold, for presiding at 9am.
 
Prayer Diary: April’s Prayer Diary is now available: collect a copy from church.

Two New Sermon Series start today:

Untitled (Presentation) (4)
 
 Annual Parochial Church Meeting:  A date for your diaries.  This year our APCM (like an annual general meeting) will be held on Wednesday 17th April in Church at 8pm.  At this meeting we will (re)elect wardens, some Deanery Synod Representative & some PCC members. 

Elections to PCC (Parochial Church Council)
There are 4 PCC places available for 3 years and 2 Deanery Synod places for 2 years. Please consider standing to serve our church in this key leadership capacity. Nomination forms available by the pigeon holes.

PCC/Deanery Synod representatives’ role involves: 
 
          1) enable the church to play its part in God’s mission to his world
          2) co-operate with the Vicar in sharing leadership
          3) ensure legal compliance with charity law
          4) care for the buildings and church gardens
          5) be a channel of consultation within the wider Church

We usually have 6 PCC meetings a year and Deanery Synod reps attend a further 4 or 5 meetings in the Deanery. They must be DBS checked and complete safeguarding training and are encouraged to pray for Christ Church, prepare for the meetings and contribute to the discussions.

If you would like more information, or want to talk about anything, please speak to Andrew or Kay.
 

Thoughts from the Vicar

Jesus. That's the answer to whatever the question asked is. This is a joke from theological college, and yet in it there is some very real truth. Jesus might not be the answer to the question 'what shall we eat for dinner?' But he is the answer to the spiritual hunger that we each encounter. 
 
In my experience, when people have met with Jesus, their lives are transformed. Some people have those crazy Damascus Road stories like Saul. Most of us I suspect have those seemingly ordinary, slow burning encounters. The ones where nothing obvious has changed, but when you look back you see so much has. 
 
I used to hate the sound of my own voice. God then gave me the gift of music and I ended up being a worship leader and in a band. Now a big part of my role as priest is public speaking. I don't know when I went from being ashamed, scared, shy etc, but today I get to declare the praises of the one who has brought us out of darkness and into the Kingdom of light. We get to sing the praises of Jesus, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. The one who knows us and still loves us. As we live in the light of Easter, let us take a moment and look back, let us remember what Jesus has done for us, how he is our answer.                           
 

For your prayers this week

 
Prayer for The Second Sunday of Easter:

God of glory, by the raising of your Son, you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Please pray for:
  • The persecuted Church.
  • The oppressed peoples of the world. 
  • All who are lonely and isolated.
  • All who are near to death.         
  • All who are facing loss.
 A Prayer for Easter Season:

On this day that the Lord has made, let us pray for the people he has redeemed.
  • That we may live as those who believe in the triumph of the cross: 
  • That all people may receive the good news of his victory: 
  • That those born to new life in the waters of baptism may know the power of his resurrection: 
  • That those who suffer pain and anguish may find healing and peace in the wounds of Christ: 
  • That in the undying love of Christ we may be united with all who have died in the faith of Christ: 
Let us commend the world, in which Christ rose from the dead, to the mercy and protection of God. Amen
 
Children's Ministry and Events

THIS SUNDAY (7th April):
 

This week 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.
 
 Parents Letter Children-s Survey.pdf

CHILDREN'S TEAM

Please note that the children's team time which was planned for April 12th at 18:00 has now been postponed to Sunday 12th May at 12:30. Please respond to the invite on ChurchSuite if you are able to attend.
 
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 beyond?

 
LAST CHANCE: Tools for Malawi: Alex Mnatzaganian is collecting tools on behalf of the Malawi Orphan Fund. These need to be handed in by 8th April, please.



Church Walk: Sunday 7th April Meet at 2.30pm at church for a local walk followed by a social in the Hub.

Go4Gold Social: Friday 12th April 2-3.15pm. No booking needed, just turn up.

Helping Hands Garden Party: Saturday 13th April from 2-5pm. Everyone welcome to bring your own tools and come and help weed the borders, trim the shrubs and tidy up the church grounds etc. Families why not come and join us. Drinks and cake will be provided for the workers. Many hands make light work!
 
Bedford Young Persons Pilgrimage: If you are aged 15-35 then you might be interested in this trip to Taize organised by Father Paul of Elstow Abbey. (Click here for a clearer version of the poster)

 
Job Vacancy at the Diocese of St Albans
Safeguarding Administrator (0.6) - The Diocese of St Albans (stalbansdiocese.org)
 
The job is central to our Diocesan Safeguarding Team and will be supporting the very important safeguarding training programme.
  • 21 hours a week (4-5 hours over 4-5 days)
  • Flexibility to work part from home and part from Holywell Lodge, St Albans
  • We are looking for strong Administrative and Communication skills and someone who is good at working as part of a team.
Deadline for applications are 12pm on 8th April 2024.

 
 
2024 Church Coach Holiday Monday 8th-Friday 12th July: open to all, staying at the Angel Hotel, Leamington Spa (pictured above). The brochure is now available to download here or collect a paper copy from The Hub or contact Rachel Bennett on 07981918263. There are a few places left.
 
2024 Ladies Weekend Away: Friday 11th-Sunday 13th October Staying at The Garden House in Stamford. Speakers: Mhairi Brown and Sue Marshall. More details and booking forms available 
here or collect a paper copy from The Hub or contact Rachel Bennett 
 

Bedford Foodbank: The most needed items at the moment are: Pot noodles, cup-a-soup, fruit juice (long-life), tinned meat (200g), tuna, sweetcorn and fruit, teabags (40), squash and long-life sponge puddings. 
 
 
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)
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: