Sunday 28th 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 27th April

9am - Men's Breakfast 

 

Sunday 28th April
 

The Fifth Sunday of Easter
 

9am - Morning Worship  David (1 Sam 16) – Jonathan Templeman

           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  Responding to God – David Thomas
 

Services in the coming week


Wednesday 1st May
10am -  Morning Worship - followed by refreshments 
 
Sunday 5th May
9am - Holy Communion –  David and Goliath  (1 Samuel 17) – David Thomas
           10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - All Age Worship – as above – Ruth Hulme
            6pm - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 40 minutes
7pm -Sundays@Seven – Holy Spirit: The Trinity and the Creeds – David Thomas
 

Church Family News

 
Prayer Diary: May’s Prayer Diary is now available to collect from church.

Word for TodayCopies of UCB Word for Today for May - July are now available in the Hub.
 

Thoughts from the Vicar

 
Broken sleep. Thursday night I had a rather broken night of sleep. Which got me thinking, although it had been broken sleep, I had still had some sleep. I wonder if this is a picture for some of us, of how we feel about faith and where we are at. On the one hand we can focus on the brokenness, the failings, the slip ups, the sin, the not being super Holy, the comparisons to others etc. On the other hand, well we love Jesus, we read our bible occasionally, we pray a bit, come to church, try and encourage others, give a tithe etc. 
 
My favourite verse at the moment is James 4:8, it says draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (The second half of the verse we'll save for another time) We are all broken in some way, we might really really feel that brokenness, but the encouragement here is to draw near to God because in doing so he will draw near to us. The implication being he meets us in our brokenness. We see this when Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son and how the Father runs and meets his son while he is still far off.
 
So whether you've had a broken night's sleep or not, let us be those who draw near to God, who come and meet with him, trusting that he will draw near to us.
 

For your prayers this week

 
Prayer for The Fifth Sunday of Easter: Risen Christ, your wounds declare your love for the world and the wonder of your risen life: give us compassion and courage to risk ourselves for those we serve, to the glory of God the Father.
 
Please pray for:
  • Chris and Alun getting married on Saturday 4th May.
  • Haiti as its new transitional council tries to restore order amidst violence and chaos.
  • Those who work for peace in troubling places and situations.
  • Our local university, all the staff, teachers and students.
 
Children's Ministry and Events

THIS SUNDAY AT 10.30am (28th April):

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

COMING UP THIS WEEK:
 

 
CHILDREN'S TEAM 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 beyond?

 
Go4Gold Film Club: Friday 3rd May 2-3.15pm. Refreshments (popcorn and ice cream) included.  Just turn up if you are free and come and watch a Christian film with others.

Ladies Elevenses:
 

 

Save The Date

Plant ?? Sale 11th May @ 11am -12.30 pm. 

In church grounds. (In church if wet!)
We need all your ?? seedlings , cuttings and ??plants to sell. Start Collecting Now

Refreshments available too!

Proceeds towards curate’s house furnishings and garden.

HOPE Bedfordshire Youth EventCome meet the Answer at Christ Church on Friday 17th May at 7.30pm.  There will be Live Worship; Games; Pizza (£2) and More.

 
An invitation: Ben Rowan and Ellie Ryan-Johnson would like to invite all members of the congregation to their wedding on Friday 21st June. The ceremony is at 12 noon and people are invited to arrive from 11:30am
 

Vocations Roadshows

Starting to think God might be calling you? Wondering how you could grow your faith through service? Thinking about ministry? Or just wondering “what next”?

Save the date! Come along to one of our Vocations Roadshows and explore the variety of directions in which God might be calling you.
  • Sunday 19 May, 2pm – 5pm: Diocesan Office, St Albans
  • Saturday 8 June, 10am – 1pm: St John’s Hall, Hertford
  • Tuesday 9 July, 6.30pm – 9.30pm: St Andrew’s, Bedford
More information: https://www.stalbansdiocese.org/ministry/called-to-serve/
 

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: