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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." |
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Saturday 20th September
Community BBQ: Christ Church would like to invite all families of children and youth to our Community BBQ party, from 2-4pm on Saturday 20th September. Entry is free and there will be games, activities and food for all the family. If you live in the Castle Road or Devon Park area, we'd love to see you!
Sunday 21st September
The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
9am - Holy Communion 5 Marks of Mission – Treasure (Gen 2:4-15) – David Thomas
10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Holy Communion – As above
Welcoming new ‘Students’: The Pizza Feast for those aged 15-30 (student or not). In the halls, Sunday 21st September from 6-7pm before the Taizé service. Please contact Hannah Applegarth (Youth and Student Minister) if you need more information.
7pm - Sundays@Seven – Taizé Service
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Services in the coming week
Wednesday 24th September
10am - Holy Communion – followed by refreshments
Sunday 28th September
9am - Morning Worship – 5 Marks of Mission – Transform – Sue Marshall
10.05am - Prayer Meeting – in Room 4 for approx. 20 minutes
10.30am - Holy Communion – As above
7pm - Communion@Seven – Spirit, Soul & Body: What does it mean to honour God with our bodies? (Rom 12:1-2) – David Thomas |
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Church Family News
Norma Sneddon’s Funeral: is taking place on Thursday 25 th September at 11.30am, at Bedford Crematorium, Norse Road. All are welcome to attend and remember Norma.
Rosemary Phillips: sadly, following a short illness Rosemary died on Tuesday 16 th September. Please hold her family and friends in your prayers at this difficult time.
Baptism & Confirmation: We are planning on having Baptisms on 19 th October at our 10.30am service, 26 th October at our 7pm service (by full immersion), and Confirmation on Sunday 16 th November at 7pm with Bishop Richard. If anyone is interested, please speak to David Thomas or Ben Williams.
Harvest Sunday 2025: This year we will be celebrating Harvest on 5 th October, and we are supporting the Bishops’ Harvest Appeal: Rewrite Their Future. This is being run in partnership with Mission Direct, which is led by Wil Horwood who worships with us at Christ Church. They are working towards increasing access to education for some of the world’s most under-resourced communities. In Uganda and Zambia alone, Mission Direct will help over 1,170 children this year to have access to a new classroom, and over the next 20 years these new facilities will be used by 23,400 children. Financial donations can be made in person or electronically (reference Harvest). We will also be collecting donations of non-perishable food for Bedford Foodbank.
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Thoughts from the Vicar
On Saturday mornings, I quite often unlock the church for whatever hall hirers are coming in. I can be seen at 8am, shuffling in my slippers with many keys in my hand. Most of the time it's not an issue, but sometimes, if it has been raining or particularly cold (I won't say snow because it's been a while...) I realise that wearing slippers is not a great idea when walking outside!
At last night's PCC meeting, a recurring refrain was that of prayer. In one of the discussions, the image of running shoes and slippers was shared. As a runner of sorts, it got me thinking about the idea of prayer being a marathon. Wearing slippers to run a marathon probably isn't the best idea. Granted they cover the feet and are comfy, but they don't provide the right support for such active endeavours. As I reflect upon my prayer life, am I wearing proper running shoes or am I wearing slippers?
I'm leaving this deliberately vague and open-ended because just as there are many types of running shoes, so each of our prayer lives will look slightly different. So, I wonder, what does your prayer life look like, do you need to lace up a new pair of trainers or perhaps dust off some you already have?
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For your prayers this week
Prayer for Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity:
Merciful God, your Son came to save us and bore our sins on the cross: may we trust in your mercy and know your love, rejoicing in the righteousness that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Please pray:
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Those who are bereaved.
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Those who feel unloved.
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Those who are searching.
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Those who work for peace and justice.
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Children's Ministry and Events
THIS SUNDAY 21st September
THIS WEEK:
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
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
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Special Focus on Men’s Ministry
Men’s Survey: It would be appreciated if all the men of the church could kindly complete an online survey (paper copies available via John Betteley) regarding men’s ministry in Christ Church, irrespective of whether you have attended a men’s breakfast or social event. The online survey can be found at https://forms.gle/ptnheAhdSPJFuN4t7 All information supplied is valuable to our future plans even if you feel you do not wish to attend. The survey is fairly short and will not take long to complete.
Men’s Weekend Away: At the Garden House, Stamford for fun, food, fellowship, teaching and worship, Friday 17 th – Sunday 19 th October. For details please contact John Betteley on mens.breakfast@ccbedford.org We have nearly 20 people coming including Martin Harris, Steve Gardner, Jon Day, Andrew Russell, Sidney Miller, Phil Janes and many more. Please come along and join us.
Men’s breakfast: is on Saturday 27 th September at 9am at Christ Church. We should conclude at 10:30am. Numerous breakfast options available with perhaps the most popular being the egg and/or bacon and/or sausage bap plus tea/coffee etc. Also available are cereal, croissants, toast, jam, orange juice ……… If you are vegetarian and would prefer a veggie option instead please let me know ( mens.breakfast@ccbedford.org). All for the bargain price of £3 (free on first visit). No need to sign up, just turn up on the day as we would love to see you. This is a valuable time to build up friendships and develop support networks. We hope you can join us,
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What is happening at Christ Church and beyond
Church Walk: Sunday 21 st September meet in the Hub at 2.30pm for a local walk and then return there for refreshments.
Parenting course: The Teenage Years: Open to all parents with young people! Being run by Christ Church Bedford! Come along to meet and chat with other parents. Starts Thursday 25 th September. For more details speak to Hannah Applegarth or book a space here
Go4Gold Soup and Social: Friday 26 th September @ 12.45pm. There will be a choice of soups, bread rolls, cheese, yoghurts and fruit for a suggested donation of £2pp. This will be followed by a social in the Hub from 2-3.15pm (suggested donation £1pp). No booking is needed, you are welcome, just turn up to one or both events.
The Bereavement Journey: Grief is hard. The death of someone close to us can impact all of life. The Bereavement Journey provides a safe place to process loss with the support of others and will run this autumn starting on September 29 th between 7pm and 9pm. For more information about the Bereavement Journey, see our website or pick up a flyer in the Hub. Any questions or to book a place please contact the church office 01234 327150 / office@ccbedford.org or speak to Mary Davies.
Volunteers wanted: To help with guiding Faith Tours at All Saints Church, Queens Park. Every week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during term time, All Saints Church welcomes 150-200 school pupils, by means of four tours, two on each day, running concurrently. They are looking for Christian volunteer guides, ideally for 3 hours (two tours) once a month. Each stop includes a tour of the building, an interactive presentation by a member of that Faith community, and a chance to ask questions. The Queen’s Park Faith Tour provides an opportunity for schools to: bring R.E. alive through first-hand experience; enhance the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and experience community cohesion at work in a rich and diverse neighbourhood. Further information about Faith Tours can be found here at www.faithinqueenspark.org.uk, and what volunteers do, here.
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 Bedford Foodbank Shopping List: The most needed items at the moment are: tinned fish/fruit/potatoes, jars of coffee/pasta sauces, bars of chocolate, cup a soup, pot noodles, long-life fruit juice & laundry tablets. Many thanks for your generosity.
For the latest news from Bedford Foodbank click here
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