Sunday 8th February

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 7th February

10.30 for 11am Ladies Elevenses

Sunday 8th February

The Second Sunday before Lent

9am - Morning Worship - Holy Communion in the Old Testament: Passover (Exodus 12:1-28) - Michael Bishop

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

10.30am - Holy Communion – As above

*This service will be livestreamed via the Christ Church Bedford YouTube channel*

6pm - Hope Bedfordshire Celebration at Three Rivers Church – Speaker Paul Harcourt Vicar of All Saints' Woodford Wells, and previously the National Leader of New Wine. There is no Youth@6 or 7pm service at Christ Church.

Services in the coming week

Wednesday 11th February
10am - Holy Communion - followed by refreshments

Sunday 15th February

9am - Holy Communion – Holy Communion in the Gospels: The Last Supper (Luke 22:14-20) – Ben Williams

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

10.30am - Morning Worship – As above

7pm - Sundays@Seven, with Baptism – Holy Communion in the Gospels - Feeding of the 5,000 – (John 6:1-15, 22-59) – Alan Cottenden

Church Family News

Care For Our Building: Christ Church is looking to employ someone to help look after our church and halls, plus do some cleaning. 8-10 hours per week, flexible hours. If you are interested, please email vicar@ccbedford.org for more details/job description.

February Prayer Diary: Copies are now available to download here or collect a copy from church.

Church Office: Please be aware that Pauline is on annual leave this week, and as such the office may not be open as usual during the day, and there may be a delay in responding to emails. Anything urgent should be sent to David Thomas (vicar@ccbedford.org) or Ben Williams (curate@ccbedford.org).

Thoughts from the Vicar

During the week, all sorts of things go on here at Christ Church. We see this as a core part of the mission of the church and in line with our vision (seeking to serve). Here are some of the activities we run for our children and young people.

• Tuesdays 3.30-5pm – Youth Café. This newly launched safe space for years 7-13 to come after school.

• Wednesdays 1.30-3pm – Little Fishes. A space for new parents, carers, grandparents to bring their babies.

• Fridays 9.30-11am – Morning Out. Our legendary stay and play group for pre-schoolers which has been running since the 70s!

• Fridays 3.30-4.45pm – Forge. A space for Years 5-6 to come after school.

• Fridays 7-9pm – Friday Night Youth. A safe space for 11-18 year olds to come together, hang out, and hear more about Jesus!

None of these things take place without Ruth and Hannah. None of these activities could take place without the wonderful team of volunteers. None of this happens without the money which is faithfully given to Christ Church, and which we use in a myriad of ways, these community engaging activities being some of them. The impact these activities have on the church is amazing; for example, there are multiple families who are now a part of the church because they have come to Morning Out! Praise the Lord! God is good, but God also invites us to participate, without volunteers and without money, we will not be able to keep offering these types of things. Thank you for the support that you give to the church through prayer, words of encouragement, time given and finances.

For your prayers this week

The Second Sunday before Lent: Almighty God, give us reverence for all creation and respect for every person, that we may mirror your likeness in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Please pray for:

Hope Youth event on Friday 13th February.
Victims of sexual abuse, especially those impact by the Epstein files and the ongoing situation(s) there.
Staff and residents of Dame Alice residential home.
Those waiting for operations and results from tests or procedures.

Children's Ministry and Events

THIS SUNDAY: 8th February

THIS WEEK:

COMING UP IN HALF TERM

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

Youth Blog

Once a month 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! :)

Next Week

For those aged 11-18: an opportunity for young people in Bedford to gather together for an evening of games, food and faith. Friday 13th February at All Nations Church at 7pm, £2 entry (includes Pizza). Please register to book your place: https://ccbedford.org/Groups/429404/Hope_Youth_Bedford.aspx

Satellites 2026: We are taking our young people to a youth festival, satellites, down at the Bath & West showground in Somerset from 6-10 August. 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.

Camping Equipment: Much to Hannah's dismay, we are camping! If you have any camping equipment that you are able to lend for 4th - 12th August 2026, please speak to or 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

Date for your Diary: 15th-17th May. Church Weekend @ Home!

Bible Study: What the Bible says about Homosexuality. Continues Monday evenings 8-9.15pm in church. We will be exploring passages which explicitly talk about homosexuality.

Bible Study: What the Bible says about Homosexuality. Continues Monday evenings 8-9.15pm in church. We will be exploring passages which explicitly talk about homosexuality.

Go4Gold Soup and Social: Friday 13th February @ 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.

Snowdrop Garden: Possibly for the last time The Bishop of St Albans’ Garden will open for what may be the final time this February, with thousands of snowdrops and early bulbs in bloom. A warm invitation to enjoy the garden’s early spring beauty and help care for our historic churches.

Ash Wednesday: 18th February there will be services at Christ Church at 10am and 8pm.

Jam Packed: Wednesday 18th February at 10.30am-12.30pm for children and families. Come and join us for a morning jam packed with fun and craft. Free entry, donations welcome.

William Tyndale and the English Bible: Friday 20th February at 7.30pm. A free illustrated talk at Lakeview Village Hall, Wixams in the 500th Anniversary year of the publication of the first New Testament in English. See separate flyer for more information.

Lent Course: Starts Wednesday 25th February 8pm in the church. The course will be based on Tom Wright’s book Lent and Easter for Everyone.

World Day of Prayer 2026: Christ Church are hosting the local World Day of Prayer service this year. The service is on Friday 6th March at 2pm and we are looking for volunteers to help with serving refreshments after the service. If you can help please speak to Vikki Thomas or email on vicarspa@ccbedford.org

Plant Sale: Saturday 9th May, please start to take cuttings & plant lots of flower & vegetable seeds. We will be raising money to help with the costs of the Church Weekend at Home.

Bedford Foodbank Shopping List: The most needed items at the moment are: tinned spaghetti hoops/fruit/custard, jars of coffee/cooking sauces, cup a soup, bars of chocolate, long-life fruit juice, sponge puddings & shampoo. 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)