We have two Sunday morning services – one at 9am and one at 11am. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in!

The 9am service is typically a quiet and more reflective service, with a more traditional feel. The 11am service aims to be a bit more upbeat and lively – and has a lot of kids coming along too.

Welcome

It can be a little daunting if you're coming along for the first time. We try to be as welcoming as we can as a church, and try to recognise new faces. Don't be surprised if somebody comes over and says 'hi'.

However, if we don't manage as well as we'd like, feel free to join us afterwards for a coffee over in the Parish Centre (our second building, used as a community space).

We don't have any sort of dress code, so feel free to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Feel free to sit anywhere you like!

Remember, nothing is compulsory. We're not too formal in our approach, and recognise you might not be comfortable with everything – and that's absolutely fine.

Accessibility

• There is plenty of parking on-site, just off Vicar Lane
• Step free access is available to the front of the building
• Toilets - including disabled toilets - are available in the Parish Centre next to the church
• We have a hearing loop throughout the main church building
• There is plenty of room for pushchairs and wheelchairs

Children

Kids are very welcome as Christ Church - we have a lot of young families that come along. We have children's work during the 11am service, aimed at kids from the age of 2yrs - 11yrs. Our groups are geared for children to learn about Jesus through fun, games and singing.

For babies and toddlers under 2, we have a play-pen at the front left of church to help keep the kids (and parents!) occupied. We expect young kids to make noise – within reason(!) – so don't feel you need to be too uptight.

The Services

All our services are pretty informal and follow a similar structure. The main parts of the service are explained below.

Liturgy

We use a fair bit of liturgy in our services. Liturgy is basically a communal response and participation – it's a way of saying together the things we believe in. If in doubt, it's usually a case of joining in with the bits in bold in the service sheet you're given when you arrive.

Occasionally, people might join in with something not in the service sheet... don't worry if this happens, there are some things that just get picked up over time!

Worship

Most Sundays we'll join together in worship through music. At the 11am service, this will usually be led by a band. From time-to-time, we'll also worship in different ways. It's all about giving God his due in whatever way works best!

Bible Readings & The Sermon

The Bible is the heart of our faith, and exploring it together is key for us. There'll usually be one or two readings, along with a sermon which helps us to understand more about the Bible Reading and what it means for us as Christian people.

Prayers / Intercessions

We'll always have some prayers during the service, often including intercessions – which is basically praying on behalf of other people.

Praying is really important to us. We believe in a living, caring God who listens and answers and speaking to him and asking things of him is a key part of our service.

If there is something, or someone, you would like Christ Church to pray for, make a note in our 'Prayer Book' just inside the main entrance and the person praying will include this in the intercessions.

Also, if you would value personal prayer, just ask at the end of the service and someone will pray privately with you.

Communion

Firstly, we don't have communion in every service – so don't be surprised if it doesn't happen.

Communion is where Christians share in bread and wine (the bread is often a wafer, for some reason) like Jesus did with his disciples just before he died.

At Christ Church, the congregation usually come to the rail at the front of church, and stand or kneel to receive the bread and wine by putting their hands out.

If you don't want to receive communion, you are still welcome to come forward. Just leave your hands by your side, and the distributor will simply pray a blessing over you.

The Offering

A collection is usually taken during one of the hymns / songs. Christ Church aims to have an impact on the local community, and we also give money to charities working around the world. We also contribute to other churches in the area.

We can only do all this as a result of the generous giving of the people who attend the church. However, we recognise that this isn't always possible. If this is the case, just pass the collection bag along... many members give by standing orders so will be passing the bag – you won't look out of place!