How well do you sleep at night? Do you toss and turn? Do you snore? Do you need to count some imaginary sheep to help you drift off? (I try it often!). Tomorrow we’ll be looking once again at the greatest collection of poetry ever written, the Psalms. In Psalm 4, there is this amazing line:

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

As Christians, there’s no guarantee we’ll get the perfect 8 hours of rejuvenating sleep. But, (the key word!), we can go to sleep at night in the full knowledge and assurance that we can sleep because God doesn’t. He never needs to switch off. He never sleeps or slumbers. Even if we feel the weight of our troubles as we place our head on the pillow, the Lord knows everything, can run the world without us, is preparing a place for us, and He alone is our safety, and is eternally so.

Come tomorrow to hear the Word of the Lord, to say “thanks be to God,” and to be encouraged that in peace we lie down and sleep, trusting entirely in the living Lord God Almighty, the one in whom we find our eternal safety.

Now let’s have a look at some church news and upcoming events…

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Sunday Services

The services and activities on Sunday 29nd September are:

• 9:00 AM Traditional (The Book of Common Prayer) Service of Holy Communion (with refreshments afterwards)
• 10:00 AM Meadows Books open (until 10:45 AM)
• 11:00 AM Contemporary Service of Holy Communion livestreamed (with refreshments afterwards)
• 12:15 PM Meadows Books’ open (until 12:45 PM)
• 5:00 PM Treehouse Family Worship (with refreshments)
• 6:00 PM Meadows Books open (until 6:15 PM)

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Watching Online, Bible Reading and Order of Service

Our livestream can be viewed on our YouTube channel here and our Facebook channel here. In our morning services we will be looking at Psalm 4. The 11:00 AM order of service is available here.

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Who is God?

The greatest question any human could ever ask! 

Our life’s work ought to be knowing God, the one in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The Diocese of Blackburn have launched a podcast entitled ‘The Otherness of God,’ which looks at who God is, especially the ways in which He is different to us. 

• Episode 1, ‘Needless,’ looks at how God is self existent and relies on no one or anything to be who He is.
• Episode 2, ‘Changeless,’ looks at how God is always the same, always has been, and always will be. He doesn’t fluctuate in any aspect of who He is.
• Episode 3, ‘Limitless,’ (to be released on Monday) looks at how God is everywhere, all at once, all of the time.

To listen to all the episodes (six in total), download the Fruitful App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Search ‘Fruitful:Dicoese of Blackburn.’ You can also find them on the Fruitful website.

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Knowing God

I’m undertaking a review of the discipleship options on offer for everyone at Christ Church. Ideas for the future include running another Alpha Course, Bible Course, Romans Course (made by the same people as The Bible Course), and resuming the Catechism Classes. If you’d like to offer any thoughts of what you think will be useful, please do let me know, as any feedback will help shape the planning.

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Coming soon…

Pencil these dates in your diary, with more details to come in future emails when the finer details are firmed up:

• Advent Concerts (Friday 29th / Saturday 30th November)
• Christmas Nativity Pantomime “Not Getting Inn” (Thursday 5th December)

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Harvest Supper & Ceilidh

Put on your dancing shoes (or just come to watch, listen, and eat!) for the Christ Church Harvest Supper and Ceilidh on Saturday 5th October 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Featuring live music from the Preston-based ‘Old School Band’ along with a tasty harvest supper of hot pot and apple pie with cream (bring your own drinks). It will be great! Tickets are £10 adults and £5 children. BOOK NOW using this link so that your food can be ordered in time!

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Harvest Sunday

Please bring bags and boxes of food donations to the Harvest Festival on Sunday 6th October, across all the services. There will be opportunities during each service to bring forward the gifts of food, in thankfulness to God and to help any in need in the local community and beyond.

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Sanctuary for Youth

Sanctuary for Youth has moved from the last Sunday of the month to the first Sunday of the month. Pizza, hot chocolate, table tennis, pool, games and more, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM – the next one on Sunday 6th October. It’s for young people of High School age.

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Our Church and Community Centre ‘Values’

On Thursday 10th October, from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, an interesting evening exploring what our ‘values’ as a church are. Values can be things such as welcome, hospitality, generosity, and excellence – and many many more. Damian will be presenting some of his reflections from his sabbatical about what our specific-to-Christ-Church values are, the biblical basis for them, why they matter, and how we can strive to excel in them.

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Meeting of the Parochial Church Council

PCC members please note the date: Friday 18th October, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM, starting with a meal, followed by worship, reflection, and important discussions and planning. The November meeting date might need to be rescheduled (to be confirmed).

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Church WhatsApp number

We are trialing having a Church WhatsApp facility – a quick and easy way to ask a question. Several people will be connected to it and will be able to respond. The number is 07356 024257. An easy way to use it is to click this link here.

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Church WhatsApp Announcement Group

We are also trialing a Church WhatsApp Announcement Group (often called a WhatsApp Community). Short and quick-to-read useful messages of information about church life and activities will be posted on it. If you subscribe to it, no one can see your number except the administrator (currently Damian, with one or two more people to be added going forward). 

To try it out and get involved click on this link here to be added to it. If you like it, you can keep on it and if you don’t like it you can easily ‘exit’ the group at any time. You can also ‘mute’ notifications at any time. 

If it works, we’ll launch sub-groups by WhatsApp for various church activities going forward as an efficient way to broadcast useful and activity-specific important information (in addition to the weekly news).

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An evening of magic and laughter

Featuring close up magic from Rod Williams and a headline show from Britains got Talent star John Archer at St John’s Church, Blackpool on Wednesday 2 October 2024 at 7:00 PM. 

They will be performing their main stage show for us, but also interviewing each other about their christian faith. This is an absolutely perfect event to invite people exploring faith along to.   It’s also made so older children can come with parents too if families want to come together. Click here to book.

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Treehouse Weekend Away

It has been seven years since we started the Treehouse service. I hope you’ll agree, it’s been tremendous. New friendships have been formed and there is a real family feel to all that happens on a Sunday afternoon. It is with excitement therefore that we have a weekend away planned for Friday 25th to Sunday 27th October 2024. This will be a great opportunity to spend time together whilst growing deeper in our Christian faith.

This weekend aimed at children and families is open to all congregations, not just those that attend Treehouse. The weekend will be full board, including all meals in the hotel from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, with the option of a packed lunch on the Saturday.

You can book places for the weekend here. You can read more about the Treehouse Weekend Away, including a draft programme, in this letter.

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National Church Awards 2024

Encouraging news! In the recent round of judging, Christ Church Thornton have been shortlisted by the National Church Awards 2024 in three categories:

– Open for Visitors Awards
– Church & Community Awards
– Care & Conservation Awards

The National Churches Trust and their judges say “thank you” for the dedicated and often sacrificial work our volunteers, staff, and leaders do to be open, welcome visitors, provide generous hospitality, support the community, and care for the buildings and grounds entrusted to them.

We won’t get it right all the time but we strive to be our best in helping people access opportunities to grow in faith, discover God’s presence, be inspired by His good news – all amidst a place which is warm, welcoming, homely, hospitable, safe, prayerful, and supportive. 

The results will be announced at the National Church Awards ceremony at Lincoln Cathedral on Tuesday 22nd October 2024.

Regardless of the outcome, this shortlisting is a meaningful recognition of the 70+ people who volunteer each week to ensure the Church and Community Centre are open, attended to, and who keep the coffee flowing, the soup boiling, the potatoes in their jackets, the grass manicured, and their hands on the plough of prayer. Well done!

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Giving to God

There are numerous ways to give to God and contribute to the mission and ministry of Christ Church:

• Bank transfer – details available here
• By dated giving envelopes (on request)
• By contactless machine at the back of Church (or sometimes positioned in the Pilgrim’s Rest or the Community Centre)
• Online giving – you can give online here
• You can give by text with a smartphone.  Send a text to 07380 307 800 containing our keyword “CCTFY5”, followed by the word “give”, followed by the amount they wish to give.  For example “CCTFY5 give £10” to give £10. Step by step instuctions here
• Cash in the collection plate (positioned on the font)

Bank transfer or standing order is the preferred method of giving as they do not have any processing fees attached. Tax payers can add Gift Aid to their gift. More information about this can be found on the website here.

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Diary of Activities and Services

Monday 30th September

• 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in Church
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Pilgrim’s Rest in the Chapel
• 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Playhouse (parent, baby and toddlers) in the Community Centre
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Food Pantry available (emergency food support)
• 12:00 Noon to 1:45 PM – Lyrics and Lunch in the Community Centre and Church
• 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM – Bowl & Chat in the Community Centre
• 7:45 PM to 9:15 PM – Growth Group in the Community Centre

Tuesday 1st October

• 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in Church
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Pilgrim’s Rest in the Chapel
• 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Playhouse (parent, baby and toddlers) in the Community Centre
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Food Pantry available (emergency food support)
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Craft & Chat in Church
• 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Lunch in the Community Centre
• 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM – KICK Academy at Thornton Cleveleys Football Club on Gamble Road
• 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM – Prayer for Growth in the Community Centre

Wednesday 2nd October

• 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM – Fridaymen volunteers in the Churchyard and Church
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM – Breakfast Club and Walking Bus to Royles Brook School in the Community Centre
• 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in Church
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Pilgrim’s Rest in the Chapel
• 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Playhouse (parent, baby and toddlers) in the Community Centre
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Food Pantry available (emergency food support)
• 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM – Wednesday Morning Growth Group in Church
• 11:15 AM to 12:00 Noon – Traditional (BCP) service of Holy Communion in Church
• 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Lunches for Seniors in the Community Centre
• 2:00 PM – Mothers’ Union Deanery Social (and IMPC) in the Community Centre
• 5:45 PM to 6:45 PM – Lighthouse in the Community Centre
• 7:30 PM to 8:45 PM – Worship Team Rehearsal

Thursday 3rd October

• 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in Church
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Pilgrim’s Rest in the Chapel
• 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Playhouse (parent, baby and toddlers) in the Community Centre
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Food Pantry available (emergency food support)
• 12:00 Noon to 1:45 PM – Lyrics and Lunch the Community Centre and Church
• 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM – Bat & Chat in the Community Centre

Friday 4th October

• 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM – Fridaymen volunteers in the Churchyard and Church
• 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in Church
• 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Pilgrim’s Rest in the Chapel
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Food Pantry available (emergency food support)
• *please note the usual ‘Move & Chat’ is not taking place today*
• 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM – ‘Cookhouse’ Family Teatime Cookery Class in the Community Centre

Saturday 5th October

• 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
• 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Harvest Supper and Ceilidh

Sunday 6th October

• 9:00 AM Traditional (The Book of Common Prayer) Service of Holy Communion (with refreshments afterwards)
• 10:00 AM Meadows Books open (until 10:45 AM)
• 11:00 AM Contemporary Service of Holy Communion livestreamed (with refreshments afterwards)
• 12:15 PM Meadows Books’ open (until 12:45 PM)
• 3:00 PM Traditional (The Book of Common Prayer) Service of Evensong
• 5:00 PM Treehouse Informal Communion (with refreshments)
• 6:00 PM Sanctuary Youth Club
• 6:00 PM Meadows Books open (until 6:15 PM)

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With blessings,

Damian