“For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man.”
Tomorrow at Christ Church Thornton we’re continuing our series through the Nicene Creed. Did you know the word “Credo” is Latin for “I believe” and it is where our term for creed originates. Our series through the Nicene Creed is about equipping us to know why we believe what we believe.
Rev’d Chris is speaking tomorrow on the amazing love gift from God – in God coming from heaven to earth and becoming one of us – for our salvation. Want to understand that more? See you tomorrow!
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Sunday Services
The services and activities on Sunday 30th March 2025 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 Communion Service (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 services we will be looking at the following Bible readings: Ephesians 2.1-10 and Matthew 1.18-23. The 11:00 AM order of service is available here.
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Lent Course from Bishop Philip
Bishop Philip has once again produced a five-week video-based Lent course which is featured on the Fruitful app.
On Tuesday evening, there is an opportunity to watch it in person. Come along to the Prayer for Growth at 7:45 PM for the third of the series entitled ‘Hopeful Prayer (Ezekiel).’
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Walk from Whalley to Thornton
Sponsorship of the walk which took place on Saturday 8th March in memory of Martin Ormond is welcome. There are three main ways to give: by bank transfer (see details at the bottom of this email); by envelope (pick up a white envelope in Church); and by card payment – using this link here. If you give by bank transfer or envelope, please ensure it is clearly marked or referenced ‘Walk from Whalley.’
All money will be split between two charities which were close to Martin’s heart: Testimony Faith Homes (a Christian charity providing residential care for orphans in Kenya), and Open Doors UK (supporting persecuted Christians across the world).
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Cookhouse
Please book here for ‘Cookhouse’ family teatime cookery class on Friday 4th April at 5:00 PM. Booking is essential. Please note that the volunteers purchase ingredients at 12 noon the day before (Thursday). Bookings will therefore close at 12 noon on Thursday.
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Funerals
The funeral of Raymond Turner is taking place on Tuesday 8th April at 2:15 PM at Christ Church Thornton, with the service continuing at Carleton Crematorium at 3:30 PM.
The funeral of Stephen Parker is taking place on Friday 11th April at 1:30 PM at Christ Church Thornton, with the service continuing at 2:45 PM at Carleton Crematorium. All are welcome to the service in Church, and at the Crematorium, and afterwards at the Community Centre Hall back at Christ Church.
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Men United
The next gathering for men will be on Friday 11th April, 7:30 PM at the Bay Horse in Thornton. Please liaise with John Hearnshaw to book your place.
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Spring Clean
On Saturday 12th April from 9:00 AM to Noon we will be having a spring clean of the Church and Community Centre Hall. These occasional cleaning days are essential in seeking to keep the building clean and getting ready for the great Easter celebration.
If you can come, please just turn up. For more information, speak to the Churchwardens Judith Murphy and John Hearnshaw.
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Special guest at Easter
Over the Easter weekend we’ll be welcoming Ziggy Rogoff to Christ Church Thornton. Ziggy grew up in London in a traditional Jewish home and experienced the rigors of traditional Judaism from an early age. His family kept kosher, and Ziggy went to Hebrew classes three times weekly. His bar mitzvah, held at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, was a landmark moment in his life and summed up who he is: quintessentially Jewish. As an adult Ziggy started to investigate the claims of Jesus to discover if Jesus was the Messiah. Ziggy says: “I knew that the probability of the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in one person was virtually zero. So when I realized that Jesus did fulfill these prophecies, it felt like comparing a fingerprint with a finger and getting an exact match.”
Ziggy comes to us in Thornton representing Jews for Jesus – an organisation that exists to support churches in exploring Jewish life with faith in Jesus. Those working for the organisation are Jews who are for Jesus. Many Jewish people have never heard that following Jesus can be a thriving expression of Jewish life. The events will give Christians the opportunity to further understand Jewish life and to help share our faith with Jewish people we meet.
You can read more about Ziggy and the work of Jews for Jesus on this link here.
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Traditional Seder
On Friday 18th April at 6:00 PM (Good Friday), Ziggy Rogoff will speak to us about the Passover (פֶּסַח) and take us through a traditional Seder, weaving together the story of the Exodus, with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), our Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ). This promises to be fascinating, educational and spiritually enriching evening.
To ensure enough places are set out in advance, please book your place using this link here.
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Services for Holy Week and Easter…
Thursday 17th April (Maundy Thursday)
- 7:00 PM – Book of Common Prayer Communion Service in Church
Friday 18th April (Good Friday)
- 10:00 AM – Easter Explained! Come to a fun event where families can enjoy time together and explore the true meaning of Easter. With crafts, games and food. Why not come to find out why Good Friday is so good and to discover the wonderful surprise of the first Easter! (Community Centre Hall)
- 11:30 AM – Walk of Witness (from Christ Church to Four Lane Ends) followed by Churches Together in Thornton Service
- 12:00 PM – Churches Together in Thornton Service (outside the Little Theatre at Four Land Ends), followed by a walk back to Church
- 1:00 PM – Picnic in the Community Centre Hall/Outside Church if good weather (bring your own lunch and drinks – ice cream provided!)
- 6:00 PM – Presentation: ‘Christ in the Passover Banquet’ – with a Seder. With special guest Ziggy Rogoff. Book here.
Saturday 19th April (Holy Saturday)
- 10:00 AM – Presentation: ‘Gospel of Grace to the Nations’ by Ziggy Rogoff
Sunday 20th April (Easter Day)
- 6:00 AM – Sunrise Service & Breakfast (The Book of Common Prayer Communion Service)
- 9:00 AM – Family Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt
- 10:00 AM – Easter Day Celebration Service (Church & Community Centre Hall) see the info below
- 7:00 PM – Presentation: ‘John 2 – the Significance of the Resurrection’ by Ziggy Rogoff.
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Easter Day Celebration
The Easter Day Celebration is an opportunity to bring all the congregations together as one big church family. It will be carefully planned so as to incorporate aspects familiar to each congregation. There will be a mix of traditional and contemporary hymns. There will be liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer and modern sources. There will be some lovely refreshments on arrival in the Community Centre Hall, so as to give opportunity for coming together as a church family for conversation and deepening relationships with one another. Part-way during the service children of primary school age will be invited to attend their own age-appropriate teaching and activities. The service will culminate in remembering the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus as we receive holy communion together. After the service, there will be another opportunity for refreshments in the Community Centre Hall, if you have time to stay – however we appreciate some will need to be making tracks at this point.
The Easter Day Celebration starts at 10:00 AM in the Community Centre Hall.
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Safeguarding Training
St David’s Church in Fleetwood are hosting Safeguarding Training on Thursday 8th May.
The programme for the day is as follows:
9:30 – 10.30 Holy Communion
10:30 – 12:30 Safeguarding Basic Awareness and Foundation Combined
12:30 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:00 Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse
14:15 – 15:30 Safer Recruitment and People Management
People are welcome to attend all or just some of the day, dependingon training needs. If you are due to start or renew your training, you can sign up here
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New Electoral Roll
The Church Electoral Roll is the register of electors for Christ Church Thornton. It is the list of those qualified to attend and to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in the elections for the Parochial Church Council and the parish representatives on the Deanery Synod. In 2025 and every six years thereafter, the electoral roll is renewed. In a year of renewal (this year), no names are carried over from the old roll, and everyone must apply for inclusion in the new roll.
The deadline to apply to be on the electoral roll is the 5th May 2025. Forms will be made available in the coming weeks – with various ways to apply, including online and paper forms.
Being on the electoral roll has other benefits too, especially for those who live outside of the parish – such as burial, marriage and baptism eligibility. However, if you live outside the parish boundary and want to come onto the electoral roll, you have to have been worshipping at Christ Church for a minimum period of six months.
For more information, please speak to the Electoral Roll Officer, Sally Johnson.
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Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Our 2025 APCM will be on the evening of Thursday 29th May beginning at 5:30 PM. Please do attend if you can, as this is an important annual meeting giving an overview of the previous year and looking forward to the year to come. This APCM will be suitable for all ages, so do come along as a family. We will start with food, then worship, after which a representative from each congregation will share some highlights of the ministry and mission during 2024.
The evening consists of two official meetings, firstly the Meeting of Parishioners (known as the ‘Vestry Meeting’ where Churchwardens are elected) and the APCM where the annual accounts and report are presented and members of the laity are elected to serve on the PCC and Deanery Synod.
At the APCM we have four places for a three-year term on the PCC. Nomination forms are available to download and print here:
- A nomination Form for Election to the PCC can be downloaded using this link HERE.
Nomination Forms must be submitted before or at the meeting. For more information about eligibility to serve on the PCC and Deanery Synod and the nominations and election process, please do get in touch with me. Please pray that God will equip and call people to these important roles to serve and lead His Church.
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2025 Treehouse Weekend Away – “Hallowed”
Once again we’re driving up the M6 to Grange-over-Sands for the fourth Treehouse Weekend Away. It’s only an hour from door-to-door. We’ll be staying at the Thornleigh Christian Hotel. The weekend will take place from Friday 31st October to Sunday 2nd November. The weekend will be full board, including all meals in the hotel from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, with plenty of coffee breaks and biscuits inbetween. On the Saturday afternoon there might be a special trip to Holker Hall & Gardens in the nearby Holker Estate in Cartmel.
The Treehouse Weekend Away is always a great opportunity to spend time together whilst growing deeper in our Christian faith. The theme will be “hallowed.”
How much? As a church we always try to subsidise the cost of the weekend for all who go, to ensure cost isn’t a barrier and to make things a little easier for families to budget, especially so close to Christmas. The price for the weekend is £155 per adult (17+). £35 for ages
3–5, £55 for ages 6–11, and £75 for ages 12–16. Children aged 0–2 are free of charge.
BOOK NOW! Places are available on a first come first served basis.
You can book and pay for places for the weekend here. If you’d prefer to pay in instalments by bank transfer, you can find the bank details here.
If the affordability of the weekend is a struggle, please get in touch. We don’t want cost to be a barrier to anyone attending.
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School places
Did you know? The Diocese of Blackburn doesn’t just consist of 280 churches, there are also 190 Church of England schools in the diocese. Many of them are in demand. Parents often select a Church of England as their first choice when applying for a school place.
However, what parents sometimes don’t realise, is that to obtain a school place on the eligibility of the ‘faith’ criteria, parents need to have attended worship at church regularly for at least one year prior to the time when they apply. For example, for a child entering Year 7 (High School) in September 2027, parents must have been attending for one full year prior to 2026. That means from September 2025.
A year or so before entering Year 7, schools send to the Church a form to fill out, which the vicar signs to state whether or not the parents have been attending church regularly in the year prior. What does ‘regularly’ mean? It means at least fortnightly.
Sometimes criteria/admissions policies can change, so please don’t take the above as ‘gospel.’ The key thing to take from this is, if you are hoping for your child to have the strongest chance of obtaining a Church of England school place on the basis of the ‘faith’ criteria, it is never too early to start attending church regularly. Sometimes parents leave it too late to start attending church and find that they can’t attend a whole year regularly prior to applying for a school place.
But, despite all the above, don’t just attend church to get a school place, come to church because it’s great! It’s important, it’s the one day in seven given to us by God to set to one side to rest, to worship, to draw closer to him. Invest spiritually now in your children’s lives and you and they will reap the benefits for an eternity.
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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 you 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 31st March
- 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
- 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Quiet Hour in 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 April
- 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
- 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Quiet Hour in Church
- 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM – Prayer for Growth in the Community Centre
Wednesday 2nd April
- 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM – Breakfast Club and Walking Bus to Royles Brook School in the Community Centre
- 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 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
- 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Quiet Hour in Church
- 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM – Mothers’ Union in Church (followed by refreshments in the Community Centre)
- 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM – Lighthouse in the Community Centre
- 7:30 PM to 8:45 PM – Worship Team Rehearsal in Church
Thursday 3rd April
- 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in the Bookshop
- 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
- 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Quiet Hour in Church
- 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM – Bat & Chat in the Community Centre
Friday 4th April
- 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)
- 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Craft & Chat in Church
- 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM – Move & Chat in the Community Centre
- 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM – ‘Cookhouse’ Family Teatime Cookery Class in the Community Centre
Saturday 5th April
- 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
Sunday 6th April
- 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 Communion Service (livestreamed and with refreshments afterwards)
- 12:15 PM – Meadows Books’ open (until 12:45 PM)
- 3:00 PM – Traditional Service of Evening Prayer
- 5:00 PM – Treehouse Family Communion (with refreshments)
- 6:00 PM – Sanctuary Youth Gathering
- 6:00 PM – Meadows Books open (until 6:15 PM)
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With blessings,
Damian
