It’s almost Advent! We had a great uplifting concert in Church last night – thanks to all who came. We’re looking forward now to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Thursday (5th) it’s the Pantivity! I’m really excited about it. We’ll be welcoming 450 children to Church on Thursday daytime as there are two special performances for local primary schools. Then the evening performance starts at 6:30 PM and is open to everyone – and it’s free! Please do let people know.
On Friday (6th) we have the coach trip to Chester, and on Saturday (7th) we have the Christmas Cracker concert with Thornton Cleveleys Brass Band.
But before then, and most importantly, we meet tomorrow as a church. As well as the usual morning services, we also have a traditional service of evening prayer at 3:00 PM, followed by the Christmas Tree Lighting at 5:00 PM. Special thanks to the Fridaymen for setting the tree up!
In the morning services tomorrow we’ll be continuing our mini teaching series in the book of Revelation. What a spectacular book! Tomorrow we’re looking at Revelation 19, the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ – this follows on from last week where we reflected on the Lamb (Jesus) also being the Shepherd. How wonderful!
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Sunday Services
The services and activities on Sunday 1st December 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)
- 3:00 PM Traditional Service of Evening Prayer (with refreshments afterwards)
- 5:00 PM Christmas Tree Lighting
- 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 reading: Revelation 19.1-21 (Church Bible page 1039). The 11:00 AM order of service is available here.
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Advent Daily Devotions
For each day during Advent (starting tomorrow) there is a daily devotion to read and reflect on. Download the Fruitful app to read, watch, or listen. Click here to download the Fruitful App for Android and click here to download for Apple. Or, you can click here to see the booklet as a PDF. You can also access most of the content of the app through the fruitful website: www.fruitful.faith
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Prayer for Growth and Renewal
Every Tuesday evening in the Community Centre Hall is an opportunity to come together to pray for growth and renewal. It’s from 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM. A hot drink on arrival, a short video and then a time of prayer. Why not come along and join in?
The Diocese of Blackburn have put together a prayer for growth and renewal, which you’ll start to see included in our Sunday services…
God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your church, send your Holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, joy to our worship, and power to our witness. Help our church to grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local community, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Thank you
“Thank you” from Gemma Jackson, Chair of the Patient Participation Group at the Thornton Practice, for the Food Pantry at Christ Church for acting as a drop off point for winter coats. They have been taken to the Fleetwood Hub to help people live healthier and happier lives.
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Christmas Day Community Dinner Planning Meeting
A planning meeting for those volunteering at the Christmas Day Community Dinner will take place this morning, Saturday 30th November at 10:00 AM in the Community Centre Hall.
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Not Getting Inn!
It’s Pan-tivity time! It’s a nativity, and a pantomime (“oh yes it is!”).
A Roman census, tired guests, a broken stable, and a surprise inn-spection. There’s no room at the inn, so when a pregnant woman knocks at the door, how on earth will Bucky the Bell-Boy squeeze them inn?
The Nativity story meets Fawlty Towers in this farcical panto, with songs, slapstick, and plenty of laughs! 4Front Theatre Company are joining us once again, bringing a show full to the rafters with fun, all the while delivering a message of hope, found in the birth of Jesus. It’s on Thursday 5th December, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. To enable as many children, their families, and adults to come and enjoy the evening, it will be free of charge. So please spread the word, put the date in your diary, and let’s fill every seat.
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Pilgrim’s Rest – not taking place on Thursday 5th December
Please note that due to the Pantivity performances in Church on Thursday 5th December, the Pilgrim’s Rest will not be open that day, nor will the Quiet Hour be possible. Due to the school children coming to Church, access to the Church will be limited on Thursday daytime for obvious safeguarding reasons.
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Christmas Coach Trip to Chester on Friday 6th December
There are still plenty of places left on the coach!
Still thinking about coming? Go for it! Invite a friend and have a great day out. As a little bonus, Chester Cathedral are holding their annual Christmas Tree Festival during December, with over 80 trees decorated in the theme of ‘Discover Christmas: What Christmas means to you.‘ The Cathedral charge £5 for this, which includes general entry into the Cathedral. It’s an ideal place to stop for lunch.
Outside in the middle of Chester will be the Christmas Market outside the Town Hall near to Chester Cathedral (there’s around 70 stalls).
The coach will be setting off from Christ Church Thornton at 8:30 AM, arriving in Chester just before 10:30 AM. The coach will leave Chester at 4:30 PM, arriving back at Christ Church around 6:30 PM, traffic dependent.
The cost for the travel only is £20 per person. Bookings can be made online using this link here.
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‘Cookhouse’ Family Teatime Cookery Class
The last one of the year will be on Friday 6th December, following which there will be a break until the New Year. To book for Cookhouse on Friday 6th December at 5:00 PM please book using this link here.
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Christmas Cracker – Concert with Thornton Cleveleys Brass Band
We’re delighted to be partnering with the local and brilliant Thornton-Cleveleys Brass Band to host a ‘Christmas Cracker.’ It will be on Saturday 7th December at 7:30 PM. The cost is £7.50 per person, payable on the door on the night.
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Carols at Blackpool Tower
An organisation in Blackpool called Refreshment UK are running a special celebration of carols at the Tower. It’s on Tuesday 10th December from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Favourite carols will be accompanied by the band from the Salvation Army at Blackpool Citadel. For more information and tickets please click on this link here.
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Playhouse Nativity
Each morning at Playhouse (for babies, toddlers and their parents/carers) from Monday 16th to Thursday 19th December there will be a pop-up nativity (for those who attend Playhouse). It’s from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM in the Community Centre Hall.
Going on a special tour of the building, Banjo Bob, Lyrical Lauren, and Deputy Damian will be leading the cast of mini actors. The first stop will be the Pilgrim’s Rest. Will there be any water or snacks for the donkey? The next stop will be the bookshop. Will there be any room at the Inn? The next stop will be the Choir Vestry. Where are the shepherds? The final stop will be the Church, in preparation for the birth of a very special baby. Where are the angels?
Parents and carers are encouraged to bring costumes for themselves and their children!
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Festive Musical Lunches
You’re invited to the very popular (book early!) Festive Musical Lunches – with carrot & coriander soup, turkey sandwiches, yule log, and cheese and crackers. There’ll be Christmas crackers, carols, and the opportunity to join Banjo Bob to spin the wheel with his famous catchphrases: “round and round the wheel goes, where it stops nobody knows…once completed it must be deleted!”
Please please please BOOK here using this link rather than just tell someone you are coming.
They are on:
- Monday 16th December, 12:00 Noon.
- Tuesday 17th December, 12:00 Noon.
- Wednesday 18th December, 12:00 Noon.
- Thursday 19th December, 12:00 Noon.
The cost is £10 per person per lunch. If affordability is a problem, please don’t let that put you off. Have a chat with Damian or one of the team.
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Christmas Carol Services & Treehouse Nativity
Join us to sing your favourite carols at one of our Carol Services and the Treehouse Nativity on Sunday 22nd December:
- 10:00 AM Traditional Carols and Communion
- 5:00 PM Treehouse Nativity
- 6:00 PM Mince Pies and Mulled Wine
- 7:00 PM Contemporary Service of Lessons and Carols
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Orange & Chat!
Christingle Elves needed! This annual event to prepare the Christingles will be on Monday 23rd December from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM in the Community Centre Hall. We’ll be getting all the components together. Various roles required, from bagging up sweets, to wrapping the oranges, to dropping a doughnut in each bag. Come along and have some fun.
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Christingle
An orange, some red ribbon, sweets on sticks and a glow stick. Somehow it all points to the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. Come and join us for our Christingle service at 3:00 PM on Christmas Eve, Tuesday 24th December.
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Christmas Day Community Dinner 2024“Delicious Food, Friendship, Faith, and Joy”
We are looking forward to hosting a joy filled afternoon on Wednesday 25th December from 1:00 PM onwards in the Community Centre Hall. The meal is for anyone who might benefit from having company on Christmas Day. Enjoy a proper Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings, followed of course by pudding, cake, and cheese and biscuits! There will be a quiz and live music.
There is no charge for any of the food or the activities. God gave the generous gift of Jesus at the first Christmas. We believe in sharing the generous love of God with anyone who would like to receive it.
Booking is essential. Please sign up using this link here.
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Ladies Annual Winter Dinner Delicious food, convivial company, good fellowship and even better no washing up afterwards! It’s on Wednesday 22nd January 2025 at the Briardene Hotel in Cleveleys. Menus are available from Judith Murphy. The cost of the meal is £30 which includes gratuities. Please make your menu choice and hand in payment before Christmas.
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Bible Teaching Workshop
Jonathan Lamb, author and Minister at Large for Keswick Ministries, will be coming to the Fylde Coast on the morning of Saturday 25th January 2025. As the Church celebrates the Conversion of St Paul that day, he will explore “The Message of 2 Corinthians – encouragements for Christians feeling hard pressed and ineffective.” It will take place in the Poulton Community Hall, Vicarage Road, Poulton. Coffee at 9:00 AM for a 9:30 AM start. It will finish at 12:45 PM. The workshop is free of charge.
A little more info about the workshop…
Are you feeling weak and ineffective in your witness as a Christian? You will not be alone. Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth is full of encouragements for Christians who feel hard-pressed and ineffective. Throughout his letter Paul reminds us that God’s glory and power is best seen in the weakness of Jesus on the cross. And now that we are united to Christ, we too can know his power in the midst of weakness, enabling us to live like Him, and confidently share God’s message of reconciliation with those around us. Come and hear The message of 2 Corinthians and be encouraged and equipped for your work as a Christian in the local church.
The speaker Jonathan Lamb is a writer and teacher, and minister-at-large for Keswick Ministries. He has worked in local church ministry, then amongst students in the UK and also globally with IFES. He then served as Director of Langham Preaching, an initiative which encourages pastors and lay preachers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, before becoming the CEO for Keswick Ministries. Today he is often to be found teaching and training at events in the UK and further afield. Jonathan is the author of several books, the most recent of which are ‘Essentially One: striving for the unity God loves’ (IVP) and ‘Growing Healthy churches’ (Partnership Publications). After many years in Oxford, Jonathan and Margaret recently moved to Shropshire, to join their family in working in two small parish churches near Oswestry.
Registration: for planning purposes, please let the organiser know if you plan to attend this free workshop. It is being organised by David Gascoigne at St. Chad’s Church in Poulton. Email davidpgascoigne@gmail.com or Mobile 07768 303462.
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2025 Treehouse Weekend Away – “Hallowed”
BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN!
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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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 2nd December
- 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 3rd December
- 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
- 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM – Fridaymen’s Christmas Lunch The Briardene Hotel
- 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM – Prayer for Growth in the Community Centre
Wednesday 4th December
- 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 3:00 PM Mothers’ Union in Church and Community Centre
- 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM – Lighthouse in the Community Centre
- 7:30 PM to 8:45 PM – Worship Team Rehearsal
Thursday 5th December
- 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Morning Prayer in the Bookshop
- 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Pantivity “Not Getting Inn” by 4Front Theatre for Thornton Primary School in Church (school only, not open to the public)
- 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
- 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM – Pantivity “Not Getting Inn” by 4Front Theatre for Royles Brook School (school only, not open to the public)
- 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM – Bat & Chat in the Community Centre
- 6.30 PM to 7:30 PM – Pantivity “Not Getting Inn” by 4Front Theatre – FREE – all are welcome!
Friday 6th December
- 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM – Fridaymen volunteers in the Churchyard and Church
- 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM – Christmas Coach Trip to Chester
- 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)
- 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM – Quiet Hour in Church
- 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM – Move and Chat in the Community Centre
- 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM – ‘Cookhouse’ Family Teatime Cookery Class in the Community Centre
Saturday 7th December
- 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – The Meadows Bookshop and Giftshop
- 7:30 PM Christmas Cracker – Concert with Thornton Cleveleys Brass Band
Sunday 8th December
- 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)
- 5:00 PM – Treehouse Family Worship (with refreshments)
- 6:00 PM – Sanctuary Youth Club
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Sermon Series
Here is an insight into what’s coming up in our services….
- Sunday 1st December (Advent 1)
- Theme: ‘The marriage supper of the Lamb’
- Passage: Revelation 19
- Sunday 8th December (Advent 2)
- Theme: ‘The dwelling place of God is with man’
- Passage: Revelation 21
- With special guests Steve and Lisa Haskett presenting an update on the work of ‘The Life Association’
- Sunday 15th December (Advent 3)
- Theme: “I am coming soon”
- Passage: Revelation 22
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With blessings,
Damian
