Every parent with a child in Christchurch Kids (including the Bridge) will have received an email last week to ask for updated consent for your child to attend Christchurch Kids.

If you haven't managed to update this yet, it would really help us if you could complete this as soon as possible. Please check your emails or complete it via this link.

Legacy is a family made up of church members and members of the wider community who are over 60 and enjoy friendship, care and connection together.

Our next meeting is this Thursday 20th August from 10:30-1pm.

Anyone over 60 is welcome!

We’re running another Money Coaching course over two weeks on the 3rd Sept and 10th Sept 10am-12pm.

Money coaching is a free service designed to empower you with the knowledge, budgeting skills and confidence to better manage your finances. This course is for anyone who wants to learn helpful tips for managing their finances better.

The link to the sign up page is here!

Christchurch Kids! Are you ready for a new year?

We can't wait to have everyone back together again after the summer and wanted to give you the heads up on a couple of changes...

Changeover date

This year our classes will be moving up on Sunday 6th September. All the changes mentioned below will also take place on this date.

Here's the ages for each class, please take note if it will impact your child/ren:

Babies- 6-18 months
Toddlers- 18 months- 3 years
Adventurers- School Nursery & Reception (3-5 yrs)
Builders- School years 1 and 2
Conquerors- School years 3-4
Discoverers- School years 5-6
The Bridge- School years 7-9
 
Classrooms

Every September there is a slight change in our class sizes which means we sometimes have to change the rooms about to accommodate the size of each class. This year this will impact our Builders and Conquerors who will be having a room swap! Builders will meet in Room 2 (the old conquerors room) and Conquerors will meet on the Landing.

Therefore, Builders parents we would now ask you to use the main stairs to drop your child off instead of using the stairwell up to the Landing.

Consent forms

Every parent with a child in Christchurch Kids (including the Bridge) will have received an email asking for updated consent for your child to attend Christchurch Kids. To help Sunday 6th September's registration team and avoid any queues, it would really serve if you completed this as soon as possible. Please check your emails or complete it via this link: https://ccnewport.churchsuite.com/-/forms/rgxkfrzi

The Bridge

The first Bridge of the new year is also taking place on Sunday 6th September.

Gaps in our rota

We still have a couple of gaps in our rota and need some people to fill them. If you'd like to get involved, please drop Lindsey an email.

We hope some of you are already enjoying the Christchurch Kids Summer Reading and Listening Challenge! If you haven't got involved yet, it's not too late!

If your family is looking for something to enjoy together on a long car journey, we really recommend the Faith in Families podcast episodes here. 

Or why not try The Biggest Story episodes here?

To record your points and find out how many points each item earns you, simply use the online form via the link or scan the QR code displayed on the poster above The Book Nook. You can also find a list of reading and listening suggestions on this link!

Prizes
Children who collect 100 points or more will receive a special goody bag at our Kids Celebration Gathering in September! There will also be extra prizes for our top three point scorers. Our overall winner will receive a family takeaway pizza to enjoy!

Join us at 7:30pm next Monday (17th August) as we come together as a church family to pray for our Mercy Ministries.

Linda, who leads our CAP (Christians Against Poverty) team at Christchurch will be joining us to give us an update on their work and some specific points for prayer.

Can you believe it's been nearly 10 years since we released Stronghold? And we can still sing with confidence that grace has been our story!

This week, why not listen to the album again as part of your personal devotional time, reminding yourself of the truth and joy of God's Word.

Listen to Stronghold here!

Summer Sports Academy! ⚽️

If you are in Conquerors or Discoverers, we have a really exciting event for you next week!

Come along and learn some ball skills, play with friends, and compete in plenty of fun-filled team challenges and activities! We will also make time to read the Bible together and learn more about Jesus who loves us and made our bodies to be able to play sport and do fun things!

Lunch will be provided. Parents are asked to accompany their child to this event and to sign both themselves and their child up via the form below.

Sign up here!

We've started to wind down a bit at Christchurch for summer. But please still join us at our regular prayer meetings throughout August, and if you are over 60+, Legacy is on as usual.

August dates for your diary

3rd: Prayer Meeting
5th: Board Games Evening
15th: Summer Sports Academy    
17th: Prayer Meeting
20th: Legacy
31st: Prayer Meeting

Christchurch FC Return to the Pitch in Six-Goal Thriller!

Christchurch FC made their long-awaited return to action two weekends ago, taking to the pitch in Aberdare for their first friendly match in nearly a decade against Oasis Church.
After a fast-starting Oasis side went 2–0 ahead, a resilient Christchurch side dug deep, battling back to level the match at 2–2. Oasis ultimately scored two late goals to seal a 4–2 victory.

It was fantastic to see some experienced, familiar faces alongside an exciting new generation of debutants making their mark.

Looking ahead to entering the Welsh Churches Football League next season, Christchurch FC need volunteers who would be willing to give up and hour or two of their time every week for key off-pitch roles, including Treasurer, Secretary, Chairman, and Administrator.

We are also currently raising funds for a new kit. If you would like to sponsor the team, suggest fundraising ideas, or put your hand up to help run the club, please get in touch!

Email the church office or contact Jon Graham directly on 07377404842

In our most recent prayer meeting, we brought our new prime minister and new government before God and asked for his wisdom and love to be poured out into the hearts of those in charge of our country.

Let's continue to lift up our government in prayer - that Christians in Parliament would be united in their love for Jesus and would be able to create good discussion that crosses political lines.

Join us next Monday (August 3rd) when we come together to pray again. We believe in a God that cares about the biggest challenges in our world and also the smallest details of our lives. We can come to him with everything. What a wonderful truth!

Did you know that hospitals in Wales require 350 donations a day to support patients in need? We can’t supply our hospitals in Wales without donors! Giving blood is quick, simple and entirely safe. And the best part? You’re saving lives.

Welsh Blood Service returns to Christchurch on the 4th August. There are still a number of spots to fill in the afternoon.

Book your slot here.

Looking to discover a new board game with some friends this summer?

Whether it's your 20th time or your first, please come along for our free-to-play board games evening at Brickworks on Wednesday 5th August!

All ages are welcome and we have a wide selection of games to choose from to suit every taste.

The café will be serving up refreshments throughout the evening. Come by yourself and join a table playing a game you fancy or bring your friends along with a game you'd like to play together!

If you'd like to find out more beforehand, join the WhatsApp community group here.

If you’re going to be away this summer, please make sure to organise swaps for the dates when you might be on a rota.


This helpful step-by-step guide shows how to do just that on the Churchsuite app!

Calling all Conquerors and Discoverers for our Summer Sports Academy! ⚽️??

This summer we'll be launching our Sports Academy! Come and learn some ball skills with plenty of team challenges and activities before we read the Bible together.

Lunch will be provided!

(Please note, parents are asked to accompany their child to this event and to sign both themselves and their child up via the form below)

Sign up here!

This summer, why not make the most of the long, sunny days by discovering more about Jesus? We're delighted to launch our Christchurch Kids Reading & Listening Challenge 2026, inviting all children to explore a wonderful range of Christian books, audiobooks, music playlists and family-friendly podcasts over the summer holidays.

Children are invited to borrow Christian books from our lending library, The Book Nook, as well as enjoy Christian audiobooks, worship music and podcasts designed especially for them.

How does it work?
You can earn points by:
Reading Christian books (either borrowed from The Book Nook or books you already have at home).
Listening to Christian audiobooks.
Enjoying Christchurch Kids' worship music playlists.
Exploring family-friendly Christian podcasts.

Each activity you complete earns points:

Read or listen to a picture book = 10 points
Listen to a CCK music playlist = 10 points
Listen to a family podcast (e.g. Faith in Kids) = 20 points
Read or listen to a short chapter book/ non fiction book = 25 points
Read or listen to a longer chapter/ non-fiction  book = 50 points

Prizes
Children who collect 100 points or more will receive a special goody bag at our Kids Celebration Gathering in September!

There will also be extra prizes for our top three point scorers. Our overall winner will receive a family takeaway pizza to enjoy!

Please Help Us Share Our Resources!
If you have Christian books, audiobooks or other faith-based resources at home, we'd love you to include them in the challenge. If you're happy to do so, please consider sharing them with other families too.

As many families will be borrowing from The Book Nook over the summer, please return all borrowed items promptly once you've finished with them. This is really important, as it ensures there are plenty of resources available for everyone to enjoy throughout the holidays.

Recording Your Points

To record your points, simply use the online form via the link or scan the QR code displayed on the poster above The Book Nook.

There you'll also find:
- Links to all our Christchurch Kids worship music playlists.
- Recommendations for family-friendly Christian podcasts that the whole family can enjoy together.

We pray this challenge helps you grow in your faith, enjoy time together as a family, and discover something new about God's love.

Happy reading, happy listening, and have a wonderful summer!
Lindsey x

Join us for our final study in Ed Welch's book on walking with others in wisdom and love.

This Saturday from 9:30-11:30am we will be looking at the final chapters of Side by Side so please read these beforehand if you can.

Our women's ministry doesn't end here! Please keep in touch with new friends you've made and continue having these discussions about living life together with Jesus and with each other.

Legacy is a family made up of church members and the wider community who are over 60 and enjoy friendship and connection together.

This Thursday, Legacy is learning to line dance! Whether this sparks memories from your teenage years or whether this is the first time you'll have taken to the dance floor, we're sure it will be a lot of fun and you might even find you have some rhythm!

Whether you are feeling weighed down by your circumstances or finding it easy to rejoice in your current blessings, we would love to join in prayer with you. Come as you are to our next prayer meeting. There is no pressure to pray out loud or to have to share everything you are going through. God knows and his Spirit helps us pray when we don't know how.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. - Romans 8:26

“The Spirit, even when you do not know how to pray, takes your core prayer and prays as you should be praying before the throne (cf. Rom 8:26).”  from Tim Keller's book "Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God."

Join us for an hour next Monday 20th July from 7:30pm.

If you can't make it but would like us to pray for you, you can submit a prayer request here.

School’s out, so join us this Friday 7:30-9:30pm at Tredegar Park for the ultimate summer evening hangout!!

Expect snacks, crazy games and music as we kick off the holidays in style!

Did you know that every sermon from the past 15 years is available to listen to in the Christchurch app?

Even better, the Bible feature on the app helps you go deeper. Simply search for a passage you're reading, and if we've ever had a sermon on that chapter, you'll see the relevant media suggested at the top of the page.

Some chapters even have multiple sermons to explore, giving you insights from different messages over the years.

We hope this feature encourages and enriches your personal Bible reading and study!

A Creative Invitation!

We would love to invite the talented crafters in our church to volunteer to create ae story sack for use in our toddler crèche and Parent and Toddler groups.

A story sack is a simple storytelling resource, particularly suited to very young children. It is a drawstring bag containing:
- A carefully chosen storybook
- A collection of crafted or bought items that help bring the story to life

A book will be provided — all you need to do is get busy creating suitable items and a sturdy drawstring bag to store them in. You might choose to work on your own or join forces with another crafter and make it a shared project.

What could I make?

Suggested items might include:
- Wooden, felt, crocheted or knitted figures and animals
- Small plastic models or objects linked to the story (for example, a boat, a trumpet, or plants)
- Swatches of fabric to represent settings such as the sea, a river, or fields
 
The sack does not need to contain an item for every single page of the book. A few well-chosen pieces - around 5 to 7 items - are more than enough to help tell the story effectively.
 
For ease of organisation, the name of the book should be clearly displayed on the front of the bag so that each story sack can be easily located.

When designing your story sack, please ensure that:
- Items are robust enough for frequent handling
- Materials are safe and suitable for young children
- The story title is clearly labelled on the outside of the bag
 
Looking Ahead:

In less than three months, we will host a special evening for all our crafters to come together. It will be a chance to: share your creations, celebrate the creativity within our church, and pray for our toddlers, our Mum and Toddler groups, and the families we serve.

As a church family, we have the wonderful privilege of sharing the gospel with our youngest children. What a fun way to bring the stories of the Bible to life with our children!

If you would like to be involved, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact the church office.

If you missed it a few weeks ago, Lynsey has made a Christchurch Kids Spotify Summer Playlist! Perfect - perfect for pool parties, road trips, kitchen discos!
 
Click the button below to listen to songs that parents and kids will enjoy together!

(If you haven't used Spotify before, don't worry! You can visit Spotify online or download the app and create a free account using your email address. With a free account, you can:
Listen to all of our Christchurch Kids playlists, shuffle songs, and enjoy music at no cost (with occasional adverts)
 
With Spotify Premium - a paid subscription -  extra features are included such as: No adverts, unlimited song skips, downloading music for offline listening - perfect for long car journeys!)
 

You may notice that the bins look a bit different this Sunday!

Please pay extra attention to the labels on the bins and dispose of your rubbish in the correct container.

We will provide more information soon on some new recycling rules we all need to follow!

If you are exhausted from a difficult few weeks, or struggling as you don't feel like God is hearing your prayers, can we encourage you to come to our next prayer meeting on Monday July 6th?

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We don't need to be feeling good to come before God in prayer. We can trust that he loves us and he hears us, even when our feelings say differently. It can also be really helpful to have other people to pray with us and for us when we're finding it difficult to know what to say. There is so much comfort found in praying together as a church family.

And if you'd like to understand more about unanswered prayer, you can read Alan's blog from last week.