Sundays
So, you’ve been thinking about coming along on a Sunday morning but you have absolutely no idea what goes on here. It takes a lot of guts to cross the threshold when you have no clue what you might find on the other side. Here’s a few frequently asked questions that you might find helpful:
​
When and where do you meet?
We meet every Sunday at 10.30am, at our building on the High Street (opposite St Saviour's Way). We also have an additional service at 9.30am on the first Sunday of the month. There's some parking at the church, and lots more in the car park at the top of St Saviour's Way (about a two-minute walk from the church).
​
Can I just turn up?
Yes. Our Sunday services are open to everyone, and we have plenty of seats. The 10.30 service runs till around midday, and there'll be people around before and after, so you're welcome to arrive early and then hang around for coffee. Or not, which is fine too.
How accessible are you?
We have level (or sloping) access to all parts of the church building - the main church space can be reached via a pathway to the right of the front steps. We also offer signed worship during our 10.30am service each week, and a BSL/SSE-interpreted sermon one Sunday each month.
​
What does it cost?
Nothing. All of our services are free, and so are the coffee and iced buns afterwards. Some people choose to contribute to the offering, but there's no obligation to do this, and it's fine to let the basket pass you by.
​
Do I need to dress up to come to a service?
No, you most certainly don't. Just come as you are, unless you want to dress up!
​
What happens in the service?
Our 10.30am service runs for around 90 minutes (and sometimes a bit less). We’ll start with a welcome and some notices, then we join together in sung worship, read from the Bible, have a time of prayer and listen to a talk. The style is informal and down to earth. We also run children's and youth groups during the 10.30am service - we all start together, and will let you know when the children and youth go off to their own things.
The 9.30am service (on the first Sunday of the month) is shorter, lasting about 45 minutes. It's quieter and more reflective, and includes more traditional hymns.
​
Will people be friendly?
Yes, we hope so! In fact one of the things people most often say when they come to CCC for the first time is just how warm and friendly it is and how welcome they were made to feel. If you want to make new friends, CCC is a good place to find them.
​
Do I have to join in with singing, praying, or anything else?
No, you don’t have to do anything. It’s fine to just come and observe.
​
I'm not sure what I believe. Is church suitable for me?
Well, you won’t be the only one here who isn’t sure about this stuff - in fact, some of the most interesting people here are the ones who realise they don’t have it all figured out. What we do on a Sunday is overtly Christian - this is a church worship service after all. But we’ve found that people from other faiths and none often find stuff of real value here. Wherever you are on your journey you are very welcome here - we hope you’ll find something useful here too.
​
What about this talk/sermon thing - what's the point of that?
The talk is based on a reading from the Bible. We’ve found that as we read the Bible we are consistently challenged/encouraged/surprised/comforted by what we find there. In fact some would say that spending time with these words helps them feel more closely connected to God. The Sunday morning talk is really a way for us to read a passage slowly and make connections between it and our day-to-day lives. It might seem a funny idea, giving our attention to an ancient text, but the best thing is just to come with an open mind and open heart and see how it feels to you.
​
Will I find the service very long and boring and irrelevant?
Well, possibly. There are many people here on a Sunday from many different backgrounds and with a wide spread of ages too. Some people will like some bits of the service more than other bits - and others might really like those things the first lot didn’t enjoy. Our service isn’t supposed to be a well-crafted variety show or anything like that. It’s more like a celebration of all the people who have made CCC their spiritual home. and a recognition of the ways we’ve found God at work among us. Most people are pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the service is when they first come. As you get to know more and more of the other people in the church it becomes more meaningful still.
What's all of this got to do with God?
Well, our experience is that he seems to show up on Sunday mornings (and other times and places too). Sometimes it’s just a little something that someone says, or the way in which our spirits are lifted as we pray, or a peaceful feeling that we didn’t have when we came in, or maybe one of those funny coincidences when it feels like a whole bunch of things happen on a Sunday morning that answer the question you were wrestling with all week. Every Sunday we pray that somewhere, somehow in our service everyone who comes would feel moved closer to God. We think it’s a good prayer to pray.