Past News and Events

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Our Harvest Celebration will be on Sunday 4th October. Harvest is a time when we celebrate the gift of God's creation, give thanks for the many things we have to eat and drink, and seek to share what we have with those around us who may be in need.

As part of our celebration, we’ll be collecting donations for Kingston Foodbank. Please consider adding one or two items to your shopping basket, if you are able, and bringing them along to church next Sunday. All donations will be taken to our local Foodbank branch at New Malden Baptist Church.

There will also be an opportunity give money to support the work of foodbank, for those who prefer to give in that way. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here. Please add gift aid if you are eligible. 

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We are holding the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 17th May from 2pm in the church lounge.

The APCM provides an opportunity to hear updates on what has been happening over the last year at Christ Church, and to look ahead to the future. It is also when we hold elections for the officers who represent the congregation and receive a report on the parish finances. 

Children are invited to an ice cream party in the Explorers hall, to enable their parents to attend the meeting. Everyone is very welcome - and encouraged - to come along.

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Revd Vanessa Thornborough is being licenced as Associate Vicar of St John’s. This is a wonderful occasion as we welcome Vanessa to her new ministry among us, and we would love for you to join us in celebrating this important moment in the life of our parish.The service will be conducted by Bishop Martin, and will take place on Monday 11th May at 7:30pm at St John's Church, New Malden. Refreshments will be served after the service, and we very much hope you will be able to stay and join us in celebrating Vanessa’s arrival.

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The Bible Project has a collection of Advent resources that can be used by individuals, small groups, and families:

• Learn the Language of Advent: Meditate on the biblical meanings of hope, peace, joy, and love, through a series of short videos.

• A Four Week Reading Plan incorporates animated videos, short summaries, and reflective questions to help people explore the biblical meaning of hope, peace, joy, and love, and discover how these four virtues have arrived to the world through Jesus. Click here for more information, or to sign up.

• Dive deeper with scripture, commentary and related resources in their Advent guide.

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The Church of England’s Advent and Christmas theme for 2025 revolves round a single word: Joy! There are lots of ways to get involved:

• Reflections via email: Sign up to receive daily messages straight to your inbox. The daily emails will offer Bible readings, short reflections and a practical challenge, as well as prayers linked to weekly themes.

• Daily reflections via the Everyday Faith app: You can read and listen to daily Advent and Christmas reflections from 1st December through the Everyday Faith app, the daily devotional app from the Church of England, which is available to download for free in your app store.

• Women of the Nativity: ​​A collection of nine imagined stories told from the perspective of women, written by Paula Gooder, recreating the events of the Nativity. Listen online here.

Link to Hope Shoebox Appeal

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A big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who supported Link to Hope's Shoebox Appeal, collecting gifts to be distributed to families and elderly people across Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria this Christmas. This week, Helen Cook and Clair Ellensohn, delivered a total of 82 shoeboxes, plus a big bag of cuddly toys and a pile of blankets!

Link to Hope Shoebox Appeal

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We're joining in with Link to Hope's Shoebox Appeal again this year, collecting gifts to be distributed to families and elderly people across Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria this Christmas. Look out for Helen Cook and Clair Ellensohn, who will have leaflets with full details. Start sourcing your shoeboxes (approx. 30 x 18 x 10cm) and gathering items to fill them (visit their website for ideas). We'll be collecting filled shoeboxes until 9th November, when they'll be delivered to the charity.

Below is a list of what to include in your shoebox.

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On Saturday 24th May, Rob Shrimpton will be running / jogging / crawling from London to Brighton to raise money for CALM, the suicide prevention charity on a mission to help people end their misery, not their lives.

Rob first raised money for CALM when grieving the loss of his father, and ran 10K, which was the biggest challenge he could could think of at the time. 10 years on from losing his dad to suicide, he plans to run 10 times further - 100K!

You can support Rob by donating online and by spreading the word about the amazing work of CALM. 

Mission without Borders: Operation Christmas Love 2024

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This Christmas will be the darkest yet for families living in poverty in Eastern Europe. In Ukraine, families continue to be separated and lives torn apart, with many children still spending hours sheltering in the basements of homes. Families are living under great stress and fear and face a miserable Christmas with a lack of food, freezing temperatures, and an unknown future.

You can help desperately poor families share a Christmas meal together – something many of us take for granted. £30 can give a family a Christmas to remember, filled with joy rather than sorrow.

Visit the Mission Without Borders website for more information, or make a donation online. 

Thanksgiving Service for Jo Henson

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On Monday 14th October, we lost our longest attending member, Jo Henson, who died at the age of 86. She first started coming to Christ Church in the 1940s, and was a faithful and constantly good natured member of the church. She was a core member of Women's Own, and a tireless advocate of mission to those affected by leprosy. Jo formed a wonderful partnership with her husband John, who died last May, and their daughter Ruth, who continues to be a cherished part of our church family.

Ruth Henson would like to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support in the weeks since Jo passed away. She also thanks everyone who contributed to and attended Jo’s thanksgiving service on Thursday (28th November), which was a joy-filled celebration of her life. If you were unable to attend, you can watch a recording of the service below. 

Gifts in Jo’s memory may be given to the Leprosy Mission, of which she was a faithful supporter and advocate for many years. Donations (with the option to Gift Aid) are welcome via their website. 

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There will be a prayer meeting for the work of Christ Church School on Wednesday 16th October at 6pm. It will be held at the Junior site on Elm Road, and last around 45 minutes. All are welcome. 

David Taylor is turning 70! 

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The whole church family is invited to join us for a 'Bring & Share' birthday meal at 6:30pm on Friday 20th September. This will be followed by some all-age entertainment.

Please sign up online to let us know that you are coming, and what food you're planning to bring. We'll need mains, sides and desserts. The oven will be preheated for things that need to be kept warm, and we'll have plenty of extension leads available for those who would like to bring something in a slow cooker or instant pot. We look forward to seeing you there!

Iris Northwood and Susie Gregerson

We've received the sad news that Suzie Gregerson and Iris Northwood have recently died. Both of these women were well loved and long standing members of Christ Church for many years, and they will be missed by many members of our congregation.

Suzie Gregerson's funeral service will take place at Mill Hill East Church on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at 2:30pm. Visit her memorial page for more information.

There will be a Service of Thanksgiving held at Christ Church for Iris Northwood at 4pm on Thursday 19th September.

Lent Course

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Churches Together in New Malden will be holding their annual Lent Course at St James' Church on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 - 8:30pm. This year's theme is 'Justice and the Heart of God'. Each session will include a talk, time to chat and ask questions, and time to pray. All are welcome.

50 km for a kidney

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On Wednesday 20th March, Lyndsay completed her 50km walk in 12 hours and 30 mins. Her route took her from New Malden to Mortlake, along the Thames tow path to Kingston, twice around Richmond Park, and back to Bar Malden! 

Lyndsay went to Freetown, Sierra Leone, 10 years ago, to help on a project for homeless young people. She made a friend called Amos, who lived at the project, and they have been in touch ever since.

Amos is now in a desperate situation. He is living with stage 5 kidney failure, and is in urgent need of hospital treatment. A friend has come forward to donate a kidney, but there is no free healthcare in Sierra Leone, and the hospitals there aren't equipped to carry out a kidney transplant. In order to save his life, Amos and his donor will need to travel to India for the surgery. Amos is too unwell to work, and his friends and family have run out of options to gather enough funds to cover the cost of travel, surgery, and after care.

A huge 'Well Done' to Lyndsay for taking on this massive challenge (and also to Karen Chan, who joined Lyndsay for an 8km stretch of the walk)! It's not too late to make a donation - click here to donate online.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:
18th - 25th January 2024

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There will be a half hour service of prayer on Wednesday 24th January at St James Church (7.30 - 8.00pm) This will be followed by a short meeting to discuss future activities, including the next Lent Course and the Walk of Witness. You are invited to link up with the theme for this year - produced by the churches in Burkina Faso. Information can be found on their .

Margaret Prior

A thanksgiving service for the life of Margaret Prior will be held here at Christ Church at 2pm on Friday 1st December. The service will be followed by light refreshments in the lounge. Everyone is welcome.

Shoebox Appeal 2023

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Helen Cook and Clair Ellensohn would like to thank everyone who supported the Shoebox Appeal this year. We were able to deliver 70 boxes to the warehouse on Tuesday from CCNM and St John's - exactly the same combined total from the 2 churches as last year. Also several bags of blankets which will be so gratefully received, too. The first of several trucks was due to leave for Eastern Europe on Wednesday so our boxes will be on the way already. See you all again next year! 

Visit the Link to Hope website to find out more about the important work being done by this charity.

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On Sunday 1st October we will celebrate Harvest with a United Service at 10 am (including children's groups as usual) followed by entertainment for the children from 11 and a 'bring and share' lunch from midday. The idea is that everyone brings either their favourite food - or the food that they are most accomplished at creating! If you have a  pièce de résistance do go for it - otherwise simply bring the dish you like most! A sign up sheet for this will be in the lounge from this Sunday.

Our Harvest offering this year will once again be items for the Foodbank based in New Malden Baptist Church. Please look at the list of the items that they most need and bring some of these to our Harvest service as part of our offering of thanksgiving to God for everything that he gives to us.

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Jo and Ruth Henson extend their thanks to everyone in the church family for the outpouring of love and support following John’s death. The cards, messages, thoughtful and kind words, and hugs have all been hugely appreciated. 

They were also greatly heartened by the wonderful turnout for John’s thanksgiving service on Wednesday 17th May, which was a very fitting celebration of his life and service. Many thanks to all those who contributed to the service and made sure it ran smoothly in various ways. For those who were unable to attend but would like to view the recording, please follow this link. 

John Henson

A Thanksgiving Service for John Henson will take place here at Christ Church at 12.30pm on Wednesday 17th May. 

John Henson was a very longstanding and much loved member of Christ Church. 

John's wife, Jo, and their daughter, Ruth, would like to extend a warm welcome to all who would like to join them to celebrate and give thanks for his life and service, and to stay for refreshments afterwards. 

Join us on Sunday 7th May for a United Service at 10am, followed by a children's entertainer, and a 'Bring and Share' lunch, with an international (or regional!) twist!

PJ Aston has just completed the challenge of doing 100 push ups a day for the entire month of April, in order to raise money for The Mental Health Foundation, a charity working towards finding and addressing the sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.

If you would like to donate, visit PJ's JustGiving page.

Rob Shrimpton ran the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April for Livability, an inclusive Christian charity committed to enabling people with disabilities to live the life they want to lead. Find out more about their work here. Rob;s time was Rob's time was 4 hours 14 minutes. You can still sponsor Rob through his fundraising page.

The 1st New Malden (Christ Church) Brownie Unit will be 50 in April, and Brown Owl (Lynne Mattick) and Robin (Helen Cook) will be retiring at the same time after a combined service of 50 years!

Were you a Brownie or Brownie Leader with this unit at any time during the last 50 years? If so, please contact Lynne for an invitation to an afternoon tea to celebrate these two momentous events! You can see her in church most Sundays or you can email her.

All donations made during the 9:30 and 11am services on Sunday will be given to Tearfund's Emergency Appeal to help people affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. As of this morning, more than 24,000 people have lost their lives. Whole towns have been flattened. Tens of thousands of people whose homes have been destroyed are now at the mercy of a freezing winter. Tearfund is responding now, through their church partners, and providing vital supplies such as warm clothing, nourishing food and hygiene essentials.

If you would like to support this appeal, you can do so by putting cash or cheques in the loose offering during the final hymn at each service, or by using the card machine in the lounge. (Please do add gift aid if you are eligible - we can pass this on to the charity.) You can also donate directly to Tearfund online. Visit their website for more information about how the money will be used, and the relief work that they are doing.

Shoebox Appeal 2022

A huge thank you to everyone who joined in with Link to Hope's Shoebox Appeal this year. A total of 91 shoeboxes were donated through Christ Church, St John's and New Malden Methodist Church! These shoeboxes have been delivered to the charity's headquarters and are ready to be transported to Eastern Europe. Visit the Link to Hope website to find out more about the important work being done by this charity. 

Samuel Shrimpton's Big Wig Fundraiser

Thanks to everyone who donated to Samuel Shrimpton's fundraiser for Little Princess Trust. He raised a staggering £1000!

During the first Lockdown, Samuel Shrimpton learned about the amazing work of Little Princess Trust. He realised that instead of cutting his hair when hairdressers re-opened, he could keep growing it, and then have his hair turned into a wig for another child who might be in need of it. He'd been growing his hair ever since.... and it's finally been cut, ready to donate!

When a child loses their hair to cancer or another condition, The Little Princess Trust will be there with a free, real hair wig.  Samuel says, 'I have seen how such a simple item such as a wig can help restore confidence, especially in the case of my Nan a few years ago, who received a wig from a different charity.' 

If you'd like to donate to Samuel's fundraiser, you can still do so at his JustGiving page. 

Harvest Celebration

This Sunday, 2nd October, is our Harvest Celebration at both 9:30 and 11am. This year, we'll be collecting donations for Kingston Foodbank, who do a fantastic job supporting people in our local area by providing three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food and support to people who are referred to them in crisis. Supported by The Trussell Trust, and founded by local churches and community groups, they are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.

Money given through the collection at each service will be given to the Foodbank, and donations can also be made through the card machine (a great way to give, if you're able to include gift aid). We're also asking people to bring in donations of food and household items which can be used by Kingston Foodbank to make up their emergency parcels. Any long-life or non-perishable products would be appreciated, but there is currently an urgent need for the items listed below:

Please note that the Foodbank already has plenty of the following items: pasta, cereal, pulses (kidney beans, chickpeas etc.), baked beans, soup, pasta sauce, tea, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

God's Big Plan

Following the popularity of our Easter Costume and Praise service, dressing up enthusiasts have another opportunity at our 9:30am service on Sunday 3rd July when we consider 'God's Big Plan'.

Rumour has it, we'll be joined by some special guests who will tell us the story of the whole of the Old Testament, condensed into a 40 minute, interactive, musical, time-travelling extravaganza. Don't forget to come dressed as your favourite Bible character!

Father's Day Service

Celebrate Father's Day with us at the 9:30am service on Sunday 19th June. 

Children's Group Leaders Session

Our children's group leaders met for breakfast and a training session on Saturday 11th June, covering matters such as how we safeguard the children in our groups as well as what is up and coming next term. 

APCM

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place on Sunday 22nd May at 3pm. The accounts and reports will be circulated by email at the end of next week to everyone on the electoral roll. (People on the electoral roll who do not use email will be provided with paper copies, which may be obtained from the office during the week.)

The Story of Christ Church

Since September 2021, our Vicar Stephen Kuhrt has been working on a new illustrated history of Christ Church New Malden. Published as a series of volumes, this work continues into 2022. You can find out more about this here. Copies of all the volumes can be obtained through our Contact Us page.

This follows on from the popular exhibition of the history of Christ Church, which was on display in the church for a number of months following the celebration of our 150th Anniversary in December 2016. Much of that exhition can be enjoyed on-line by following the link to The Story of CCNM!

Easter Costume and Praise

We know how much everyone loves dressing up at the Children's Carol Service at Christ Church and taking part in the story, so we've now decided to do an early Easter equivalent for our 9.30am service on 3rd April (the week before Palm Sunday).  Stephen is busily writing the script and costumes will (of course!) be mandatory for kids and adults, so get thinking about whether you are coming as a disciple, a woman who came to the tomb (the first Spice Girls?), Pontius Pilate, a centurion - or even a donkey!

As the strap line says 'Costumes are for life, not just for Christmas'.

Link to Hope - Donate to Ukraine

The huge humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in Ukraine means that every area of Link to Hope's work will be impacted. Many people are trying to get out of Ukraine and the nearest borders for some are Romania and Moldova. Many within the Link to Hope network are travelling to the borders, picking people up and taking them into their homes. Their project leaders in Moldova are already setting up beds for the refugees trying to access the safety of Europe. Their Romanian project leaders are arranging for refugee families to stay in peoples houses. Others have been less fortunate and remain trapped within Ukraine. Link to Hope are asking for our support in providing funds for food, bedding, clothes, toiletries, counselling and other medical needs etc.

Please give what you can and please continue to pray.

Grapevine Is Back!

Grapevine returns on Sunday 7th November.

Who Do We Think We Are?

Stephen Kuhrt has recently written a new history of Christ Church with volume one focussing on 1855 - 1892.

There will be an evening on this entitled 'Who do we think we are?'  Thursday 4th November at 8pm for an hour.

All are invited, whether a regular church goer or not so it's a great opportunity to invite a friend to find out more about the history of Christ Church and New Malden in general. 

500 Miles for International Justice

Nathan Larkin is aiming to cycle 500 miles by Christmas, to raise money for International Justice Mission and their fight against modern day slavery.

Slavery and human trafficking still exist all over the world. Many people believe slavery ended long ago, but this couldn't be further from the truth. There are more people being enslaved and trafficked today than ever before.

International Justice Mission are the largest international anti-slavery organisation in the world. This includes undercover investigators, lawyers, social workers, advocates, and volunteers.

IJM's model to end slavery has three main parts:

• To rescue and restore victims, getting them out of the place where they’re in danger, and giving them the support and tools they need to heal and thrive.
• To bring criminals to justice, holding slave-owners, traffickers and rapists accountable in court.
• To strengthen justice systems, by providing training, mentoring and support to police, judges and other community leaders, to slow down and stop the cycle of violence. As laws are enforced the business of trafficking and slavery becomes unprofitable for slave owners.

To make a donation, please visit Nathan's fund raising page. 

When our normal pattern of services was interrupted back in March, we were in the middle of the Carbon Fast for Lent organised by Becky Mills. Becky is now challenging us to respond to the ongoing vital task of reducing our carbon emissions by joining in 'The 12 Carbons of Christmas' and the link below is her message to us about this:

Please do join in with this challenge – you can sign up now to receive daily reminders of how to respond to this challenge over Christmas (these will come from 6th December onwards).

Believing in Baptism

In 1987, Stephen Kuhrt’s father, Gordon Kuhrt, wrote a book called Believing in Baptism. Stephen has spent the last decade revising and adding new material to the book, and this new edition has now been published.

For further details, please see Believing in Baptism. For details of his other publications, please see Books, Articles and Talks by Stephen Kuhrt.

Windows into CCNM

In 2018 we undertook a great deal of research into the ten stained glass windows at Christ Church and the stories behind them. We produced booklets on the windows and are delighted to be able to make this material available on the website.

Our service for Remembrance Sunday will begin at 10:45 in order to observe the 2 minutes silence at 11am.

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!

Tracy Borman spoke about her novel The King's Witch and its follow-upThe Devil's Slave in June at Christ Church. Set in the dangerous early years of James I's reign, Frances Gorges has to survive both the king's passion for hunting witches and Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!

You can listen to her talk below.

Martin Luther and the Reformation

In October 2017 the Church celebrated the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. As part of this, Stephen Kuhrt gave a talk on ‘Martin Luther and the Reformation’ at Christ Church and also at St Mary’s Church in Haddenham. You can listen to this talk below. 

six30 Goes To Narnia!

Thomas Cromwell: Villain or Hero?

Tracy Borman spoke on her book: Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s most Faithful Servant at Christ Church, New Malden Thursday 4th December 2014 at 8.00 pm.   Admission was free, with a retiring collection for the campaign against Human Trafficking.

For further details, please see this article by Stephen Kuhrt.

A Jacobean Conspiracy?

Tracy Borman gave a talk about her new book on Thursday 28th November 2013.

You can listen to her talk below.

For further details, please see this article by Stephen Kuhrt.

Stephen Kuhrt: Welby will be 'credible' leader

See Stephen Kuhrt interviewed on ITV News giving his reaction to the appointment of Justin Welby as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Celebrating the First Elizabeth

On 30th May 2012, Christ Church hosted an evening entitled ‘Celebrating the First Elizabeth’. Our speaker was the historian Dr Tracy Borman, author of Elizabeth's Women and a member of Christ Church and resident of New Malden.

For further details, please see this article by Stephen Kuhrt.  You can listen to Tracy's talk below.

Tom Wright for Everyone

Stephen Kuhrt gave a talk about his book, 'Tom Wright for Everyone', on Tuesday 19th July 2011, following which he answered questions.

You can listen to Stephen's talk and the question and answer session that followed it below.