ChristChurch London facts for kids
| Founded | 3 October 2004 |
|---|---|
| Founder | David Stroud |
| Focus | The cultural, social and spiritual renewal of our city. |
| Location | |
|
Area served
|
London, Worldwide |
|
Members
|
700 approx. (2018) |
|
Key people
|
Senior Leader: David Stroud Service Leaders: Andy and Joy Tilsley, Joel Wade, Tim and Jacqui Frisby |
| Website | http://christchurchlondon.org |
| Registered Charity number: 1111950 | |
Christ Church London (also commonly known as Christ Church; and shorthand CCL), founded 2004, is a Christian church that meets at several locations across London, United Kingdom.
As Christians, Christ Church London has a large focus on sharing their faith with non-Christians by building community through holding a large number of social events throughout the year, which allow people to invite friends into the church community.
Christ Church London is a multicultural community with attendees from all over the world.
Contents
History
ChristChurch London was founded in October 2004 by David Stroud, who moved from Birmingham to start the church, and recruited Adrian Holloway and Rhys Scott to be part of the church-planting team. The church officially launched in 2005 at the New Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden and has since relocated a number of times as the church has grown. They now meet in four separate locations.
| Years | Venue | Location | Congregation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | International Students House | Great Portland Street | 30 approx. |
| 2005–2006 | New Connaught Rooms | Covent Garden | 240 approx. |
| 2006–2007 | Vinopolis | South Bank | 300 approx. |
| 2007–2010 | Piccadilly Theatre | Piccadilly Circus | 500 approx. |
| 2010–2015 | Mermaid Theatre | Blackfriars | 550 approx. |
| 2016-present | Platanos College | Stockwell | 100 approx. |
| 2016-present | Mermaid Theatre | Blackfriars | 200 approx. |
| 2016-present | Swiss Church | Covent Garden | 50 approx. |
| 2016-present | St John | Bethnal Green | 100 approx. |
Sundays
ChristChurch currently holds four weekly Sunday services
The service often begins with about half and hour of worship using largely contemporary Christian music, including songs by artists such as Chris Tomlin and Hillsong, together with original songs written by members of the ChristChurch London Worship Team. This is then followed by approximately half and hour of preaching by a church elder or guest speaker, with a sermon centred on a passage of Biblical scripture. At the end of the service, people are often given the opportunity to be prayed for and to stay for refreshments, or after church socials.
Special Sundays
ChristChurch holds a number of special Sunday meetings throughout the year, including three baptismal services, two dedication services, two services celebrating London, and a Christmas Carol Service. They also have around six guest speakers each year.
Move to four services
When church attendance continued to grow, ChristChurch announced it would stop the afternoon service at Blackfriars from January 2016 and move from its existing two services to four, each in separate locations. Those services are currently running in Stockwell, Blackfriars, Covent Garden and Bethnal Green
Connect Groups
ChristChurch London has around 20 Connect Groups with more being added regularly. They are groups where people can build community and use their skills and passions to contribute to the flourishing of London life. These groups gather around a common cause; a people, a place, or a passion. Some examples include groups for those in the workplace, groups for Students, a group for those involved in social justice, and a group for East End Creatives.
Alpha
ChristChurch hosts free Alphas twice a year for non-Christians and Christians. They are run throughout the week across London for eight consecutive weeks. Since 2004, over 2000 people in total have attended Alpha at ChristChurch.
Notable Alpha launches
ChristChurch London hosts two or three launches per Alpha course, which are also held at Sway Bar in Covent Garden.
3 October 2007: Simon Thomas, former Blue Peter presenter.
5 October 2009: Patrick Dixon, chairman of Global Change Ltd and founder of the international AIDS charity, ACET.
7 October 2009: Alister McGrath, author of the The Dawkins Delusion?.
20 January 2010: Jo Enright, comedian and actress, who has appeared in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and I'm Alan Partridge.
21 January 2010: Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4.
19 April 2010: Baroness Cox, founder and chief executive of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust.
4 October 2010: Dr Ard Louis, theoretical physicist at the University of Oxford.
Students' Ministry
Due to its location in the centre of London, ChristChurch attracts many students from the nearby universities, mainly from colleges of the University of London.
New students are "built in" as active members by the Student Team by one-on-one coffees and social student lunches. Furthermore, the team organises one-on-one discipleship courses, prayer and praise evenings, apologetics training, Christian Union leaders Forums, student bible study and student weekends away.
