We are a Church of England Christian church in the Diocese of Southwark. We are an open, inclusive church serving the people of West Wimbledon. We welcome all, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexuality, identity politics or church background and we are ready to share our faith with others, helping to build peace and justice in the world.

Upcoming services

You are very welcome to join us at any of our services

Sunday 24 September

TRINITY 16

10am Parish Eucharist

(With Junior or Senior Church)

Service led by Rev’d Peter Sills

6.30pm Evening Prayer

You can download recent pew sheets here

This week’s prayer

Lord of creation, whose glory is around and within us: open our eyes to your wonders, that we may serve you with reverence and know your peace at our lives’ end, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

TOMORROW NIGHT

Installation of our new vicar

7pm Monday, 25 September 2023

Service in church.

Followed by a reception in the Church Hall.

All are welcome. Please contact the Parish Office for details.

MEET OUR NEW VICAR

The Reverend Lotwina Farodoye

Dear Friends,

We were delighted to announce to the congregation on the 25th June that The Reverend Lotwina Farodoye, presently Assistant Curate of the Oxted Team Ministry has been appointed Vicar of Christ Church West Wimbledon by the Bishop of Southwark.

Reverend Lotwina has a Masters degree in Christian Leadership and is presently the Chair of the House of Clergy for Diocesan Synod, and also a member of the Diocesan Council of Trustees in Southwark Diocese. 

Lotwina is delighted to be appointed Vicar of Christ Church and is very much looking forward to getting to know you all.

Her Installation will be on Monday 25 September at 7pm in Church. You are welcome.

We were delighted to announce that The Reverend Lotwina Farodoye, presently Assistant Curate of the Oxted Team Ministry has been appointed Vicar of Christ Church West Wimbledon by the Bishop of Southwark.

Harvest Festival

We’ll be celebrating Harvest on Sunday 1 October and will be collecting produce to be distributed to the Wimbledon Foodbank, Christian Care Association and Merton Refuge to help those in need in the borough.

The produce most needed includes…

• Cereals, UHT milk, tea, coffee and juice

• Tinned fish, meat, veg, fruit and soup

• Long grain rice

• Tinned tomatoes and pasta sauce

• Rice pudding and custard

Thank you for your generosity

Special events and services

SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER

10am Harvest Festival and all age family service

Brownie and Guide cake sale/ Plus eco milk tasting and veggie/vegan recipe sharing

 

SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER

6.30pm All Souls

A service of reflection to remember our dearly departed loved ones with the opportunity to light a candle in honour of them

 

SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER

10am Remembrance Service

 

TUESDAY 21 NOVEMBER

2pm – 4.30pm Christ Church Bridge Drive in the hall

Afternoon tea and prizes

 

SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER

10am All-age Family Communion followed by Advent Fair

4pm Christingle Service

 

SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER

10am All Age Family Communion

The staging of the Nativity from Junior and Senior Church

 

TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER

6.30pm Wreath making evening in the hall

 

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER

6.30pm Carol Concert

 

SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER

11.30pm Midnight Mass

 

MONDAY 25 DECEMBER

8am Holy Communion

10am Parish Eucharist

Creationtide 2023

In the season of Creationtide we will think about God’s earth, the biblical mandate for us to care for it and the reality of climate change, pollution and extinctions. To help focus our thoughts we’ll have a display of photographs, paintings and objects that illustrate God’s creation and we’d love you to contribute…

CREATIONTIDE 2023 In the season of Creationtide we will think about God’s earth, the biblical mandate for us to care for it and the reality of climate change, pollution and extinctions.

Here for you...

Eco Church

We are a group that promote caring for God’s earth. If you’re interested in finding out how to get involved contact Lucy Christie via the Parish Office to find out more.

 

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’

Mathew 11:28-29

In the wake of the death of Selena Lau in the tragic incident at The Study school in Camp Road, Wimbledon, members of Christ Church congregation laid flowers for all the victims.

Prayers for The Study school

Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad and all who have been affected by the tragedy at The Study school on 6 July. 

Speaking in response to the news, the Revd Lotwina Farodoye, Vicar Designate of the Church, said:

“We are all completely shocked and saddened by this terrible incident – and our hearts and prayers go out to all of the families affected and to the school community. We will be thinking over the coming days about how we can best support our community through this tragedy.”
 
“This is a heartbreaking situation,” added the Rt Revd Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston: “We are deeply grateful to the emergency services, healthcare staff and chaplaincy team who responded to this situation and who continue to care for those injured. We urge people to hold all of those affected – and all seeking to support them – in their prayers.”

A brief history of Christ Church

By the mid 1850s, with the arrival of the railway, Wimbledon had grown from a village to a thriving town. The growing population needed a new place of worship. So, an appeal was launched to build a new church. £6,000 was raised, the church built and on 15 August 1859 the Bishop of London dedicated the new chapel-of-ease…

Coronation celebrations

We toasted King Charles III’s coronation with a riot of colour and flags on Sunday 7 May. 

Ringing the bells on Coronation morning

Here is Liz, one of our new bell ringers, ringing in the new Corolean age. 

At Christ Church our bells are rung by a system of pulleys in a cubicle about the size of a phone box. We would love to welcome new volunteers to join us – and can manage the 47 steps up the spiral staircase to the belfry!

 

If you’d like to join our regular group of ringers, please contact the Parish Office ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk

Baptisms

Baptisms are conducted on Sunday mornings either during the 10am service on the first Sunday of the month or at 12 noon on a convenient Sunday. We are always pleased to discuss baptism for those who live in the parish of Christ Church. Visit www.achurchnearyou.com to see if you live in the parish. Please contact the Parish Office at ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk for more details. 

Confirmation

We are willing to consider preparing children to receive Holy Communion from about the age of 7-8 and subsequently we encourage young people to wait until they are at least 11-years-old before making the ‘adult’ step into church life at confirmation. Confirmation groups also run each year for adults who would like to make a commitment to church
life. Please contact the Parish Office ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk to discuss.

Weddings

We are always pleased to discuss marriage with those who live in the parish of Christ Church or who can establish a Qualifying Connection with Christ Church. It may also be possible to be married at Christ Church where either or both parties have been divorced. Please contact the Parish Office at ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk to arrange a time to discuss marriage.

Hydrangea, lilac and roses are woven into an arch in preparation for a wedding at Christ Church, West Wimbledon.

Funerals

We are here to help you if you would like to hold a funeral service in church for your loved one. It is not necessary for the deceased or their family to have been church goers. We can also conduct a full funeral service at a crematorium for those who live in the parish of Christ Church. It is usual for the funeral director to make direct contact with us but please contact the Parish Office 

ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk

if you have any queries.

Bereavement group

Raynes Park Bereavement was set up by Christ Church as part of its outreach programme in 2014. There are 12 volunteers who meet with people who have been bereaved on a one-to- one basis. The service receives most of its referrals (about 60 per year) from local GP surgeries. If you (or anyone you know who lives in the area) would like to make use of our service, please call 07914 263420 or email 

What your generosity means to Christ Church?

The cost of running the church and paying for the Vicar is over £2,700 each week – rising with inflation every day. The stark fact is that we are not even covering our day-to-day running costs, let alone paying for repairs and maintenance required to the church and hall. 

Christ Church gets no state funding. Maintaining our church for today and securing it for the future requires continued expense. Our prayer is that our Church may continue to flourish. It can do so – but only with your help.

If you would like to donate to Christ Church please contact the Parish Office at

ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk

or download, print and return the Giving Form below.

Thank you.

Hall hire

Christ Church hall is a separate building next to the Church and it was fully refurbished in 2019. The sprung wooden floor makes it an ideal venue for ballet and dance classes as well as yoga and pilates. With the modernised kitchen it is also brilliant for Children’s parties. For enquiries about hiring the hall please contact: ccsw20hall@gmail.com 

Our address:
Christ Church Hall, 2a Cottenham Park Road, London, SW20 0RZ (just down from the corner of Copse Hill and Cottenham Park Road)

• Seats 120 (100 at table)
• Hall dimensions: approx 50ft x 30 ft / 15m x 9m excluding stage area
• Disabled access & toilets
• On-site parking for 6 cars
• Wi-Fi

•New heating and air-cooling system
• Fully equipped kitchen including automatic water boiler

Brownies (ages 7 - 10)

The 12 th Wimbledon Brownies meet on Wednesdays at the Scout Hut on the corner of Cottenham Park Road and Oakwood Road. We welcome all girls aged 7-10 from all schools and all denominations but those who live locally and those who attend Christ Church are particularly welcome. Contact is Elisabeth Bingham ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk

Guides (ages 10 - 14)

The 12th Wimbledon Guides meet on Tuesday evenings, at the Scout Hut on the corner of Cottenham Park Road and Oakwood Road. We welcome all girls aged 10-14 from all schools and all denominations regardless of whether or not they have been Brownies. Please contact us. Contact Nicolette Ewers ccparishoffice@yahoo.co.uk

Kung-fu hamsters - youth group (ages 10+)

This runs on Friday evenings – roughly once a month during term time and we have a variety of activities. We sometimes go bowling, we play rounders in the Summer, we have an institution called ‘Hamster Chef’ (loosely based on MasterChef!) and we have at least one ‘Eco’ evening per year. There is a lot of fun all round.

Senior church (ages 10+)

Senior church is more of a discussion session and is more philosophical. Generally, we share the learning with the congregation afterwards, and sometimes the group even write and perform a play for all to see.

Junior church (ages 4 - 10)

This runs during term time, every Sunday – apart from the first Sunday of the month when we have our All-Age Celebration service. We use as a guide the teaching programmes set out in the “Roots” publications, which suggests activities that will reflect the Gospel reading for the day, so we are thinking and reflecting on the same issues as the main congregation. The sessions will usually start with a game to warm up and introduce the theme of the day, followed by reading a simplified story version of the gospel reading. We will then go on to the main activity, which could be creative art-work, model making, drama, cooking, treasure hunts, gardening or problem solving games. We are also thinking of ways we can encourage the children to become involved in the Eco Church

Clergy, Readers, Wardens & the PCC​

Vicar

We are delighted to announce that The Reverend Lotwina Farodoye will be coming to Christ Church at the end of September 2023 as the new Vicar. Meanwhile please email ccww.vicar@gmail.com

 

Church Wardens
Two people elected represent the congregation. Currently:
Tish Mousell ccww.churchwarden1@gmail.com
Julie Grainger ccww.churchwarden2@gmail.com

 

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2023-2024
PCC Members:

Elected to serve until May 2024
Angelina Skelton
Brenda Thurgood*
Charles Buyondo*
Chica Nwokoye*

Elected to serve until May 2025
Jane Simpson
John Davey (Hon Treasurer)
Ron Barnett
Sally Edmunds

Flis Banks (ex-officio Reader)

 

Elected to serve until May 2026

Judy Luddington (Hon Secretary)

Lynda Coleman

Sarah Hannaford*

Chris Larkman*


Merton Deanery Synod Members 2020-2024
(Ex officio on PCC)
Pat Spencer
Paul Sinclair

Mair Rabagliati
1 vacancy

 

*Eligible to stand for a further 3-year term

What this generosity means to Christ Church?

Our stall is open every Sunday run by members of the congregation.

 

Fair Trade is business with a commitment to justice for the world’s poor. Fair Trade is based on long-term partnerships with producers in the global south, guaranteeing suppliers a fair price for their products so that they can earn enough to support their families and communities.

 

Traidcraft run programmes in developing countries, supporting poor and vulnerable people to get a better deal from trade. They often focus on small, marginalised groups, creating long term partnerships and they also campaign to transform the way trade works.
For a wider range of products there is a Traidcraft catalogue and you can also order online at www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

What this generosity means to Christ Church?

We have special collections throughout the year and there are specific charities that we donate to.

Currently we are supporting:

 

1. South London Refugee Association https://www.slr-a.org.uk

2. Church Mission Society https://churchmissionsociety.org
3. Christian Aid https://www.christianaid.org.uk
4. A Rocha Kenya https://www.arocha.or.ke
5. Children’s Society, https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk
6. Faith in Action https://www.faithinaction.co.uk
7. Christian CARE Association https://www.christiancaremerton.org.uk 

 

We also collect for emergency appeals for example we recently held a collection for Ukraine.