Introduction to Christ Church, Aughton, Lancashire

Introduction to Christ Church, Aughton, Lancashire

Christ Church, Aughton, is a lively evangelical parish church set in the market town of Ormskirk, 14 miles north of Liverpool on the West Lancashire plain. Our parish of about 8500 is residential with no less than five schools (including our own church primary school) and because half the parish is greenbelt, several farms. An Anglican church, we belong to the diocese of Liverpool.

The church building, sited on the A59 halfway between Liverpool and Preston, has a distinctive tower. As this is the highest point in West Lancashire, it can be seen for miles around - and heard, too, when the bell ringers exercise their ministry!

Our key task at Christ Church is to share Jesus with everyone in our parish. Everyone means everyone. This overarches everything we do and on this website, you can read of this month’s activities in CONSIDER, our news-sheet delivered free of charge to every house in the parish.  You can read this month’s copy – just go to the Consider link on the homepage. 

As a parish church Christ Church aims to be inclusive and new members are continually joining us from different traditions, usually those moving into the parish. Nevertheless our ministry is essentially evangelical and our worship relaxed and participatory. Nearly all the congregation lives in Ormskirk, most in the parish itself. Cottage Lane Mission, with which we have close links and where our vicar is Chairman of Trustees, has a similar ethos with its own Ministry Team.

As part of the Diocesan review our aim is to work more closely with our neighbouring parish of St Michael's  - beginning with our care of the frail and vulnerable. 

Our three Sunday services are generally 8.15 a.m. Common Worship Holy Communion, 10.45 a.m. Family Service (with Baptisms or Thanksgivings each month) and 6.30 p.m. Common Worship Evening Prayer. We have one service of Holy Communion each month at 10.45 a.m. and also at 6.30 p.m.  Each month we have an informal worship service in the Scout and Guides' Headquarter Building – something we aim to develop.

We particularly value the ministry of preaching and speaking at Family Services. There is also a strong musical tradition, with both choir and music group.

Attendance is usually around 275 adults including 45 children, rising by about a further 100 young people for our monthly Parade service. We also have a weekly youth congregation, RE:VIVE, which meets at the same time as our Family Service in the Scout and Guide Headquarters Building alongside the church.

However, attendance at Christ Church is, to say the least, complex and we have commissioned three detailed attendance surveys in 2001, 2002 and 2006 in order to understand patterns of church attendance.   You will find more details of these surveys by following the link on the homepage. 

Weekday services are limited to one monthly Wednesday service of Holy Communion at 2.15 p.m., a service particularly suitable for older people and those living in residential care.

There is substantial lay involvement at Christ Church in every area, including worship. Indeed this is the only way our church may grow through the traditional 450 -ceiling. Most activities within the church (such as our church holiday, the annual walk of witness and many social events) are organised by one of four PCC committees.

Ongoing ministry is the task of the Ministry Team, led by our vicar, Ross Moughtin, with nine members, each with a particular area of responsibility, such as welcome ministry or evangelism.

We have an extensive ministry with children and young people, church and uniformed, involving about 60 people as leaders and helpers. To develop this work, particularly with young adults, we have an experienced full-time youth director, Jonathan Edwards who was appointed in from Easter, 1997.  Jonathan, working with his wife, Rachel, aims "to see the young people of our parish entering wholeheartedly into the worship, fellowship and ministry of our church as disciples of Jesus".

Jonathan is responsible for the RE:VIVE congregation as well as the five cell groups of young people who meet every other Thursday. RE:ALITY for the young people of the area takes place in the Old School Building on the other Thursday’s. Jonathan is also active in the local secondary schools, taking Christian Union meetings each week.

Moreover, we enjoy a close relationship with our church school, where the vicar chairs the governing body. In the Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools in May, 2007, the school was assessed as being outstanding in each of the four areas of being a church school.

Rachel Edwards Leads a Christian group – JAFFA - at Christ Church School each Thursday.

There are around 14 home groups as well as the different organisations, such as Mothers’ Union and Men Alive, which work with particular groups. These are overseen by Rikki Abernethy, a member of our Ministry Team.

Each group aims to follow the theme for our Sunday services, with the five key values of our core values of All involved, Becoming disciples, Creating community,

Doing evangelism and Encountering God.

We have seen much growth through our Alpha courses, which take place in the Old School Building every term. Generally speaking those completing an Alpha course will then form into a Beta group which meets for a further term before members join other house groups (or start a new one.)

For all this prayer life is a priority, with one main termly prayer evening for the whole congregation along with two weekly prayer meetings and quite a few informal prayer triplets.

There is a simple service of Morning Prayer at 9.00 a.m. every weekday in church throughout the year.

We are conscious of our responsibility to those in our parish who are elderly and sometimes isolated. Bridget Wainwright heads up our Pastoral Visiting team of over 20 members. We also ensure that those residents in the three Nursing and Residential homes in the parish receive Holy Communion four times each year, generally at the major festivals.

Janet Shaw runs a very active Luncheon Club, attended by about 50 old people every Wednesday, in the Old School Building beginning 12.30 p.m.

We are an active member in Ormskirk Churches Together and enjoy very close links with our neighbouring churches, including St Anne’s RC Church, which is situated within the parish. Furthermore, we value our links with our mission partners in Argentina, Kenya, Thailand and Malaysia.

"We look forward to hearing from you and hope that you are able to pray for us in our ministry of sharing Jesus with everyone in our parish."

(Revised 15 May 2007)