ChurchesTogetherNP (CTNP)
Churches Together in Newport Pagnell
Browse down this page for the following sections
- about ChurchesTogetherNP (CTNP)
- short church introductions
- contacts and locations
- links to church websites
- a little about the organisation of CTNP
- a very short history of Newport Pagnell
About ChurchesTogetherNP (CTNP)
There are many different Christian churches in Newport Pagnell, but they all have the same basic calling—to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all.
Think of ice cream! There are lots of different flavours but they're all ice cream! It's a bit like that with churches. There are different flavours and we all have our favourites. There are different styles of church which suit different types of people.
When the wider community of Christians in Newport Pagnell come together to do things, they're called ChurchesTogetherNP (CTNP).
ChurchesTogetherNP events and joint services are open to everyone. Examples are
- 'Songs of Praise' united service (find examples of previous joint services, at Women's World Day of Prayer or Autumn Songs of Praise )
- Open Air Christmas Nativity family event and carols
- Lent lunches in the weeks before Easter
Some of the ChurchesTogetherNP (CTNP) activities supporting the Newport Pagnell community are
- Winter Night Shelter for rough sleepers
- Children's Summer Holiday Club
- Memory Club for people living with dementia
- Forthcoming Events for what events are coming up
- to see what some of the ministers of the churches are saying, have a look at one of their Letters, such as the latest letter or other letters in LETTER FROM A MINISTER (see the options down the left-hand side of this page)
- for questions about Christianity, see Where to start with Christianity? and other pages in that section
- for examples of previous events, have a look at the Connections newsletters archive, or the archives at Event Archive 2017 or Event Archive 2016
Short Church Introductions
In addition, Care Homes with close links to one of the Newport Pagnell churches include Westbury Grange. At Westbury Grange people with either nursing need or dementia are cared for. The chaplain, when appointed, spends time getting to know everyone, finding out what's important and providing support.
To find the location for a particular church, have a look at Find a church or go to one of the following church websites.
ChurchesTogetherNP church websites
The churches of Newport Pagnell are
- the Church of England (Anglicans) at the Parish Church of Newport Pagnell, St Peter & St Paul and St Luke's ; St Luke's is the daughter church of St Peter and St Paul, and there are also occasional services at nearby Moulsoe and Lathbury
- the Baptists (NPBC) at Newport Pagnell Baptist Church
- the Roman Catholic Church of St Bede's Catholic Church
- the Methodists at The Methodist Church
- the United Reformed Church (URC) at The United Reformed Church
- The Calvary Chinese Christian Church which meets in the Methodist Church in Newport Pagnell (see meet at the Methodist Church ); also in a joint venture with the Milton Keynes Chinese Christian Church Crossway Joint Venture
- The Redeemed Christian Church of God; this church NO LONGER MEETS in Newport Pagnell; their website is at RCCG Maranatha
The organisation of CTNP
To find out more about the structure and organization of CTNP, Have a look at CTNP Constitution in the section "meetings & administration".
The churches of Newport Pagnell are working together in the service of God to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in the community. The churches join together for worship and for social activities, learning from each other and working towards true unity in Christ.
A (very short) History of Newport Pagnell
NEWPORT PAGNELL has a long and varied history as one of the chief communities of North East Buckinghamshire.
People have lived at the confluence of the rivers Great Ouse and Lovat since the Bronze Age. The Saxons, the Romans and the Normans all had an influence on the development of what was to become one of the first market towns in the county.
Newport means new market; the Pagnell comes from the Pagnell family who owned the Manor in the 12th century. It once had a castle and a priory, but though agriculture was its main industry for centuries travellers soon brought it an added importance. The town became a busy stopping place for travellers between Nottingham and London, Oxford and Cambridge. During the Civil War it was heavily fortified by the Parliamentary Forces, whose ranks included a soldier who was later to earn fame as John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress.
Samuel Pepys the diarist visited the town and praised the Parish Church as being "Cathedral-like." During the coaching era many other famous people stayed at the hotels including the Swan, the Saracen's Head and the Anchor.
Newport Pagnell at this time had its own tanneries, parchment works (one by the River Lovat is now the last remaining in Britain), breweries, cattle market and was an important centre for the lace trade.
In the 19th century it had its own canal, its own railway link with the main line at Wolverton, its own newspapers and a mustard factory. Tickford Bridge was built over the Lovat in 1810 and is still in use, being the oldest iron bridge in England still taking main road traffic.