Our Church
We are a welcoming Anglican, evangelical church whose mission is to shine God’s light into the lives of those in our local community and overseas through prayer, stewardship and practical support.


The Reverend Leisa Potter is Team Vicar for the West Wight with responsibility for the Parishes of All Saints and St Agnes Churches, Freshwater; St James Church, Yarmouth and Christ Church, Totland.
Leisa studied Psychology at Plymouth University and spent several years working in the care sector, before setting up and running a well regarded child care business. A big change came in 2011 when Leisa began her degree course in Christian Theology for Ministry through Exeter University and as part of her training for ordination found herself working with St Mary Magdalene Church, gaining valuable experience in running services and ‘Life Groups’ across a wide spectrum of ages and backgrounds, focussing especially on those people with particular needs – expressed through a range of addictions and other life issues.
Leisa was ordained in 2014 and worked as part of a team of 12 churches at Ottery, St Mary in Devon, mentoring and enabling leadership and skills for ministry and exploring lay and ordained ministry with all those called by God to serve in communities and churches.
Creative and contemplative worship for all people is a great passion, as is accessible worship, with an honouring of the traditional church.

Services
Our regular services take place on a Sunday at 11am. All are welcome!
Sundays follow this pattern –
- 1st Sunday: Morning Prayer (normally lay led Common Worship)
- 2nd Sunday: Morning Worship with Junior Church (normally lay led Common Worship)
- 3rd Sunday: Common Worship Holy Communion (normally led by Leisa our vicar)
- 4th Sunday: Morning Worship with Junior Church (normally lay led Common Worship)
- On months with a 5th Sunday, service details will be posted on the website blog or the FYT Parishes Monthly Bulletin.
Latest news
Find out all that’s happening in Christ Church ……
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
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CTWW Reflections 7:00 pm CTWW Reflections @ Freshwater Methodist Church May 1 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm ![]() An informal time of contemporary prayer and worship, lay-led by members of the West Wight Churches. All welcome! | ||||||
Sunday Worship – CW Morning Prayer 11:00 am Sunday Worship – CW Morning Prayer May 8 @ 11:00 am – 12:15 pm ![]() A service based on the Common Worship Morning Prayer book. | ||||||
Sunday Worship – Morning Prayer with Junior Church 11:00 am | ||||||
Christ Church at Christmas – Events in December
Please join us at Christ Church as we celebrate Christmas. All welcome! A Concert In Aid Of Wessex Cancer Friday 10th December at 7pm by the West Wight Choir with guests - West Wight Accordian Group and the Early Music Group. Retiring Collection. Carols by...
FYT Parishes Monthly Bulletin – December 2021
What's happening in our Totland Yarmouth and Freshwater churches? Catch up with the latest news and information in our latest bulletin with details of services, events, who's who and what's what in the West Wight churches. Prayer and message from Leisa this Christmas....
Christmas Concert at Christ Church – Friday 10th December at 7pm
Join the West Wight Choir, the Wight Accordian Group and the Early Music Group for a concert in aid of our local Wessex Cancer Care. Mulled Wine, Spiced Cordial and Mince Pies Retiring Collection .
About Us
Click on the images to go straight to the relevant sections.

Who’s Who and what we do
Christ Church Totland Bay is in the Isle of Wight Deanery and the Diocese of Portsmouth. It is the westernmost parish in the Diocese. It includes the tourist attractions of Colwell Bay, The Needles, Alum Bay and Tennyson Down. Although the church is located at the geographical centre of the parish, the heart of the village is nearly half a mile down the hill, site of the church hall. It is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has many SSSIs within its borders. In addition to the church and church hall, we have a wooden annex behind the church with a fully equipped kitchen.
Find out more about us by following these links:

CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Ministry Team

Revd. Leisa Potter
Team Vicar for Freshwater, Yarmouth and Totland Bay
Revd Leisa Potter,
1 The Nursuries, Freshwater, PO40 9FG
email: revleisa@btinternet.com
Tel: 01983 753078
Please note that currently as Team Vicar of Freshwater, Yarmouth and Totland, Leisa normally works from Saturday to Thursday inclusive. She is not available on Fridays, except in an emergency. Thank you for your consideration.
Associate Priests in the West Wight Mission Community:
The Revd. Linda Bushell
The Revd. Linda Porter
Permission to Officiate
Supporting retired clergy:
Revd Paul Bell, Revd Peter Vessey
Reader:
Mrs Lucie Bell
Patron
The Church Patronage Trust http://www.churchpatronagetrust.co.uk/
The Church Patronage Trust, established in 1871, exercises sole patronage of 64 parishes and joint patronage of 61 parishes. It is one of the larger evangelical patronage bodies and most of its parishes are located in the Midlands and South of England. The CPT seeks to support the local church and its work is focussed on strengthening the evangelistic/pastoral ministry exercised in the parish.
Parochial Church Council (PCC)
The PCC Members are your voice at the Christ Church PCC Meetings. If you have a concern or wish to comment (good and bad) about how things are done or raise an issue, please speak to one of your PCC members who will try and deal with your concern or comment directly. If you wish to raise an issue or concern at PCC level please write to the PCC Secretary as follows:
By post : The PCC Secretary, Christ Church Totland Bay, Alum Bay New Road, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. PO39 0ES
By e-mail:admin@christchurchtotland.org.uk
Much of the Parish business is conducted by small sub groups dealing with Ministry and Mission, Buildings and Churchyard, Admin and Personnel, Finance and Fund raising. These sub groups comprise PCC members and involve other church members where appropriate.
Church Wardens
Peter Byatt – email: churchwarden1@christchurchtotland.org.uk
Geoff Kirk – email:churchwarden2@christchurchtotland.org.uk
Administrator
Denis Gosden, Church Office, Christ Church, Alum Bay New Road, Totland Bay PO39 0ES
email: admin@christchurchtotland.org.uk Tel: (m) 07582 861966
Officers of the Parochial Church Council (PCC)
Team Vicar: (Chair) Revd Leisa Potter
Church Wardens: Mr Peter Byatt, Mr Geoff Kirk
Secretary: Mrs Jackie Kohler-Burton (Non voting)
Treasurer: Mrs Lesley Kirk
Reader: Mrs Lucie Bell
Diocesan Synod Reps: Mr Peter Byatt, Dr Neil Walker
Electoral Roll Officer: Mr Robin Gosden
PCC Standing Committee:Revd. Leisa Potter, Peter Byatt, Geoff Kirk, Lesley Kirk, Tom Eggeling, Robin Gosden
PCC Members and their special responsibilities:
The PCC Members are your voice at the Christ Church PCC Meetings. If you have a concern or wish to comment (good and bad) about how things are done or raise an issue, please speak to one of your PCC members who will try and deal with your concern or comment directly. If you wish to raise an issue or concern at PCC level please write to the PCC Secretary as follows:
By post : The PCC Secretary, Christ Church Totland Bay, Alum Bay New Road, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. PO39 0ES
By e-mail:admin@christchurchtotland.org.uk
Much of the Parish business is conducted by small sub groups dealing with Ministry and Mission, Buildings and Churchyard, Admin and Personnel, Finance and Fund raising. These sub groups comprise PCC members and involve other church members where appropriate.
Mr Peter Byatt – Christ Church Deanery Synod Rep.
Mr Geoff Kirk – Acting chairman of Administration and Personnel Group. Chairman of the Church Re-Ordering Fund-Raising Group.
Mrs Lesley Kirk – Chair of Finance and Fundraising Group
Mrs Lucie Bell – Christ Church Rep. for Churches Together in West Wight (CTWW).
Mr Neil Walker – Christ Church Organist; Christ Church Deanery Synod Rep.
Mr Tom Eggeling – Christ Church Rep for CTWW Youth Project; Chairman of the Buildings and Churchyard Group.
Mr Robin Gosden – Electoral Roll Officer (e-mail:electoralrollofficer@christchurchtotland.org.uk); Member of the Buildings and Churchyard Group; Member of the Church Website Team. Cemetery Warden (e-mail: churchyard@christchurchtotland.org.uk)
Mr Denis Gosden – Church Administrator; Data Compliance Officer; Member of the Admin and Personnel Group; Member of the Church Website Team.
Mrs Margaret Byatt – Member of the Pastoral Care Team; Christ Church Rep. for CTWW; Member of the Admin and Personnel Group.
Mrs Lizzie Hutchinson – Member of the Admin and Personnel Group. Member of the Church Re-Ordering Fund-Raising Group.
Mr Maurice Sheen – Member of the Church Re-Ordering Fund-Raising Group.
Mrs Sue Parsons – Member of the Church Re-Ordering Fund-Raising Group.
Non PCC Member with Special Responsibilities
Mrs Lynda Wightman – Christ Church Verger (Weddings and Funerals).
Mrs Ros Holley – Member of the Ministry and Mission Group, Prayer Chain Leader / Coordinator
Mr Richard Britton – Christ Church Music Director.
Ms. Alison Grieve – Safeguarding Officer.
Mrs Lorraine Lord – Junior Church Leader
Mrs Hazel Britton – Communications (parish magazine, weekly notices, Facebook, website); Hon Secretary of Churches Together in West Wight.
Mrs Jackie Holdoway – Christ Church Rep. for CTWW ; Member of Isle of Wight Street Pastor Team.
The PCC normally meets every 4 weeks throughout the year, with a meeting of Parishioners and the Parochial Church Meeting occurring annually.
MISSION
Our Mission Strategy – Live, Pray and Serve
The last command given by our Lord was to go and make disciples of all nation (Mark Ch.16: v.15) and Christ Church seeks with God’s help to take its part in this mission.
To Live, to Pray and to Serve is our strategy for church growth.
To Live:
Christ Church seeks to equip people to live as disciples of Christ, growing in faith, responding to God’s call, bearing witness to the Gospel, and connecting our faith within our local, national and Global contexts.
To Pray:
To pray individually and together as members of a vibrant, open, faithful and growing worshipping community, where gifts are recognised and shared in ministry; paying particular attention to drawing young people, and new Christians into communities of faith.
To Serve:
Christ Church seeks To serve our local communities and society together, seeking the transformation of the world in justice and in peace, speaking the gospel in the public sphere, and promoting the common good.
There are four ways in which Christ Church hopes to play its part in promoting the themes of Living, Praying and Serving:
1. Making Disciples
Engaging disciples in prayer, worship and study.
2. Growing Churches
Engaging our church with the local community.
3. Learning for Life
Equipping people for lifelong learning as Christians by engagement with schools in terms of ethos, relationships, life skills, worship/assemblies and governance.
4. Transforming Society
Promoting the common good. Promoting community stability, investing in community life and human relationships, seeking out the lonely, marginalised and giving them support and bringing them into a supportive community.
Mission at Christ Church, Totland Bay
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Eph 4:11). “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:16).
We are not all evangelists in the formal sense but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfil the responsibility of sharing the Gospel message, God has provided Christ Church with the means to do so through a wealth of God-given resources in and through its membership, for which we offer Him our humble and sincere thanks. Faith, practical skills, spiritual gifts, knowledge, wisdom, musical talents, spiritual gifts, encouragers, prayer warriors and financial expertise. With this wealth of resources, God has given us many ways in which we can fulfil His command to preach the Good News of Jesus to all people. As part of our financial stewardship, Christ Church Parochial Council has set up a Mission Fund and has resolved to commit at least 10% of the church’s unrestricted income to charitable giving.
Home Mission and Collaborative Working of West Wight Churches
For more information on home mission and Collaborative Working click on either of the following links:
http://christchurchtotland.org.uk/about-us/west-wight-cluster/
http://christchurchtotland.org.uk/about-us/mission/at-home/
Overseas Mission
http://christchurchtotland.org.uk/about-us/mission/overseas/
West Wight Mission Community
Collaborative Working
Christ Church Totland Bay is just one of eleven Anglican churches within the West Wight Cluster of churches. Following detailed discussions with PCC’s from the eleven churches the recommendation from our Archdeacon was that the parishes form themselves into a ‘Mission Community’. This allows a combination of parishes to work together with a common goal. This model of mission and ministry was developed in the Diocese of Exeter and has been introduced in the Diocese of Oxford. Collaborative working enables churches to do things together that they cannot do on their own. This form of working also encourages lay ministry with the clergy exercising more of a ministry of oversight, rather than doing everything themselves. For legal and practical reasons (including clergy housing and travelling distance) there are two groups (or clusters) of churches in the West Wight Mission Community; the ‘Towns’ (Freshwater, Yarmouth and Totland) and the rural ‘Country’ parishes (Brighstone, Brook, Calbourne, Mottistone, Newtown, Shalfleet Shorwell and Thorley) and each cluster will have a full time priest in charge. In addition, there will continue to be a either a house-for-duty (part-time, non stipendiary) priest or full time curate to serve all the parishes in the Mission Community in various degrees. All eleven parishes in the cluster are encouraged to work ecumenically through Churches Together In West Wight and other arrangements with non-Anglican churches in the area.
The West Wight Mission Community

St Agnes, Freshwater Bay.

St James, Yarmouth

All Saints, Freshwater.

Christ Church, Totland Bay
The West Wight Mission Community is intentional in Mission and outreach, collaborative and supportive, it is enabling of people’s gifts and ministries and includes a variety of churches and styles. It establishes new expressions of church alongside the traditional and ensures a Christian presence, witness and care in every place. Not all parishes can or should offer every aspect of the church’s life and ministry but by joining in partnership with neighbouring churches and forming a Mission Community we can work together more effectively.
CTWW
CHILDREN AND YOUTH WORK
Children’s work at Christ Church
Here at Christ Church, children are highly valued and we are passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus with them in an environment that is safe, welcoming and fun. In partnership with family members, we long to see the children become devoted to God and excited about being full members of the church family.
Children from reception age upwards are welcome to join us for Bible stories, creative activities and messy crafts. A programme of teaching currently operates on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month during the Sunday morning service (may be revised).
Christ Church is committed to the safety of children and works within a Child Protection Policy agreed by the PCC. This policy is displayed in the entrance porch or is available from our Church Administrator.
To find out more, please contact us.
Children’s Holiday Bible Club
Christ Church members actively support the CTWW Holiday Bible Club which runs a themed week of activities for primary school aged children during the school summer holidays under the direction of the West Wight youth worker Dan Wells. In addition, the Holiday Bible Club hold messy days at Christmas and Easter where children and families can learn more about Jesus whilst having fun with crafts and games. For more information or you would like to volunteer your support for these activities, please contact our Administrator by clicking this link contact form.
Youth Work
In conjunction with Youth for Christ and in collaboration with Churches Together in West Wight, Christ Church supports a part time Youth Worker, Dan Wells. For more information about what Dan and the West Wight Churches Youth Project are doing follow this link.
Children’s Open the Book
Open the Book is a national scheme for school assemblies produced by the bible society. Bible stories are brought to life through dramatised story telling each with a child-friendly message relating to every day life and a complementary prayer. All assemblies involve child participation and those children taking part receive Open the Book stickers.
Open the Book is delivered in the 4 West Wight Schools by two teams of volunteers from the West Wight churches. Christ Church has members in both teams. Team A visits Yarmouth and Shalfleet, Team B visits All Saints Freshwater and St Saviour Totland. In all 4 schools we are welcomed with open arms and team members are greeted with waves and smiles when spotted out and about in West Wight.
Both teams rehearse at Colwell Baptist Church Hall and are props are stored there. If you are interested in joining one of the teams or in helping to make props and costumes please message this website and we’ll put you in touch with the appropriate person. You can find out more about the scheme at https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/get-involved/open-the-book
Giving
Giving including Donate on Line
