Services and liturgy
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Our principal service is the regular celebration of the Eucharist (aka Holy Communion, the Mass, the Lord's Supper). It is celebrated according to the rites of the Church of England. See Monthly Diary for current details |
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SUNDAYS 0915 Eucharist (Usually 30 mins; in side chapel) 1100 Eucharist (our principal weekly celebration, usually just over 1 hour, followed by tea and coffee to benefit Christian Aid) MONDAYS 0830 Morning Prayer in Side Chapel TUESDAYS 0830 Morning Prayer in Side Chapel 1305-1340 Eucharist in Side Chapel with short reflection on the Gospel WEDNESDAYS 0830 Morning Prayer in Side Chapel THURSDAYS 0830 Eucharist in Side Chapel A simple celebration of Holy Communion lasting c30 minutes FRIDAYS 0830 Morning Prayer (in Side Chapel) NB Several gluten-free wafers are consecrated at the Sunday 11am Eucharist for those who are coeliac or otherwise gluten intolerant. Please indicate to the priest as s/he approaches, at communion |
INFORMATION
Receiving Communion All baptised people from all Christian traditions are welcome to make their communion at our celebrations of the Holy Eucharist. The clergy are available to be consulted confidentially on any matter, and for the sacraments of Anointing and Reconciliation (Confession). Please speak to any one of them about this. We also have other members of our community able to offer support and help. Clergy bios here, email any of them here. Children are really welcome, and we don't mind one bit if they can't settle or are chatty. Please bring them along. At the Sunday 11am service there is structured activity for them, and we always have a designated play area in the church with toys and distractions (see picture, right). We have a child protection policy in place. More Disabled access and hearing The main building is accessible for people with disabilities. And there are hearing loops in the church and meeting rooms. A large print service sheet is available at the principal services. More Hospitality: homeless guests During the day a number of people without homes or anywhere to rest awhile make use of some of the side pews. See also details of our Winter Night Shelter |
DAILY PRAYER
Church of England Daily Prayer on line On line Book of Common Prayer On line Common Worship Holding on to the Silence Holy Days (Diocese of London) WARNING "Genuine faith is never satisfied with the religious way of doing things - Sabbath worship or an hour or a half-hour of each day. Christianity is nothing else but faith right in the middle of actual life and weekdays. But we have reduced it to quiet hours, thereby indirectly admitting that we are not really being Christians. That we should have quiet times to think about God - this seems so elevated and beautiful, so solemn. It is so hypocritical, because in this way we exempt daily life from the authentic worship of God." Soren Kierkegaard 
Children's play area
Christ did not come so that we could have church and that more often. He came so we could have life and that more abundantly.
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Interested to know more?
THE EUCHARIST (also known as Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper, The Mass). The Eucharist (from the Greek meaning thanksgiving) is the central element of Christian worship for the vast majority of Christian men and women. Much has been written about it - perhaps too much. Best to experience it, critically investigate it, and seek out someone who can talk with you about it. DAILY PRAYER - ‘The Offices’ Following Jewish tradition, and sanctified by the practice of Christ, the Christian Church has always hallowed moments during each day through the ‘saying’ of prayers, often known as ‘offices’. Seasons of the Christian Year (information about Sundays and holy Days throughout the year) Advent From the Latin word Adventus, meaning ‘coming’. Advent is the first season of the church year. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and is set aside as a season to prepare for Christmas, Christ’s first coming, and to remember that he will come again. Christmastide This is the eleven days from Christmas Day until January 6, the start of Epiphany. It is a time for remembering Jesus’s birth and contemplating the Incarnation - God entering our human condition in the form of a child. Epiphany From January 6 until Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent, is the season of Epiphany, which means ‘revealing’ or ‘showing forth’. Lent Lent is the season of preparation for Easter, which starts on Ash Wednesday and takes in 40 weekdays before Easter. We approach it as a time for self-examination and reflection, not as an abract thing, but to change our lives. Easter This is the oldest and greatest day of celebration in the Christian Church. Easter is the day and season for remembering that Christ not only died, but that he was raised from the dead. The season of Easter lasts 50 days from Easter Day to the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost The day of Pentecost celebrates the emergence of the Christian Church as it is the day when the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit come upon them and empower them to go out ‘to all nations’ and speak of the God whom Jesus Christ reveals. The Church of England keeps various Saints' and Holy Days throughout the year. We make a special celebration of the Feast of St James's the Apostle in July each year. |
Diagram: shows the various elements and functions involved in our principal celebration of the Eucharist (Sundays, 11am). Click to enlarge
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