How We Worship...
Hopefully, with joy and exuberance! Come along and try a service - in our four churches, we hold a number of different services, to enable the whole community to participate in meaningful worship.
Why go to church? By Liz McNaughton
Had you thought about coming to church but weren’t sure whether to or not? See below for some snippets of why people come to our local churches. We have four churches in our group (called a benefice) and they’re St Margaret’s (opposite the White Cliffs hotel), Westcliffe (opposite Wallets Court), East Langdon (just up from The Green) and West Langdon (in a field next to a farm just on the outskirts of the village of West Langdon).
What
do people get from going to church?
“For
fellowship”… “To have God in my
life, to thank him and ask for his help”… “To
be quiet and reflective”… “To have
a sense of peace”… “To find a
quiet space, to reflect and to re-focus my life”… “To
sing and be part of a supporting community”… “To
enjoy the friendliness and fellowship of a church family - it
encourages me”… “Faith is like a
journey and we are all at different stages. Being part of a church
family means there are people I can turn to when life gets tough, and
I can also offer help to others in turn”…
“Going
to church helps me deal with the day to day challenges that life
throws at you, it’s a source of comfort”
What
are our church services like?
What
we do is a mystery to some and the uncertainty of what the
services are like might stop you coming. So, see the
descriptions of our services below. If you’re new to church then
start with our Service of the Word family service. This is most informal of all our
services, lasts for just under an hour and uses contemporary words
and music. Our Communion service offers something for everyone and a
chance to share in the Communion which is the most special part of
being a Christian.
Please come and give it a try. All are welcome at
any of our services!
Service of the Word Family
service
The family service uses contemporary words and modern
hymns. It’s shorter than the Communion service and usually lasts
just under an hour. There is a talk rather than a more formal sermon
and this is usually in an easy-to-digest format which both children
and adults can relate to. This is a fun, informal service for
everyone in the family both young and old. Refreshments are served
afterwards.
The
Saturday Service
Held on the first Saturday of the month it’s
for young children and families, and offers a time to do craft and have a time of
fellowship at church for children and their parents. Very informal
but rooted in the Gospel - pop in if you can.
Communion
service
This
service has hymns and prayers and the central part of the service is
the Holy Communion. This is when those who are confirmed come to the
altar rail to receive the bread and wine, and those who aren’t
confirmed can come and receive a blessing. The bread and wine is
served and
eaten in commemoration of the sacrifice Jesus made in dying for the
sins of humankind. There
is also a sermon when the bible reading is explained and offers us a
chance to think about its relevance for each of us.
This service
provides a time to step aside from the day to day and to join our
church community to sing, reflect and to think about God in our
lives. We each bring the experiences, concerns and hopes that are
uniquely our own. In company with each other, we pray for God's
strength and guidance, and receive the assurance of God's love.
The
Communion service is also called the Holy Communion, the Lord’s
Supper or the Eucharist. This service lasts for an hour and we have
refreshments afterwards.
Four
Churches’ service
This is held on the fifth Sun of the
month, and is a way for all four of our churches to meet up and have
a service together. It has a simple easy-to-follow format with
contemporary words, prayers and modern hymns. We move around our
churches holding it at a different church each time.
And now for some terminology…
BCP is Book of Common Prayer and this goes right back to 1662 so the words are traditional. The wonder of these words is that you can feel part of all the congregations and groups of people that have said these same words for the last 400 years. It is special because it can take you aside from the day to day to a quiet reflective place.
‘The Peace’ is a part of the Communion Service and is a time when we can shake hands with others in the service to both welcome strangers as well as make a link with those we know well.
We
look forward to seeing you at one of our services soon… and
if you’d like someone to go with then contact Liz – details
below:
Liz McNaughton tel 01304 851960 or email
lmcnaughton@hotmail.com