Worship: Service ideas
Following the success of Back to Church Sunday many parishes are considering other opportunities when they can invite people to church.
Seasons and Festivals of the Agricultural Year,
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'Creation'
An example service on the theme of '5 a day' reminding people of variety of diet (and the needs of the others), things we can do daily to help the environment and our need for spiritual growth. Below are the Outline of the Service, a pdf of the PowerPoint presentation and a copy of the script of the short play.
Outline of the service PDF of PowerPoint Script of Play
(Some of the images used in the PowerPoint are copyright but may be purchased from imagevine)
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Environment Sunday
Our understanding of nature touches on our understanding of God, our sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our work for justice, our church life and daily discipleship. By giving the natural world a regular place in our calendar we have a chance to make all these links. These two occasions are particularly appropriate: Environment Sunday (1st Sunday in June or nearest suitable Sunday) and Creation Time (1 Sept to mid-Oct). This resource pack is a collection of new and ‘tried and tested’ materials for you to download and adapt for your own use to help celebrate these occasions.
- Plough Sunday (content coming soon)
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Rogationtide
An ancient Christian tradition in which God’s blessing is asked on the crops and on the land that takes place from the Sunday to Wednesday before Ascension Day. It often includes ‘Beating the Bounds’ - when parishioners walk around the boundary of the parish as a reminder to those in the parish and beyond as to where the boundaries lay.
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Harvest thanksgiving
A great opportunity for the church to connect in imaginative ways with their communities and to bring God to the people at the same time as we enable the community to bring praises and thanks to Him. Click here for full story.
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Lammastide
An ancient Christian festival which many village and farming communities have re-discovered in recent years. It is the festival at which the thanks is given to God for the start of the harvest and grain and bread are offered as a symbol of this thanksgiving. Lammas is an Anglo-Saxon word for ‘loaf’ which is followed by ‘mass’ to indicate a Christian festival at which the Eucharist or Communion is celebrated.
Memorial Service
One of the most popular seasonal service is to hold an Annual Memorial Service for people who have been bereaved. Many churches hold this service at All Souls but it can be held at any time of year and the Easter season has an obvious resonance (as well as lighter evenings!). If you would like to talk more about holding an Annual Memorial Service please contact Colin Randall. Click here for full story.
Salt Sunday
The Salt industry has long been a significant part of local industry in Cheshire. This web page gives a variety of ideas and resources for you to hold a Salt Sunday Service.
World Mental Health Day Service
A service to celebrate our commitment and work in promoting good mental health. World Mental Health Day (10 October each year) was started by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992 to promote more open discussion of mental disorders. The Mental Health Forum (a working group within the Chester Diocesan, Committee for Social Responsibility) have created this service to remember all who have Mental Health difficulties and those who seek to help and work with them. Click here to dowload an example order of service.
We are really keen to share good experiences amongst parishes. If you would like to share your ideas from such contexts, maybe the order of service you have used, please email the information to Victoria Day.
