If you are not used to Anglican church worship, or perhaps not used to Christian worship altogether, much of what happens in our services might feel strange or confusing. We hope that you will feel welcome at our Church and this guide has been put together to help you navigate what is going on. You can use it to get an overall sense of how our worship works and what it means, or you can find the answer to a specific question. Click on any highlighted link for some information and resources to help you explore that aspect of worship.
Having said that, the most important thing to know is that you don’t need to understand anything. It doesn’t matter if you get words wrong or don’t know what to do. There are no ‘experts’ in worship – we are all trying to draw closer to God, to know and love him better. This is a journey that lasts a lifetime.
We continue this journey, week by week, by meeting together normally for a service of Holy Communion. This service contains hymns, prayers, readings, a sermon and the communion itself. All this is set within the structure of the liturgy, the order of words, music and actions that make up the service. The liturgy changes according to the season but follows the same basic structure:
- The Gathering
- The Liturgy of the Word
- The Liturgy of the Sacrament
- The Dismissal
Holy Communion is our usual Sunday service but it is sometimes replaced with Baptism. You might also come to church for Funerals or Weddings.