 Prayer & Worship, Action Plan - Updated 30 May 2007 Worship and prayer are central to the Christian life; they express the relationship that we have with God and together they make a good indicator of our spiritual health as a church. Worship is our only appropriate response to the God who not only created the universe, but also loved us enough to give us his Son. The worship of the church is dependent on the attitudes that we bring to church, and the 'church' can only enable our expression of worship. Similarly with prayer, the desire to pray is the work of the Holy Spirit in individuals; as a church we can teach about prayer, give it its proper importance and provide opportunities for prayer. The worship and prayer life of the church has developed over the last few years, and will continue to do so. It is not surprising then that the discussion groups did not suggest radical new ideas, but rather how we might refine what is done to further enable worship and prayer. The specific steps recommended are set out below. Worship Having obtained a Communion Table and Baptismal Bowl, the morning service has less of a temporary feel about it! A single morning service at 10:30 is now established. The children and young people are present in the early part of the service, which contains an all age slot. Communion usually takes place on third Sunday of the month. The children and young people return from their own programme to be present with their parents during communion. All Age services take place on special occasions and during the summer holiday period. The liturgy and songs are generally provided on the screen with a songsheet provided for those who prefer this. The 'St Cuthberts's Praise' booklet contains liturgy for common services and a selection of songs. This booklet is in the process of being updated. The key notices are displayed on the overhead before the start of the service to reduce the time necessary to cover them. Guide Notes for Service Leaders It is proposed to produce a brief guide note for service leaders, which while not constraining them will act as a reminder of the basic elements of our services and the variations that may be occasionally adopted. The guidance will be produced to coincide with the introduction of the new service booklet. Quietness Provide a quiet room before service for prayer. As above, encourage quietness in church before the start of the service. Provide space for silence as part of the service after prayers or sermon at the discretion of the service leader. Involvement An increasing number people have been involved in leading services, leading intercessions and reading the lesson. Coaching is provided where appropriate. Music Provide a good lead for the music, particularly when introducing new items. Keep a balance of traditional and newer hymns and songs. Ensure that an 'action leader' is available for kid's songs. Evening Service A recent innovation has been the introduction of a Celebration service in the alternate months between the Prayer Focus services. The Celebrations are designed to be more accessible to young people. Once there is more experience of the Celebrations, then the service will be reviewed. The Teaching and Discipleship group may intersperse themed teaching (not more than 6 weeks) into the normal lectionary based services. The need for a greater variety of leaders is recognised. Prayer In all areas of church life we are engaged in a spiritual work, without the support of prayer we are not likely to see blessing. The thrust of the recommendations for prayer is to both raise the profile of prayer and to make more frequent and more flexible opportunities for prayer. Prayer Focus This service is usually on the last Sunday of alternate months and with only a short talk and a minimum of music leaving a significant proportion of time available for prayer in small groups. This service in conjunction with the bi-monthly MAP (mission) meeting effectively functions as the church prayer meeting. Prayer Information A Prayer Sheet is produced for the Prayer Focus service and is then available for private prayer and as a resource for service leaders. The introduction of Prayer Request cards has not been successful due to low usage. We are currently in the process of introducing a Prayer Book, which will be the vehicle for getting prayer requests onto the notice sheets. This enables the provision of sufficient information to allow intelligent prayer and for updates as situations change. Prayer Ministry Prayer ministry is available after every Communion and Prayer Focus service and 'on demand' by approaching a member of the Prayer Ministry team. The team meets periodically to review the ministry. Days of Prayer Full days of prayer have not attracted sufficient support to make them viable. The current proposal is to have at least two days per year when the church is open for prayer from 10:00 until 14:00. Prayer Partnerships There is a steady growth in the number of individuals meeting regularly for mutual support and prayer. |