At an all-age service, whether Communion or a
Service of the Word, the emphasis is on old and young learning and worshipping
together throughout. It is not a 'children's service' or a 'family
service'! The order of service usually follows a simpler format, and is
very informal.
The sermon is usually an 'interactive'
discussion, or replaced by a shared activity. Our regular All-Age Service
at St Mary's is held on the first Sunday of the month.
alternative service/worship
On the second Sunday evening of each month we
have an 'alternative service', which is usually a Taize Service (see jargon
below!). Three or four times a year we have 'The Alt. Service' which can
take any format imaginable (in December 05 the church was turned into the snowy
kingdom of Narnia.....) The first part of the service is focused on
different activities to stimulate reflection and prayer, and the service ends
with an act of worship using more contemporary songs and a projected powerpoint
presentation.
anglican
The Anglican Communion is a worldwide network
of national or regional churches withhistoric links to the Church of England.
Since 1888 there has been an agreed statement of what it means to be 'anglican':
recognition of the scriptures and the creeds, the practice
of baptism and holy communion, and a church structure which includes bishops
(see below). The
Anglican
bishops from all over the world meet together every ten years at the Lambeth
Conference.
More....
B
banns
Banns are the legal requirement for anyone
marrying in a CofE church. It is a public declaration of the couple's
intent to marry, and is the church equivalent of the notice posted outside a
Registry Office.
bcp
The Book of Common Prayer is still the
official prayer book of the CofE. Much loved by many people (and not only
those of the older generation!) the first version of the Prayer Book was
published in 1549. Since 1970 the Church's legislative council has the
power to authorise 'alternative texts' for worship, but legally the Book of
Common Prayer remains the definitive prayer book of the Church of England.
St Mary's uses the Prayer Book services on Sundays for the 8am Communion,
6.30pm Evensong and quarterly at 10am for Sung Mattins.
bishop
The role and ministry of a bishop has changed
over the centuries as the Church has expanded and grown. Originally the bishop
was the one who had oversight of the Christian community, working with a team of
presbyters (priests) in the day to day life of the Church. As the Church
grew, and congregations multiplied the bishop changed from being the leader of a
single church in a defined place, to having oversight of all the congregations
in a given geographical area. This area became known as a diocese.
Each diocese has a Bishop, who is often assisted by other bishops serving
under him. It is the Bishop of the Diocese (in our case the
Bishop of
St Albans) who authorises individual priests (be they called ministers,
vicars or rectors) to minister in parishes in his stead. St Mary's comes
under the assistant Bishop of Hertford.
More....
C
common worship
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England was
authorised for use in churches for the new millennium, and is a companion to the
CofE's definitive prayer book, the Book of Common Prayer (bcp - see
above) It contains a wide selection of alternative prayers in both
contemporary and traditional language. Common Worship
providesthe usual format for the 10am service on Sundays
and Wednesdays.
communion
The Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, the Eucharist and the Mass are all titles
given to the central act of worship in the Christian Church in which bread and
wine are blessed, broken/poured out and shared. Be it a quiet simple
service, or a formal and ceremonial celebration, Communion recalls the Last
Supper Jesus shared with his disciples and looks forward to the banquet in the
kingdom of heaven. As we gather for this "family meal" we identify with
one another as members of Christ's body, and also with those Jesus shared his
table on earth - the poor and marginalised, the vulnerable and forsaken, the
D
deanery
In the Church of England (and Roman Catholic
Church), a 'deanery' is a grouping of parishes within an archdeaconry.
The deanery is presided
over by the Rural Dean, usually one of the
incumbents of the deanery's parishes, but in more urban areas
this has often been replaced by the title area dean or regional dean.
Such a dean chairs the meeting of the deanery's clergy (which, like a cathedral, is
called a chapter), and may also
chair a deanery synod. Area/Rural Deans
rank as 'primi inter pares' (first among equals)
of their chapters, and do not have the
seniority of
cathedral deans.
diocese
A diocese is the geographical area presided
over by the Bishop (see above). Each diocese has a Bishop, who is
often assisted by other bishops serving under him. The
Diocese of St Albans covers
Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton and part of the London Borough of Barnet.
E
electoral roll
The Electoral Roll
of the Church is the closest thing an Anglican Church has to formal Church
Membership list. Its principle use is to enable members to vote at the
APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting), and specifically to elect members of the
Parochial Church Council and Deanery Synod. However, it is also an important
expression of the common life of the Church. In addition, those who live
outside the Parish but are on the Electoral Roll enjoy all the rights and
privileges that go with being resident in the parish (for example the right to a
wedding in the parish church). However, if you live outside the Parish and want
to come onto the Electoral Roll, you have to have been worshipping at St. Mary's
for a minimum period of 6 months (More....).
Normally, the Electoral Roll is revised every year in preparation for the APCM.
evensong
The service of Evensong (or Evening Prayer as
it is titled in the Book of Common Prayer) is used in the
late afternoon or evening. It is a combination of the
pre-reformation services of Vespers and Compline and includes
readings from scripture, psalms, prayers, responses and a
sermon. Much of the service is sung, led by the choir.
At St Mary's, Evensong takes place every Sunday at 6.30pm
(except the second Sunday of the month)
eucharist
'Eucharist' is another name for the service of Holy Communion. It is the
Greek work for 'thanksgiving'. The heart of the Eucharist is the 'great
thanksgiving prayer, or Eucharistic Prayer which thanks God for his work in
creation and in the life ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.
I
incense
Incense is an extract of aromatic plants, herbs and spices traditionally burned
in worship. It is used in a number of other religions, but in Christian
worship has a two-fold meaning. It symbolises our prayers ascending to
heaven, and is also used to 'mark out' special places and things (e.g the altar,
gospel book etc). Ceremonially it is used occasionally at St Mary's,
usually on feast days or at special celebrations. In addition, incense is
burned in the side chapel at Evening Prayer every weekday.
L
laying on of hands
Actions can often speak louder than words, and
touch conveys a message of love and assurance as well as being a link with
Christ's apostolic command to heal the sick. Hands are usually placed gently on a
person's head, and on their shoulder while prayers are said quietly and reverently.
More…..
liturgy
The Church's public worship. The word
liturgy means 'the work of the people', and refers to everything that takes place in an act
of worship: words, music and action.
P
parish
The parish is the geographical area served by any one anglican church and
incumbent priest. As the established church in England, every part of the
country is covered by an anglican parish church, and those resident in the
parish have the legal right to be married there.
pcc
The Parochial Church Council is part of the lay
leadership of the local church, and members are elected by those whose names are
on the electoral roll of the parish.
priest
The title used by clergy is often confusing, as some labels are associated with
particular denominations or traditions. The Church of England is 'catholic
but reformed' (strictly speaking not 'protestant') and has a three-fold order of
ministry: bishops, priests and deacons. An individual is first ordained as
a deacon, with a ministry focused on pastoral care and preaching. The
majority of clergy (male and female) then go on to be ordained as priests,
although some prefer not to use the title because of its catholic
connotations.
R
reader
Readers are lay
people in the Church of England, from all walks of life, who are called by God,
theologically trained and licensed by the Church to preach, teach, lead worship
and assist in pastoral, evangelistic and liturgical work. The office
of Reader is the only lay ministry in the Church of England which is voluntary,
nationally accredited, episcopally licensed and governed by canon. There are now
over 10,000 Readers, with men and women represented almost equally.
More....
rector
Historically, a
'rector' was an parish priest with the right to claim a tithe from those living
in the parish. The tithe was an annual payment of an agreed proportion
(originally one-tenth) of the yearly produce of the land, which was payable by
parishioners to the parish church, to support it and its clergyman.
Rectors were often remote from the parishes, so a new deputy or vicar was
appointed to act as the parish priest in his stead. Because the vicar was not
entitled to the great tithe, it was usual to provide him with the small tithes –
worth about a third of the total tithe of the parish - as a basis for a living.
Before the Reformation, the Rectory of East Barnet was part of the wider
ministry of the Abbot of St Albans.
retreat
A retreat is a period of time (long or short) when individuals make time and
space for spiritual reflection. Like many parishes, St Mary's organises an
annual retreat, usually in the February half term week.
rite
The word 'rite' refers to a particular form of words and action during worship,
similar to the use of the word 'liturgy' (see above).
S
scriptures
Many different religions have their holy books, and The Bible is the sacred
scripture of the Christian faith. It is an easy mistake to see it and a
book in itself, when in fact it is a library of books collected together by the
Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) over a period of time. The first
section which is commonly called the 'old testament' should rightly be referred
to as 'the hebrew scriptures'. The 'new testament' contains the uniquely
'Christian scriptures': the four gospels and acts of the apostles, with a
collection of letters written by Paul and other influential members of the early
Church. Wikpedia provides a details and informative article on the Bible -
more.....
T
taize
Taizé,
in the south of Burgundy, France, is the home of an international, ecumenical
community, founded there in 1940 by Brother Roger. The brothers are committed
for their whole life to material and spiritual sharing, to celibacy, and to a
great simplicity of life. Today, the community is made up of over a hundred
brothers, Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds, from more than
twenty-five nations. Over the years the community has developed a
distinctive use of music in worship - a gentle meditative chanting leading into
reflection and prayer. A 'taize service' is an act of worship which uses
the resources and style of the community's prayer and song.
More....
east
barnet parish church