Registered Charity No 1130319

November 22^nd 2018

Dear Friends,

Trial of New Worship Patterns in 2019

In my letter of 18 October I updated you on the progress made in the two consultative groups set up to consider the shape of our Sunday morning worship services.   I have promised to keep you up-to-date with developments, and am taking this opportunity to explain how we now propose to move forward.  I am grateful to so many of you who have commented on these issues, both orally and in writing.  The constructive nature of your contributions has been most heartening and encouraging.

It is important, as I explained in my last letter, to remember that we are seeking to ensure a healthy balance between the traditional worship and teaching that we already enjoy, with the need to introduce and develop more family-friendly styles of worship that are more in tune with the needs of the next generation.   We are moving forward with this after much prayer and careful consideration of the needs across our congregations - both present and future.

Last Monday, the two consultative groups met together as a single body to consider a recommendation to the Church Council meeting later that day.  They agreed to recommend a trial of new worship patterns to run from 28 April next year up to the end of June.   I am pleased to inform you that this recommendation was approved by the Church Council.

The trial will give effect, broadly speaking, to the emerging thinking I described in paragraph 4 of my last letter.  The attached annex shows how the services during this trial period will work.  During the first full month of operation:

•       the first Sunday will begin at 9am with a traditional liturgical Holy Communion supported by the choir, followed by the new family-friendly service at 10.30am;

•       the second Sunday will begin with a said liturgical Holy Communion at 8am, followed by a non-eucharistic liturgical service with hymns at 9am, and the new family-friendly service at 10.30am with Holy Communion;

•       the third Sunday will follow the pattern of the first Sunday - ie 9am liturgical Holy Communion with choir, followed by the new family-friendly service at 10.30am;

•       the fourth Sunday will begin with a traditional liturgical said (ie no hymns) Holy Communion at 9am followed by the new family-friendly service at 10.30am;

The same pattern will be adopted for June, but because this is a “5-week month” there will be a said Holy Communion at 9am on the 30th, followed by the new family-friendly service at 10.30am.      It is proposed that there should be coffee served between the 9am and 10.30am services.

You will see that we have added, taking note of the views of some members of the current 8.30 service, a said Communion service at 8am on the second Sunday.   During the course of each month the 9am services will offer two choral Communion services, one said Communion service and one service of Morning Worship with hymns.  Once a month Holy Communion will be celebrated in the new family-friendly service at 10.30am.   In addition, of course, we recently re-introduced a midweek service of Holy Communion at 12.30 on the third Thursday of each month, to which all are welcome.  This is a said service, using the traditional liturgy with which we are familiar.

I would stress that these changes are being made on a trial basis.  In discussion with both consultative groups, it has become apparent that there are no clear cut answers to questions about the timing of worship services.   Just as there are many differing patterns of life on a Sunday morning for families with children, so our older folk have differing routines and preferences for the timing of Sunday morning activities.  In making these changes we are seeking to cater for a wide variety of different needs and circumstances - but we are proposing to use this trial period to understand when the most appropriate times might be.  If the trial shows us that other timings might be more appropriate, we are open to trialling different patterns before making permanent changes.  One thing is very clear - we will need to keep all our services under constant review in the future, in order to ensure that they meet the changing requirements of people in all parts of our community.

We will take steps to ensure that as many aspects as possible of the new arrangements are evaluated - including the impacts on the choir, other musicians, wardens and service wardens, technical teams, those who serve coffee/tea, our monthly Sunday Lunch, clergy, and the impacts both on older members (including, importantly, such issues as mobility and transport), families who come to existing services, and potential newcomers.

I realise that changing Sunday morning routines can be quite upsetting and unsettling.  But, as I said in my last letter, we are doing this to enable more people to enjoy God’s welcome so that no-one need feel excluded from Sunday worship.   We have done what we can to accommodate the desires of many who welcome a liturgical or quiet style of worship on Sunday morning, whilst also recognising that many people have a desire to see the introduction of more contemporary worship.  I hope you will agree that we have tried to take account of many different needs, expectations and preferences and that you will feel able to support the Church Council as we begin to implement these new arrangements.

Yours, in Christ,

Martin